EdX Offers Free Education

 EdX is a revolutionary joint venture in education sponsored by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the leadership of Dr. Anant Agarwal.

Harvard and MIT have read the writing on the wall. They realize that brick and mortar institutions of higher learning are becoming white elephants that can no longer sustain themselves. Young adults are no longer willing to postpone their entry into the "Real World" for four or five years, isolated in the "ivory towers": of academia.

Entrepreneurship and multitasking are the norms in today’s post-modern social structure. Priorities of earning and learning are equal. With the capacity to deliver instruction on a variety of technological platforms, there is no longer any reason to dedicate huge amounts of time to studies when we can learn on an as-needed basis on the go.

Harvard and MIT are hooking into the aspirations of the new “Global Generation” that see themselves as citizens of the world.  Thanks to the internet and social media, they have a network of “friends” around the world. They are driven by a social consciousness and a new American Dream that acknowledges the interconnectedness of the planet—they want the best for everyone, not just themselves, their families and the United States.  And, having access to world-class education anywhere on the globe is a crucial element as they choose to move and live abroad.

With the recent (and continuing) increases in tuition costs, we are reaching a point of no return when enrollment on a college or university campus will be, once again, reserved for the richest, the brightest and eccentric.

Harvard and MIT are establishing a new standard for excellence in fiscal innovation for universities. With some of the finest instruction to be had on the planet, they are able to give free access. They are opening the flood gates for millions who are hungry to learn, but have never had the time, nor the money, to attend a university. They are encouraging those who felt that the university experience was not for them, to taste how it feels to indulge their interests and passions. For these students, this is the best advertisement possible--Many will be converted into students who are glad to pay for higher education for themselves and their children.

Finally, if MIT and Harvard can eliminate the cost of higher education, we must ask why other universities cannot control their expenses. With the use of technology, we should be experiencing a decline in tuition and more cost-effective education and not unlimited increases.

 For more information visit http://www.edxonline.org/ .

Deborah Livingston

PAX-Program of Academic Exchange

At Home in the world...visit www.pax.org