French Ministry of Higher Ed Adopts edX Platform for MOOC, Blended Learning Portal

The French Ministry of Higher Education and Research will launch a national portal for massive open online courses (MOOCs) and blended learning using the open source platform from edX.

More than 100 institutions will use the portal, and the first 20 courses are set to start in January. The "effort is part of a larger national educational initiative funded by the Ministry called France Université Numerique (France Digital University), which will be open to all French universities and will provide France with a state-of-the art site and technology platform," according to an edX news release.

"This marks the first time a national education ministry has embraced online learning," said edX President Anant Agarwal, in a prepared statement. "France's adoption of the edX platform is a testament to the power of online education and the potential of edX's open source platform."

Though the ministry will use the edX platform, "France's new MOOC portal will be independent, separate, and distinct from edX.org," according to information released by the MOOC provider.

This year the edX platform has also been adopted by the International Monetary Fund to deliver a pair of courses that will be offered to government representatives and opened to the public in 2014 and by Aspiring Minds, an Indian company that helps individuals improve their skills for greater employability.

More information about edX is available at edx.org.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • glowing lines connecting colorful nodes on a deep blue and black gradient background

    Juniper Launches AI-Native Networking and Security Management Platform

    Juniper Networks has introduced a new solution that integrates security and networking management under a unified cloud and artificial intelligence engine.

  • A college student sits at a desk, surrounded by floating AI-themed tech images

    How AI Solutions Can Impact the Student End-User Experience

    DeVry University applies an iterative and holistic approach to integrating artificial intelligence into the classroom, with a focus on how it can enhance the overall student experience. Here are key things to consider when implementing AI at your institution.

  • close-up view of a heavily barricaded metal door with a large

    Kaspersky Closes Down U.S. Operations

    Security software company Kaspersky has announced it is ending its United States operations. The news comes just days before a federal ban on sales of its products was set to take effect, due to concerns about cyber espionage.

  • translucent lock composed of interconnected nodes and circuits at the center

    Cloud Security Alliance: Best Practices for Securing AI Systems

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), a not-for-profit organization whose mission statement is defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, has released a new report offering guidance on securing systems that leverage large language models (LLMs) to address business challenges.