Imagine this? Disruptive education initiatives.

I received an email invitation this morning to enroll in a copyright course presented  by a Harvard professor participating in edX. Do not underestimate what is happening in this educational space. My recommendation is read or re-read Alvin Toffler's, Future Shock and The Third Wave. 

Wiki says--edX is a massive, open-course platform founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University to offer online university-level courses in a wide range of disciplines to a worldwide audience at no charge. The two institutions have each contributed $30 million of resources to the nonprofit project. edX launched in Fall 2012 and builds on MITx, a similar project launched by MIT in December 2011.

I rushed to the application process. It was a comprehensive process including answering fill in-the-blank word questions, apparently a small test to determine reading ability. 

Here are a few details that I clipped from the announcement. 

Harvard Law School is accepting applications for its first online course via edX—a new online education venture between six leading universities. The 12-week copyright course begins on January 28 and will be open to 500 students. Applications for a spot in the free class, taught by William Fisher III, director of Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, must be received by January 3.

The course is not a MOOC, or massive open online course, in which hundreds or thousands of students complete an online course largely on their own. Instead, the edX copyright course is intended to mimic a traditional Harvard law class. Students will be broken into smaller sections of no more than 25, and a former or current student of Fisher's will facilitate discussions among section members in real time. Students will also take a three-hour test, just as regular Harvard law students do.

The bulk of the course will cover copyright law in the United States, according to an announcement, and the remainder will explore such laws in other countries.

"Considerable attention will be devoted to the relationship between copyright law and creative expression in a variety of fields: literature; music; film; photography; graphic art; software; comedy; fashion; and architecture," according to the course overview.

The class will be delivered in a variety of ways. There will be an 80-minute online seminar each week, as well as pre-recorded lectures and live webcasts of guest speakers addressing hot topics in copyright law. Course materials will be available for free on Fisher's website. The final exam will be graded by the teaching fellows and those who pass the course will receive certificates of completion.

Those enrolled in the course are expected to devote at least eight hours a week to the class. There are no prerequisites, though participants must be at least 13 years old, proficient in English, and willing to participate in the online discussions. Students from anywhere in the world can participate as long as they have Internet access, though preference will be given to students with the ability to video chat. The law school expects to receive applications from more people than it can accommodate in the course.

As I anticipated, 2013 has started with a major disruptive education event. Awesome. Teachers get your teaching expertise up to speed or get your resumes ready.

Wish me luck on my application.