MITx is the
massive open online course
A massive open online course (MOOC ) or an open online course is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the Web. In addition to traditional course materials, such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, ma ...
(MOOC) program at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...
. A constituent program of MIT's Office of Digital Learning, MITx produces MOOCs from MIT departments and faculty. Prior to 2U's acquisition of
edX, MITx courses appeared there. After the acquisition, courses appeared on MIT's own site. MITx also supports residential experiments with scalable learning technologies and research on digital learning. MOOCs offered through edX by MITx are open-enrollment and free to take. In September 2012, edX and MITx introduced the option to receive an ID verified certificate on some courses.
History
The MITx program was announced on December 19, 2011, and originally included three components: 1) development and offering of massive open online courses, 2) research on the effectiveness of emerging digital learning tools, and 3) the development of an open source platform for offering massive open online courses. Initial course and platform development for MITx was undertaken under the direction of Professor
Anant Agarwal in the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL).
On May 3, 2012, the open platform component was spun off into
edX, a non-profit co-owned by MIT and Harvard and charged with platform development and the creation of a consortium of leading institutions offering MOOCs. Professor Agarwal was named the first president of edX.
On November 20, 2012, the MITx program was placed organizationally within the newly created MIT Office of Digital Learning, which would also eventually include three other MIT organizations:
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW) is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to publish all of the educational materials from its undergraduate- and graduate-level courses online, freely and openly available to anyone, anywh ...
, the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology, and Academic Media Production Services. Materials Science professor
Sanjay Sarma was named MIT's Director of Digital Learning and Computer Science professor Isaac Chuang was named associate director of Digital Learning.
Courses and programs offered
X-Series
MITx has one of the largest offerings of MOOCs through the
edX platform. On September 17, 2013, MITx announced the first of its XSeries Certificate programs, which offer recognition for the completion of a series of related MOOC courses. Current XSeries include
Supply Chain Management
In commerce, supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services including all processes that transform raw materials into final products between businesses and locations. This can include the movement and sto ...
, Education Technology, Development Policy, and Aerodynamics.
MicroMasters
In 2016, MITx launched a new
Micromasters credential in Supply Chain Management.
Micromaster's credential in Supply Chain Management
/ref> The MicroMasters in Supply Chain from MIT is an advanced, professional, graduate-level foundation in Supply Chain Management. It represents the equivalent of 1 semester's worth of coursework at MIT. To earn a Micromaster's credential, learners must complete a sequence of 5 MOOCs, followed by a comprehensive capstone exam.
References
External links
MITx websiteMITx MicroMastersMIT Office of Digital Learning website
{{MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Harvard University
American educational websites
Organizations established in 2011
Open educational resources