Ever dreamt of getting a Harvard certificate without even traveling to the USA? Well, this is no joke. Now you can have a Harvard, a Berkley, an MIT or many other top university certificates from the comfort of your home without spending a single dollar. If someone would have said that 5 years back, he would be simply laughed at. But with the modern advent of the internet conquering the nooks and corners of this planet, education truly has become open source.
edx believes in the motto that if a person wants to learn then education is available at his doorstep, rather on his computer screen. Here, by the word ‘learning’ we don’t about the degrees, (of course, a degree from Harvard makes your CV sparkle like a diamond), but about actually gaining knowledge. edx is a popular platform irrespective of any age (there is a legal limit to log into a website though). Now a grandfather and grandson can learn together.
Who started edx and Why?
edx was a conjoint effort of Harvard and MIT and they wanted to make an open platform for education. This enables distance education without any barrier to age. This was started as a non-profit organization effort.What does edx offer?
Well, to be honest, the question should have been what doesn’t edx offer?From astrophysics to acoustic music, edx offers over 500 courses with more than 5 million users. There are book clubs and python coding classes, language sessions from Spanish to Mandarin and several engineering and non-engineering courses.
How do you join a course?
The idea is very simple. Sign up with a valid email id and verify it. Navigate the search bar or the menu bar to find the perfect course for you and click on enroll. Once you have enrolled you can access the syllabus and guidelines.Is it free?
Well, Yes and No.For a beginner, it is totally free. Anyone can enroll a course and study the materials. Once you have successfully covered the course you can get a certificate.
However, if you want a verified certificate that can be officially produced for an interview then you can get one for $40. The certificate will have your photo and official signature and it will be mailed (Yes, not emailed but mailed to your house even if you’re in village in India) to you.
You can also apply for a verified certificate after observing the result of your course.
Can you enroll a course anytime you want?
Conclusion
Recalling open source platform for education makes us think about movies like ‘Dead Poets Society’ or even a Bollywood flick like ‘3 Idiots’, where parental pressure forces students to study subjects which they are not passionate about. With edx in the picture, a computer genius can simultaneously be an expert on Mozart or a writer can be a web designer. Thus, edx takes a major leap to make some real beneficial changes in the world.So, just join a course and show off that Harvard certificate you dreamt of!