Launched in May 2012, edX is a non-profit Massive Open Online Course provider that directly competes with for-profit companies like Coursera and Udacity. Founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, the website runs on open-source software.
edX also conducts research on how individuals learn in Massive Open Online Courses. The purpose of edX’s studies is to improve the low retention rates and course completion numbers associated with Massive Open Online Courses. The organization also collects user demographic data to determine which types of students are taking their online courses.
Course Formats:
These Massive Open Online Courses are divided into weekly segments. The courses generally consist of several short videos, learning exercises, and tutorial videos. Additional course tools online textbooks and discussion forums, the latter of which facilitates interactions between students within the MOOC.
Course Offerings:
edX currently offers or has offered over 200 university-level courses in a variety of subject matters, including Computer Science, Engineering, History, Literature, Math, and Physics.
- Computer Science: Introduction to Computer Science and Computing: Art, Magic, Science
- Engineering: Underactuated Robots, Engineering Software as a Service
- History: War for the Greater Middle East, History of Chinese Architecture
- Literature: English Grammar and Style, Representation of HIV/AIDS
- Math: Combinatorial Mathematics, Foundations of Data Analysis
- Physics: Waves & Optics, The Violent Universe
Additionally, edX has also begun to offer Massive Open Online Courses geared towards high school students. Students will be able to take high school-level courses in English, history, mathematics, and science. edX will also offer a course that assist students with the college application process. In total, twenty-six high school courses designed by institutions like MIT, Georgetown, Rice, Boston University, and Weston Public High School will be offered to students.
High school class offerings include the following:
- AP Biology through Rice University
- AP Environmental Science through Rice University
- AP Physics 1 through Boston University
- AP Physics 2 through Rice University
- AP Computer Science A – Part 1 through Cooper Union
- AP Chemistry – Part 1 through Cooper Union
- Introduction to Psychology through St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
- AP English Language and Composition through the Tennessee Board of Regents
- Introduction to Algebra and Introduction to Geometry through SchoolYourself
- AP Calculus BC – Part 1 through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Certifications:
Although edX courses cannot be taken for college credit, students can received an XSeries Certificate for completing a number of eligible courses. Certificate requirements vary by course and institution and are intended to help students advance their career. Entry into each XSeries program generally requires a program fee of $75 and other associated costs.
XSeries courses available on edX include the following:
- The Civil War and Reconstruction – 1850 – 1861 through Columbia University
- Supply Chain and Logistics Fundamentals through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Great Unsolved Mysteries of the University through Australian National University
Students who audit the course will receive a certificate for completing an XSeries regardless of whether they pay a required fee. Such certificates of completion are available for other edX courses as well. For example, free honor code courses also offer certificates of completion. However, the certificate does not verify the identity of the individual who completed the course.
Partners:
In addition to the two founding partners and owners, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, edX has joined with other universities across several different countries.
United States Charter Member partners include the following universities:
- Berkeley University of California
- The University of Texas System
- Boston University
- Caltech
- Georgetown University
- The University of Notre Dame
- The University of Chicago
- The University of Washington
- Wellesley College
Partnering institutions in other countries include the following schools:
- Australian National University (Australia)
- The University of Queensland (Australia)
- Delft University of Technology (Netherlands
- The University of British Columbia (Canada)
- ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- IIT Bombay (India)
- Kyoto University (Japan)
- Seoul National University (South Korea)
- Technische Universität München (Germany)
- Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium)