In May 2012, Harvard joined forces with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to form edX, a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The aim is to use the power of the Web to take the "learning to the learners” and to research how students learn and how technology can transform learning—both on campus and worldwide. edX is an enabling platform, allowing the lead institutions (Harvard and MIT) and select partners (e.g., Berkeley, University of Texas), to readily distribute course content and other academic materials.
HarvardX
HarvardX is the organization responsible for Harvard’s edX content, courses, and related activities. When launched as part of edX, the University leadership made the decision to emphasize, first and foremost, HarvardX’spotential enhance to teaching and learning. In particular MOOCs support the “flipped classroom” model of pedagogy, where students watch lectures prior to coming to class and use class time to engage in more experiential learning (e.g., collaboration and problem solving).
EdX
EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise of its founding partners Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that features learning designed specifically for interactive study via the web. Based on a long history of collaboration and their shared educational missions, the founders are creating a new online-learning experience with online courses that reflect their disciplinary breadth.
Along with offering online courses, the institutions will use edX to research how students learn and how technology can transform learning–both on-campus and worldwide. Anant Agarwal, former Director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, serves as the first president of edX. EdX's goals combine the desire to reach out to students of all ages, means, and nations, and to deliver these teachings from a faculty who reflect the diversity of its audience. EdX is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is governed by MIT and Harvard.
edX goals
- Expand access to education
- Enhance teaching and learning on campus and beyond
- Advance teaching and learning through research
edX principles
- Not for profit
- Collaborative
- Open source
- Financially sustainable
- Become a leading source of high quality online learning world wide