MIT and edX Celebrate Self-motivated Learners in India Studying With Free Courses From the World's Top Universities

NEW DELHI, December 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The MIT Club of New Delhi hosted the first ever edX and MIT alumni get-together, at the Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, New Delhi. The focus of the event was to honor people across India who have successfully completed one or more MIT-edX courses and celebrate their achievement with the MIT New Delhi Alumni.

MIT and Harvard are invariably ranked as the world's top 2 universities in research, education and impact. These two universities have now collaborated in an educational revolution called Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs bring the world's top educators to all the students around the world, through the Internet. These courses provide video lectures, course text, readings and assignments that are the same as those used for their students on their campuses.

edX is a non-profit created by MIT and Harvard that brings the best of higher education to students of all ages anywhere in the world, via the internet, with free curated courses. It represents a revolution in education and provides access to courses taught by the world's top faculty self-motivated leaners absolutely free. Apart from Harvard University and MIT, MOOCs on edX are also contributed by other top universities like University of Berkeley, The University of Texas System, University of Toronto.

Speaking at the occasion, Ashley Chiampo, President of the MIT Alumni Club, said, "The edX Achievers are an exceptional selection of self-motivated learners from around the country who have not only exhibited their interest in education by undertaking these tough courses, but also showed tremendous self-discipline in going through these courses to the end. These achievers have showed how the internet has closed the gap between the world's top educational institutions and best teachers, and world's students and professionals looking to get world-class education." She also said that the MIT Alumni Club of New Delhi is proud to recognize the effort and potential of these Achievers, as the alumni know how difficult MIT courses are.

More than 100 edX Achievers were present at this event. This platform gave the achievers an opportunity to share their stories and talk about how this new innovation in education has impacted their lives. edX Achievers also shared their perspective on what convinced them to join edX and how they have used it in their education or careers.

The event also included an address from Prof. Anant Agarwal, President of edX. He is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and served as the Director of MIT's prestigious and world-renowned Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Excited at the tremendous response this platform was receiving in India, Prof. Anant Agarwal said, "It is personally gratifying to welcome you to the event, marking the achievement of so many MITx learners throughout India." He also added, "Reimagining learning to provide a world-class education to everyone, everywhere, regardless of social status or income is our mission. With Indian learners representing the second largest community on edX--after the US--all of you are playing a key role in helping us transform education."

About MIT:

MIT, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), is a private research university in USA, traditionally known for its global leadership in research and education in the physical sciences and engineering, but in recent decades increasingly is also associated with fields such as biology, economics, linguistics, and management.

About edX:

edX is a not-for-profit enterprise composed of 20+ leading global institutions, the xConsortium. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, edX is focused on transforming online and on-campus learning through groundbreaking methodologies, game-like experiences and cutting-edge research on an open source platform. EdX provides inspirational and transformative knowledge to students of all ages, social status, and income who form worldwide communities of learners. EdX is focused on people, not profit, and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the USA. To learn more about edX, go to http://www.edX.org

Primary Media Contact: Tripti Gusain, [email protected], 91-7838756022