MIT recently piloted a full-credit online course for residential students, reports Nick Roll for Inside Higher Ed. Roll writes that, “a recently released study of the class found students not only performed well but also…reported feeling less stress and having more flexibility.”
In an article about how employers can help encourage their workers to learn new skills, The Economist highlights how “MIT has launched an initiative to conduct interdisciplinary research into the mechanics of learning and to apply the conclusions to its own teaching, both online and offline.”
Inside Higher Ed reporter Carl Straumsheim writes that researchers from MIT and Harvard have released the latest findings from an ongoing study analyzing learner engagement and behavior in 290 MOOCs. Among other findings, researchers found that “about one-third (32 percent) of the people who participate in edX MOOCs work or used to work as teachers.”
Anant Agarwal, president of edX, writes for The Huffington Post that MicroMasters programs, which provide new pathways to master’s degrees through online and on-campus courses, could help close the skills gap. Agarwal notes that MIT’s MicroMasters pilot in Supply Chain Management, “demonstrates the innovative power of MicroMasters to expand access to higher education at a truly massive scale.”
WGBH reporter Kirk Carapezza explores MIT’s MicroMasters program in Supply Chain Management, which allows students to complete a master’s degree through online and on-campus courses. Student Danaka Porter explains that the program provides an opportunity to “get education from a fantastic university, as well as be able to continue to keep working.”
In an article for U.S. News & World Report exploring MOOC-based credential options, Jordan Friedman highlights the MITx MicroMasters program in supply chain management. “Students who earn the MicroMasters can, if admitted, apply their credential to MIT's supply chain management master's program,” writes Friedman.
Martha White of Money writes about MIT’s MicroMasters program, a pilot that provides students an opportunity to gain a master’s degree through online and on-campus courses. "Experts say this could be a breakthrough because MIT and the other schools rolling out similar graduate degree on-ramp programs have excellent academic reputations,” writes White.
The MicroMasters model MIT launched as a pilot last year to provide students a new path to a master’s degree is being adopted by 13 universities, reports Peter Coy for Bloomberg. President L. Rafael Reif explained that the MicroMasters concept is "an important project for me. I believe in the model of empowering people."
Carl Straumshein writes for Inside Higher Ed that 13 universities are adopting the MicroMasters model pioneered by MIT that provides the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree through a combination of online and on-campus courses. “We believe that a MicroMasters will start a new trend in academia,” explains edX President Anant Agarwal.
Carl Straumsheim writes for Inside Higher Ed that instructor grading will be offered in an MITx philosophy MOOC this fall. “You can still achieve scale through partially automating courses, but keeping some bits of human interaction that are really important, like the interaction between you and the person you are writing a paper to,” explains Prof. Caspar Hare.
Dan Butin writes for Inside Higher Ed that MITx will begin offering students taking a popular philosophy MOOC the chance to have their work evaluated by professional philosophers. “MITx has solved a real problem in the MOOC world – of quality feedback and engagement – and has done so in a way that sustains the ability to scale,” Butin writes.
Vijee Venkatraman writes for Al-Fanar about MIT’s Learning International Networks Consortium, which brought together more than 200 practitioners in the field to explore how digital technology can help people in the developing world.
Inside Higher Ed reporter Carl Straumsheim highlights how the new Online Education Policy Initiative report stresses the central role of faculty members to online learning. Prof. Karen Willcox notes that the report discusses “ways online education can make what we do better.”
In a series of articles for Inside Higher Ed, Joshua Kim writes about a new report out of the MIT Online Education Policy Initiative analyzing the current state and future of higher education. Kim writes that the report, “has lots to say about the future of higher education,” adding that, “it really doesn’t get more exciting for us online learning nerds.”
Politico reporter Allie Grasgreen Ciaramella highlights how a report out of the MIT Online Education Policy Initiative stresses the importance of cross-collaboration to improve learning. “The authors noted that drawing together fields that may not be traditionally linked, such as education experts and neuroscientists, can better provide ways to optimize the online learning experience.”