SUPERPOWERS UNITE: MIT and Harvard have each pumped $30 million for a new, elite non-profit partnership, edX, that will offer free online courses starting this fall. This open-source learning platform will reportedly be based on that established by MITx, and upon which other universities will be allowed to host their own courses. This move follows the footsteps of Udacity and Coursera in the long march to "disrupt" conventional assumptions about the value of traditional colleges and degrees. Not everyone is heads over heels, however; Bonnie Stewart in InsideHigherEd sees these big splashes promoting "essentially a traditional learning model revamped for a new business era." Be sure to check out "He Said, She Said" below for more point/counterpoint discussions.
