edX has been trying to figure out how to build more courses, more quickly, without losing its exclusive atmosphere. Now it’s settled on a plan.
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edX has been trying to figure out how to build more courses, more quickly, without losing its exclusive atmosphere. Now it’s settled on a plan.
In December, The Chronicle obtained materials from an internal presentation suggesting that the nonprofit provider of massive open online courses was worried that it would not be able to grow as fast as it wanted to while maintaining a “small cohesive feel.” The presentation proposed an expansion of edX’s members-only approach that would create a second tier of institutions. They would contribute courses but enjoy fewer privileges than the “charter members.”
edX made that plan official on Thursday, announcing an “expanded membership structure” to supplement the 32 universities that are currently building MOOCs with edX. The 12 new members include Colgate University and Hamilton College as well as several nonacademic institutions, such as the Linux Foundation and the International Monetary Fund.
Anant Agarwal, president of edX, said in an interview with The Chronicle that the new members would be able to offer MOOCs on the edX website alongside the original 32 member institutions. They would also have the opportunity to share any revenue generated by the courses, said Mr. Agarwal. However, they would not be privy to the same strategy conversations as the charter members, he said.
Following is a full list of edX’s new second-tier members:
Colgate University
Hamilton College
Inter-American Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Learning by Giving Foundation
Linux Foundation
OpenCourseWare Consortium
Osaka University (Japan)
Smithsonian Institution
Televisión Educativa, Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico)
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain)
