Some time ago, MIT began to offer much of its course material online, for free. Now they’re going to offer MIT certifications, also for free:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has announced a new program that will expand the university’s free online courses and allow would-be students to earn official certificates from a program called MITx.
The Internet courses will not only present course materials but will also offer student-to-student communication, interactive features, and online laboratories. Perhaps most interesting is that this program will not be limited to the United States. Anyone on the planet with an Internet connection will be able to take the courses, which are slated to begin in the spring of 2012.
“MIT has long believed that anyone in the world with the motivation and ability to engage MIT coursework should have the opportunity to attain the best MIT-based educational experience that Internet technology enables,” MIT president Susan Hockfield said in a statement. ” OpenCourseWare’s great success signals high demand for MIT’s course content and propels us to advance beyond making content available. MIT now aspires to develop new approaches to online teaching.”
