MOOCs appeal to different people in different ways. From the college student who wants to supplement his or her coursework to the stay-at-home dad who wants to brush up on Chinese history (and there are hundreds of other examples), the appeal is obvious and the opportunities endless.
One area where we believe MOOCs can have a huge impact on knowledge sharing and the jobs economy is as a delivery mechanism for specific, tangible, technical skills. Today it is a well recognized fact that as the nature of work changes and technology advancements accelerate that most jobs require technical competence.
This is why The Linux Foundation is excited to join the Smithsonian, the Inter-American Development Bank and three other organizations as the first non-university members of edX.
Read more of Jim Zemlin’s guest blog at edX.
