Campus & Community

A breadth of learning

2 min read

Online gateway offers Harvard teaching on the Web

If your New Year’s resolution involves learning more about Einstein or the history of the blues, you’re in luck! Harvard’s Online Learning gateway houses all of the University’s open online learning opportunities under one roof for the first time, and anyone can access the breadth and depth of Harvard’s learning content. Featuring both free courses and courses for credit, the platform also offers museum collections, lectures, podcasts, and popular programs such as “CopyrightX” and Michael Sandel’s “Justice.”

“With the site, we have created a path for Harvard faculty to showcase their incredible teaching, for schools to highlight a single course or a full degree program, and for learners, in particular alumni, to dive deep into any subject imaginable,” said Peter Bol, vice provost for advances in learning and Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

“As, for example, a typical college student graduates after completing 32 courses out of the hundreds possible, we want to make it possible for them to continue to learn in their chosen fields, but also to explore new possibilities long after they have left the campus,” he said. “While ‘lifelong learning’ has become the buzzword in higher ed, it is more than a fad. Technology has liberated learning for everyone.”

Enrollment dates are flexible, and courses range from introductory to advanced in all areas of study, and can be narrowed from high to low engagement.