Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday announced the two universities are teaming up to offer free online courses to the masses beginning in Fall 2012.
The new effort is called “edX” and is based on MIT’s own prototype online learning platform, MITx, launched in December 2011. The first online course in MIT’s own platform, on circuits and electronics, drew an astounding 120,000 registrations at its start, just a little bit fewer than all of MIT’s living alumni, according to the university’s president Susan Hockfield in a press conference on Tuesday.
Harvard and MIT are investing a combined $60 million ($30 million each) in the program and expect millions to enroll.