One of the top-rated universities in the world - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - is launching a new online university program for people all around the world for free and without having to meet any requirements. Successsful studets will get an accredited certificate bearing the MIT brand.
The program called Circuits and Electronics will start in March 2012 and will be the first in the line of "fully automatic" online projects developed within the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITx). According to the BBC, it is a groundbreaking program making a significant step forward in the use of modern technologies in higher education.
The Circuits and Electronics online course is based on the same-oriented course taught in the traditional classroom but it is not a simpler form of it. Students will be offered virtual laboratories, electronic books, forums and videos that correspond to traditional lectures. That will require at least ten hours per week until June. Even though students do not have to satisfy any formal entry requirements, they will need the knowledge of mathematics and science.
Other similar courses at MIT will focus on biology, mathematics or physics. The university wants to direct them primarily at employees. The program will be funded from the university's savings, but the university is also looking for other funding options including grants and philanthropists.
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