Founded in 2012 by scientists from Harvard University and MIT with a “mission to provide quality education to everyone around the world,” edX offers hundreds of rigorous courses spanning dozens of subjects, all of which feature real classes, from real universities, taught by real professors. In addition to these top-tier universities, edX has partnered with 90 other global institutions, such as Berkeley, Arizona State University, and more.
As a MOOC (massive open online courses) provider, edX features more than 650 courses, 1,700+ faculty and staff, 580,000+ certificates awarded, along with 7 million+ learners around the world. Here, you’ll gain access to a virtual classroom that’s available on your schedule, the latest in peer-to-peer social learning tools, along with cool learning tools, videos, and game-like labs.
To become an edX student, the process works over four steps:
- Browse through the course list (or search for a specific topic, subject, start time, or class type).
- Learn what to expect by reading through the descriptions and prerequisites.
- Click “Register Now” to become an edX student. After registration, the course should be reflected on your personal dashboard.
- Start studying and connecting with others online.
Even if you’re familiar with more traditional online learning environments, such as distance education courses and online universities, the concept (and benefits) of a massive open online course provider like edX might seem confusing. In this review, we’ll help you clear up any confusion, answer some of your most important questions, and help you decide if an edX course is worth the time and effort.
To begin, let’s look at edX’s different courses.
EdX’s Courses
Overall, edX offers their students five different types of courses:
EdX Verified Courses
Verified courses are ideal for those looking to receive a certificate of completion to satisfy the requirements of an employer, school, or other institution. As the name implies, verified courses require you to verify your identity. How? According to edX, “You will be asked to submit your photo and a photo of an official ID through the use of a webcam. As your course progresses, you may be asked to re-verify your identity.”
XSeries Programs
XSeries programs implement a series of courses that are also verified, and students who successfully complete them will receive a certificate. These courses feature easy enrollment, expert instruction, and high-level classwork from “world-renowned experts and top universities” like MIT, Harvard, and more.
High School Courses
Still in high school but looking to get “college ready”? If so, edX’s high school courses feature introductory classes and test prep in subjects ranging from English to biology. In addition, teachers will be able to integrate much of this content into their classroom.
Credit Eligible Courses
As the name implies, these courses partner with a variety of institutions to help you earn college credits at your own pace.
Professional Education Courses
With an emphasis on hands-on learning scenarios, these courses are geared toward working professionals looking to learn a new skill set or add to their resume. All students will receive a personalized Professional Certificate of Achievement, and some courses may also be eligible for continuing education units.
Who Can Enroll In an EdX Course? How Do You Enroll?
Each edX course will have its own unique set of prerequisites, requirements, and expectations.
To locate your next edX course, simply visit the Courses section of their website and click on the subject you’re interested in. Alternately, you can use the search bar to manually search for a specific term.
Once you find an appropriate course, click on it and you’ll be taken to the home page. There, you’ll find out which institution it’s offered through, the start date, amount of effort required (time range), level, an overview of what you’ll learn, instructors, and more.
Ready to sign up? Just click the green “Enroll Now” button in the upper right-hand corner and follow the prompts.
As you can see in the image above, this course is free. Is this the case with all edX courses, though?
How Much Do EdX Courses Cost?
Most non-Verified edX courses are completely free of charge, although you might be asked to donate whatever you see fit on a couple occasions (read: advertising). On the other hand, Verified courses start at $50 and come with a two-week refund policy. In order to request a refund, you’ll need to send an email to billing@edx.org.
If you need to take a Verified course and can prove that paying for it would cause an undue financial burden, you may qualify for financial assistance equal to a 90% discount.
Want to test out the edX system without committing to a course? Be sure to check out a demo course.
EdX offers a large catalog of courses that tends to favor higher education and the sciences. At last check, there were 420 courses available from sixty-five universities, non-profits, corporations, and other organizations. That catalog shrinks quickly, however, when you narrow your search. One hundred and sixty of those courses were already completed (Archived), 89 were opening in weeks (Coming Soon), and 94 would not begin for at least a month (Upcoming). This left about a hundred courses from which to choose, a respectable, but by no means Coursera-sized buffet (over 900). The sciences have an outsized presence: I could choose from nineteen classes in computer science, compared to just five in arts and culture (and that is a broad designation). Alongside traditional timed classes, which run as long as twelve weeks, edX has also begun to experiment with self-paced courses, of which there are far fewer choices (21 options at last count).
My survey suggests that a handful of universities dominate the edX catalog. For example, faculty at Harvard produced four of the five available Humanities courses. There was a bit more variety in the sciences, where faculty at Harvard, MIT, Rice, Cornell, UC Berkeley, and UT Austin produced classes.
Searching for courses is a delight with edX’s tag-based search engine. Each time you make a selection, edX adds a tag to the top of the page. Either of the tags I used to search for classes in the humanities (Current and Arts and Culture) could be removed at any time. You can also search for a particular course type, including new offerings in professional education or high school, classes compatible with the edX mobile apps, as well as those that join a sequence (XSeries) or offer verified proof of enrollment (Verified Certificates).