The New York Times has launched a new educational website, called Epsilen, designed to help instructors build course content and help students connect with their classmates. Inside Higher Ed reports:

"Epsilen allows students and faculty members to create their own profiles - a free service for those with.edu e-mail addresses - which can contain resumes, an e-portfolio, a blog and more. The service was initially a central component, along with the availability of archived news and multimedia content, of the Times's foray into providing technology and marketing services to colleges that offer distance learning...

The New York Times Knowledge Network provides the service with tailored and subject-specific content modules, offering instructors template tools to match articles, graphs and other materials with their lectures or online notes. News content goes all the way back to 1851, Nudelman said. "We're really excited because we know that we're in the process now of really ramping up," she said, with over 1,200 members of the Times network and active Epsilen users from more than 830 different institutions."

Epsilen is unique in that it combines the features of a content repository, a social network, and a course management system. By using the New York Times content, some online teachers have been able to create their own curriculum, eliminating the need for pricey textbooks.