MIT's online learning initiative (MITx for "free")

[Amonester]

Even if the announcement was a few weeks ago, I have searched around and didn't find a post about it.

Apologies if it was posted before, I may have missed it.

MIT's online learning initiative
snip ~ MIT ... expects that MITx will eventually host a virtual community of millions of learners around the world. ~snip

More information at: http://www.mitx.mit.edu

[napoleon_in_rags]

1. The whole open courseware initiative is great but they still kill you on books.

I think what they're doing is incredible, but I think they should take it to the next step and allow a collaborative framework for their texts. I know profs write those books and its a source of well earned income, but I think its also important to acknowledge that those book price are prohibitive, and that the benefits of the work they are doing for the human race in offering open learning in the long run vastly outweighs that short term profit.

edit: I gotta say those, this latest development is great. Its an actual framework for online learning, open source, from America's most esteemed college. This could lay a framework for learning that would stretch far beyond what anybody thinks of now with online learning.

[MADem]

2. They have been doing something on these lines for awhile, haven't they?

I seem to recall reading about this a few years ago??

I could be mis-remembering...!

[napoleon_in_rags]

3. You're thinking of Open Courseware.

That being the sharing of Syllabi from all their classes, class notes, lectures etc. This new thing appears to be a software framework for online teaching, open source so anybody can modify it, and it can grow organically. This is along the same spirit as that, but its now an actual technological framework.

[MADem]

4. That sounds like what I recall--this is cool, though! nt

[exboyfil]

5. My daughter is taking Calculus I online

through a Community College next year as a High School Junior. I have already watched the first two MIT Calculus I lectures, and they are excellent. I plan to have her watch them over the summer and do a few problems to prime the pump for the Fall.