<h2> Answering common questions about the first course on MITx, the Institute’s online-learning initiative.</h2>
<p>
This set of questions and answers accompanies MIT’s February 13, 2012, announcement regarding MITx’s prototype course — 6.002x: Circuits and Electronics.
</p>
<h2>
What is MITx? MIT seeks through the development of MITx to improve education both on the MIT campus and around the world.
</h2>
<p> On campus, MITx will be coupled with an Institute-wide research initiative on online teaching and learning. The online learning tools that MITx develops will benefit the educational experience of residential students by supplementing and reinforcing the classroom and laboratory experiences.</p>
<p>
Beyond the MIT campus, MITx will endeavor to break down barriers to education in two ways. First, it will offer the online teaching of MIT courses to people around the world and the opportunity for able learners to gain certification of mastery of MIT material. Second, it will make freely available to educational institutions everywhere the open-source software infrastructure on which MITx courses are based.
</p>
<p>
Since it launched OpenCourseWare 10 years ago, MIT has been committed to using technology to improve and greatly widen access to education. The launch of MITx represents a next step forward in that effort.
</p>
<h2>
What is 6.002x, and how is it different from the on-campus version of 6.002?
</h2>
<p>
At MIT, each course is assigned a number. All courses in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) start with the number 6, and 6.002 (also known as Circuits and Electronics) is one of the introductory courses for EECS undergraduates. MITx’s 6.002x is modeled on the on-campus version of 6.002.
</p>
<p>
The course introduces engineering in the context of the lumped circuit abstraction. Topics covered include: resistive elements and networks; independent and dependent sources; switches and MOS transistors; digital abstraction; amplifiers; energy storage elements; dynamics of first- and second-order networks; design in the time and frequency domains; and analog and digital circuits and applications.
</p>
<p>
6.002x is built on the content created collaboratively by MIT professors Anant Agarwal and Jeffrey H. Lang for 6.002.
</p>
<h2>
How do I enroll in 6.002x?
</h2>
<p>
To enroll, visit <ahref="http://mitx.mit.edu">http://mitx.mit.edu</a> and sign up.
</p>
<h2>
When will the course be available online?
</h2>
<p>
6.002x will become available online on Monday, March 5.
</p>
<h2>
Do I need to follow a set timeline in completing 6.002x?
</h2>
<p>
In this pilot course of MITx, learners seeking a certificate will have weekly deadlines for homework and labs. Similarly, the midterm and final exam will be given within a specific range of days. However, faster-paced learners can proceed multiple weeks ahead if they choose.
</p>
<h2>
How much time is required to complete the course?
</h2>
<p>
Students should expect to spend approximately 10 hours per week on the course. However, the time taken by individual students might vary considerably depending on background and skill.
</p>
<h2>
Who are the instructors for 6.002x?
</h2>
<p>
There are four instructors for 6.002x: Anant Agarwal, Chris Terman, Gerald Sussman and Piotr Mitros. The team also includes several teaching assistants (TAs).
</p>
<h2>
What is the work like in 6.002x?
</h2>
<p>
Students taking 6.002x will have weekly video lectures, readings from the textbook, practice exercises and homework; design and laboratory exercises are also significant components of the course. The course will also provide additional tutorial material. There will be a midterm and a final exam. An interactive laboratory playground will also be made available for students to experiment creatively.
</p>
<p>
In general, for any given week, learners are expected to work through a couple of lecture sequences containing a few videos (each 5 to 10 minutes in length) and a few interactive practice exercises. Learners can also read appropriate parts of the textbook linked to the videos. Lab and homework exercises will round out the week. Tutorials are also provided as additional reference material.
</p>
<h2>
What if I have a question during the course?
</h2>
<p>
The course will include a discussion forum for learners to ask questions, to post answers, and for discussions. Several helpful documents, FAQs, tutorials and videos on using the various components of the course will also be provided.
</p>
<h2>
Will 6.002x offer any means for collaboration among online learners?
</h2>
<p>
Yes. 6.002x will offer modest support for collaborative work through a prototype wiki and discussion forum.
</p>
<h2>
Are there prerequisites to take the course?
</h2>
<p>
While MITx courses are open to all, there are some skills required to succeed in taking the course.
</p>
<p>
In 6.002x, students are encouraged to have the knowledge obtained from an AP or college-level physics course in electricity and magnetism. Students must know basic calculus and linear algebra, and have some basic background in differential equations.
