Organization
What is edX?
EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise of its founding partners, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University that offers online learning to on-campus students and to millions of people around the world. To do so, edX is building an open-source online learning platform and hosts an online web portal at www.edx.org for online education.
EdX currently offers HarvardX, MITx and BerkeleyX classes online for free. These institutions aim to extend their collective reach to build a global community of online students. Along with offering online courses, the three universities undertake research on how students learn and how technology can transform learning – both on-campus and online throughout the world.
What are "X Universities"?
Harvard, MIT and UC Berkeley, as the first universities whose courses are delivered on the edX website, are "X Universities." The three institutions will work collaboratively to establish the "X University" Consortium, whose membership will expand to include additional "X Universities" as soon as possible. Each member of the consortium will offer courses on the edX platform as an "X University." The gathering of many universities’ educational content together on one site will enable learners worldwide to access the course content of any participating university from a single website, and to use a set of online educational tools shared by all participating universities.
Why is UC Berkeley joining edX?
Like Harvard and MIT, UC Berkeley seeks to transform education in quality, efficiency and scale through technology and research, for the benefit of campus-based students and the global community of online learners.
UC Berkeley also shares the edX commitment to the not-for-profit and open-platform model as a way to enhance human fulfillment worldwide.
What will UC Berkeley's direct participation entail?
UC Berkeley will begin by offering two courses on edX in Fall 2012, and will collaborate on the development of the technology platform. We will explore, experiment and innovate together.
UC Berkeley will also serve as the inaugural chair of the "X University" Consortium for an initial 5 year period. As Chair, UC Berkeley will participate on the edX Board on behalf of the X Universities.
Why is edX only adding one X University?
More than 120 universities from around the world have expressed interest in collaborating with edX since Harvard and MIT announced its creation in May. EdX is focused above all on quality and developing the best non-profit model for online education. In addition to providing online courses on the edX platform, the "X University" Consortium will be a forum in which members can share experiences around online learning.
EdX will actively explore the addition of other institutions from around the world to the edX platform, and we look forward to adding more "X Universities" as capacity increases.
Students
Who can take edX courses? Will there be an admissions process?
EdX will be available to anyone in the world with an internet connection, and in general, there will not be an admissions process.
Will certificates be awarded?
Yes. Online learners who demonstrate mastery of subjects can earn a certificate of completion. Certificates will be issued by edX under the name of the underlying "X University" from where the course originated, i.e. HarvardX, MITx or BerkeleyX. For the courses in Fall 2012, those certificates will be free. There is a plan to charge a modest fee for certificates in the future.
What will the scope of the online courses be? How many? Which faculty?
Our goal is to offer a wide variety of courses across disciplines. There are currently seven courses offered for Fall 2012.
Who is the learner? Domestic or international? Age range?
Improving teaching and learning for students on our campuses is one of our primary goals. Beyond that, we don’t have a target group of potential learners, as the goal is to make these courses available to anyone in the world – from any demographic – who has interest in advancing their own knowledge. The only requirement is to have a computer with an internet connection. More than 150,000 students from over 160 countries registered for MITx's first course, 6.002x: Circuits and Electronics. The age range of students certified in this course was from 14 to 74 years-old.
Will participating universities’ standards apply to all courses offered on the edX platform?
Yes: the reach changes exponentially, but the rigor remains the same.
How do you intend to test whether this approach is improving learning?
Edx institutions have assembled faculty members who will collect and analyze data to assess results and the impact edX is having on learning.
How may I apply to study with edX?
Simply complete the online signup form. Enrolling will create your unique student record in the edX database, allow you to register for classes, and to receive a certificate on successful completion.
How may another university participate in edX?
If you are from a university interested in discussing edX, please email university@edx.org