| Summary: MIT, who has already proved to be an innovator in the world of free online learning courses, has announced a ground-breaking, non-profit, initiative to further their educational outreach. "MITx" is the latest innovation from MIT, and offers those who master the coursework the opportunity to receive a certificate for a small sum. This program is huge news in the world of online learning, and is set to prove to be an innovative and soon-to-be replicated program. |
MIT, who has already proved to be an innovator in the world of free online learning courses, has announced a ground-breaking, non-profit, initiative to further their educational outreach. “MITx” is the latest innovation from MIT, and offers those who master the coursework the opportunity to receive a certificate for a small sum. This program is huge news in the world of online learning, and is set to prove to be an innovative and soon-to-be replicated program.
With plans to launch in spring of 2012, MITx will award credentials to those who master the material subject contained within their Open Source Ware. While it is not a full MIT degree, the idea is that it offers competition to lesser-known, for-profit institutions that offer online degrees without the clout of the name with a more impressive reputation.
While the sum to receive the certification is yet to be announced, the fees will go to offset the hefty fees involved in maintaining their expansive online learning library. MIT maintains that each course they publish is an investment upwards of $15,000, and double that for video courses. Regardless of what they decide will be the ultimate fee structure, many bloggers and media outlets in the educational field are already buzzing that this will be a flagship program that will cause other esteemed institutions to follow suit. MIT themselves said that their hope is that, after the launch of the program, students and other institutions alike will offer input that will not only serve to continually improve the program, but inspire others to do the same.
This program may end up being the ticket to giving what some view as over-priced diploma mills a run for their money. For more details, stay tuned to the MIT website as they continue to offer updates of the progress of this promising online learning program.
Have something to say about this topic? Check out our Forums→
Email the link for this page to a friend!
→ Writers, educators and distance learners! Do you want to contribute an article to our collection? If so, send us an email here.