</p>
<p>
Since more advanced mathematics will not show up until the second half of the course, the first half of the course will include an optional remedial differential equations component for students with weaker math backgrounds.
</p>
<h2>
How much does the course cost?
</h2>
<p>
All of the courses on MITx will be free of charge. Those who have the ability and motivation to demonstrate mastery of content can receive a credential for a modest fee. For this prototype course, the fee for a credential will be waived.
</p>
<h2>
What is a credential?
</h2>
<p>
Any learner who successfully completes 6.002x will receive an electronic certificate indicating a grade. This certificate will indicate that you earned it from MITx’s pilot course. In this prototype version, MITx will not require that you be tested in a testing center or otherwise have your identity certified in order to receive this certificate.
</p>
<h2>
Who is grading the course?
</h2>
<p>
MITx courses will use automated technologies to check student work including practice exercises, homework assignments, labs and exams.
</p>
<h2>
What is a passing grade?
</h2>
<p>
Grading schemes for each course will be announced with the course. 6.002x will be graded on an absolute scale. The components affecting a student’s grade and the grade thresholds will be posted on the course website when the course comes online.
</p>
<h2>
Do I need to buy a textbook?
</h2>
<p>
The course uses the textbook Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits, by Anant Agarwal and Jeffrey H. Lang. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Elsevier, July 2005. Relevant sections will be provided electronically as part of the online course. While the textbook is recommended, it is not required. The electronic text is provided for personal use in connection with this course only. The copyright for the book is owned by Elsevier. The book can be purchased on Amazon.
</p>
<h2>
Do I need to have special software to access 6.002x?
</h2>
<p>
No, you do not need special software to access 6.002x, as you will access the online interactive course through your browser. The course website was developed and tested primarily with Google Chrome. We support current versions of Mozilla Firefox as well. The video player is designed to work with Flash. While we provide a non-Flash fallback for the video, as well as partial support for Internet Explorer, other browsers and tablets, portions of the functionality will be unavailable.
</p>
<h2>
When will the next courses become available and what topics will they be on?
</h2>
<p>
Additional courses will be announced on <ahref="http://mitx.mit.edu">mitx.mit.edu</a> as they become available. We expect this will happen in fall 2012.
<h1> MITx prototype course opens for enrollment—Online-learning initiative’s first offering, ‘6.002x: Circuits and Electronics,’ accepting registrants now.</h1>
<p> MIT News Office</p>
<p> In December, MIT <ahref="http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/mitx-education-initiative-1219.html">announced </a>the launch of an online learning initiative called “MITx.” Starting this week, interested learners can now enroll for free in the initiative”s prototype course — 6.002x: Circuits and Electronics.</p>
<p>Students can sign up for the course at <ahref="http://mitx.mit.edu">mitx.mit.edu</a>. The course will officially begin on March 5 and run through June 8.</p>
<p> Modeled after MIT’s 6.002 — an introductory course for undergraduate students in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) — 6.002x will introduce engineering in the context of the lumped circuit abstraction, helping students make the transition from physics to the fields of electrical engineering and computer science. It will be taught by Anant Agarwal, EECS professor and director of MIT”s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL); Chris Terman, CSAIL co-director; EECS Professor Gerald Sussman; and CSAIL Research Scientist Piotr Mitros.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
“We are very excited to begin MITx with this prototype class,” says MIT Provost L. Rafael Reif. “We will use this prototype course to optimize the tools we have built by soliciting and acting on feedback from learners.”
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
To access the course, registered students will log in at <ahref="http://mitx.mit.edu">mitx.mit.edu</a>, where they will find a course schedule, an e-textbook for the course, and a discussion board. Each week, students will watch video lectures and demonstrations, work with practice exercises, complete homework assignments, and participate in an online interactive lab specifically designed to replicate its real-world counterpart. Students will also take exams and be able to check their grades as they progress in the course. Overall, students can expect to spend approximately 10 hours each week on the course.
</p>
<blockquote>
“We invite you to join us for this pilot course of MITx,” Agarwal says. “The 6.002x team of professors and teaching assistants is excited to work with you on the discussion forum, and we look forward to your feedback to improve the learning experience.”
</blockquote>
<p><ahref="http://mitx.mit.edu"> A video introduction to 6.002x can be found here.</a></p>
<p><ahref="/6002x-faq.html"> A set of Frequently Asked Questions about 6.002x can be found here.</a></p>
<p>
<ahref="/mitx-overview.html">
FAQs about MITx as a whole can be found here.
