edX® and 2U® get together to improve the future of online education. Tech company 2U has paid $800 million to buy edX, online education platform MIT and Harvard created
At the end of June, it was announced that 2U acquired edX, joining forces together in the edtech industry. edX is a non-profit provider of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and was founded in 2012 by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 2U is a global leader in education technology and, as we can read on edX twitter profile, shares the same vision with edX on online education: the fact that it has the power to “expand access, create opportunity and transform lives”.
Since both edX and 2U are major forces in online education, this will bring together unique strengths and capabilities to the education sector. Anant Agarwal, Founder and CEO of edX, affirms:
“Joining together with 2U will allow us to accelerate our impact and purpose at an even greater rate — reaching more learners than ever before, serving as trusted digital transformation partners for universities and companies, and furthering research and innovation in teaching and learning.”
OpenSistemas and Graspway – Partners of the Open edX platform
Open edX is the software through which edX® offers MOOCs. The software solution is used worldwide and allows anyone – companies, organizations, universities, schools, etc. – to offer their own online courses for their own participants.
As partners of the Open edX community, OpenSistemas and its elearning product Graspway are really happy to hear this news and we hope it will help improve the future of education technology. Javier Viñuales, Partner Manager at OpenSistemas and LMS Product Expert, affirms about this acquisition:
“If the open source product is good enough and the community is active enough and healthy, then it doesn’t matter what the acquiring company decides to do.”
This acquisition will bring agile and accessible education. As Anant Agarwal says:
“One where everyone is welcome and where the knowledge we share and the knowledge we gain propels our lives, our communities, and the world.”
If 2U’s acquisition of edX brings more affordable education, research and innovation in teaching and learning, it will be a great progress and it will definitely improve the future of online education.
