OpenCourseWare

Prof. Gilbert Strang received a standing ovation after delivering his last lecture after over 60 years of teaching at MIT, reports Saleen Martin for USA Today. “Teaching has been a wonderful life,” wrote Strang in the comments section of his last lecture on YouTube. “I am so grateful to everyone who likes linear algebra and sees its importance. So many universities (and even high schools) now appreciate how beautiful it is and how valuable it is. That movement will continue because it is right.”

Boston.com reporter Eli Curwin spotlights how after 63 years of teaching and over 10 million views of his online lectures, MIT Prof. Gilbert Strang received a standing ovation after delivering his last lecture. Prof. Michel X. Goemans, head of the Department of Mathematics, notes that Strang “has had a tremendous impact on the teaching of mathematics to tens of thousands of students at MIT through his lectures, to countless of students at other academic institutions through his textbooks, and to millions of people all over the globe.”

Prof. M Amah Edoh is offering a new course on OpenCourseWare examining reparations for slavery and colonization and “will invite the participation of activists and members of the global public,” reports Sharon Dell for University World News.  Edoh explains that the course is aimed at “bringing the world into the classroom but also opening the classroom into the world.”

Krishna Rajagopal, dean of Digital Learning, speaks with Julia Brodsky of Forbes about the history, educational philosophy and future of MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) as the platform celebrates its 20^th anniversary. “OCW is one of the jewels of MIT, fully embodying its spirit of openness and its mission to unlock knowledge and empower minds,” says Rajagopal.

Curt Newton, director of MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW), and Krishna Rajagopal, dean for Digital Learning, explore how open educational resource tools are reaching students in Africa, spotlighting MIT OCW’s efforts to extend knowledge worldwide. “We aim to support learners with a wide range of backgrounds and goals. They may be students enrolled in a formal programme, or dedicated independent learners following their curiosities and improving their lives,” they write.

Writing for Photo District News, Conor Risch spotlights the work of science photographer and research scientist Felice Frankel, who works with scientists to capture photographs that translate their research to the general public. “Frankel has made improving the visual literacy of the science community a major part of her work,” Risch explains.

Prof. Esther Duflo speaks with WBUR’s Fred Thys about MIT’s MicroMasters in development economics. Thys explains that the new MicroMasters program allows students, “to take rigorous courses online for credit, and if they perform well on exams, to apply for a master's degree program on campus.”

In an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Corinne Ruff highlights MIT’s new “MicroMaster’s” credential. Prof. Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, noted that the pilot program offers a new path for admissions into MIT’s Supply Chain Management program. 

Fortune reporter Claire Zillman writes that MIT is starting an “‘inverted admissions’ program in which students who excel in a series of free online courses—and a subsequent examination—will have better chances of being accepted into the school’s full master’s program.”

MIT OpenCourseWare is offering a new online course that examines poker theory and applications of poker analytics, reports Susie Poppick for TIME. “The course comes out of MIT’s Sloan business school, and the course description says poker theory and analysis can be applied to investment management and trading,” writes Poppick. 

MIT has launched the Online Education Policy Initiative to investigate and make recommendations about the future of online learning, Inside Higher Education reports. The initiative “will over the next nine months release reports, host workshops and lecture series, and eventually make recommendations about online learning.”

Brooke Borel profiles edX CEO Professor Anant Agarwal for Popular Science. Agarwal recalls what the experience of failing his physics midterm as a college freshman taught him about how the quality of education varies throughout the world.

Forbes interviews Stephen Carson, Director of Communications and External Relations at MIT OpenCourseWare, about the program’s mission to advance knowledge by getting universities around the world to share content through the Internet.