</a>
</p>
<p>
At the end of the prototype course, students who demonstrate their mastery will be able to receive a certificate of completion for free. In future MITx courses, students who complete the mastery requirement on MITx will be able to receive the credential for a modest fee.
</p>
<p>
Enrollment in 6.002x is limited, and registrations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Further courses are expected to become available beginning in the fall.
<h1> MITx Advances MIT’s Vision for Online Learning</h1>
<p> Education has entered an era of rapid, exciting, technology-enabled change. At MIT, we welcome the opportunity to harness the power of on-line technology for our students and for the world. On December 19, 2011, we announced MITx, an initiative to offer exciting, challenging, and enriching courses to anyone, anywhere, who has the motivation and ability to engage MIT’s educational content.</p>
<p> Ten years ago, MIT launched <ahref="http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm">OpenCourseware</a>, which places online the course materials for substantially the entire MIT curriculum, and was the genesis of today’s worldwide movement in free, open educational resources. MITx is the next step in opening MIT’s educational doors to the world. Through OCW and MITx, MIT invites the world to join it in the passion, hard work, and thrill of learning and discovery.</p>
<h2>MITx will e-publish interactive online courses that:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Empower students to learn at their own pace;</li>
<li>Offer online laboratories where students can experiment and apply their learning;</li>
<li>Connect students to each other in online discussion groups and wiki-based collaborative learning; </li>
<li>Challenge learners with MIT-rigor course materials; and</li>
<li>Assess individual student learning as the student progresses through the course.</li>
</ul>
<p> MITx students who demonstrate their mastery of a subject can earn a certificate of completion awarded by MITx.</p>
<p> MITx courses will be available to the world through an Internet platform that MIT will make freely available. MIT hopes that other educational institutions, anywhere in the world, will adapt and use the platform to publish their own educational content online for the benefit of learners. Because the platform will be open-source and scalable, adopters and users can continuously improve it, for the benefit of everyone.</p>
<h2> Why Is MIT Creating MITx?</h2>
<p> Excellence in teaching and learning. MIT must always provide its students the very best teaching and learning tools possible. MIT began experimenting with online technologies in its educational programs long before we launched OCW in 2001. We have only increased our emphasis in recent years, as several MIT committees have studied how MIT might enhance the learning experience of its students and expand its impact worldwide through new online offerings.</p>
<p> These efforts, combined with those of numerous individual MIT faculty members, confirmed MIT’s conviction that digital technologies enrich learning. Many other innovative institutions and enterprises believe the same and are bringing creative online offerings forward. Having brain-stormed, investigated, and studied, we were ready to act and eager to start. We announced our MITx aspiration to capture and encourage the energy of our faculty in creating new online teaching and learning tools. </p>
<p> Once up and running, MITx will be a laboratory for online learning. Whether MITx learners are MIT’s on-campus students, university students elsewhere, or independent learners, MITx will help us understand how online learning occurs and how virtual communities of learners assemble – information that in turn will allow us to improve both MITx and our on-campus teaching. </p>
<p> Access to higher education. MITx will help shatter barriers to education. The constraints of MIT’s physical campus allow us to admit less than 10 percent of our undergraduate applicants. We teach on-campus only a tiny fraction of the people in the world with the ability and motivation to learn MIT content. Online technology provides a new and different portal into MIT-quality education. Through MITx, MIT educational content can reach, augment, and enrich the education and livelihood of many learners who cannot attend MIT. </p>
<p> MITx does not provide a full MIT education. Our residential campus is the heart of MIT’s knowledge creation and dissemination. MIT students enjoy a comprehensive curriculum and distinct educational environment. Without MIT, there would be no MITx. </p>
<p> Advancing the public good. MITx is an opportunity to help preserve and expand higher education as a public good. Historically, the investment of public and private assets in enormous amounts has produced the public benefits of knowledge creation and dissemination, leading to capable citizens, innovation, job creation, economic development, and broader welfare.</p>
<p> Today, as computation and Internet technologies enable higher education to migrate online, MIT sees the opportunity to democratize education with unprecedented efficiency and scalability. We possess a strong desire and feel a compelling obligation to offer a not-for-profit, mission-driven, open-technology approach to online learning. MITx is our contribution. </p>
