M.I.T. led the way on online learning 10 years ago with its free OpenCourseWare, which now includes nearly 2,100 courses, but the new MITx platform will go further, giving students access to online laboratories, self-assessments, and student-to-student discussions — oh, and certificates:
The certificate will not be a regular M.I.T. degree, but rather a credential bearing the name of a new not-for-profit body to be created within M.I.T; revenues from the credentialing, officials said, would go to support the M.I.T.x platform and to further M.I.T’s mission.