Civic Education
in the AI Age
MIT Open Learning is an organization housed in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), committed to “[transforming] teaching and learning at MIT and around the globe through the innovative use of digital technologies.” The organization was founded in 2013 as a collaboration between students, educators, advisors, and technologists, and MIT faculty. Today, its purpose is to develop educational programs, accessible learning content, software incubation, and research for the innovation of K-16 and adult digital learning (MIT Open Learning, n.d.). MIT Open Learning has developed novel curriculum, learning experiences, professional development, and research initiatives to explore the emergence of AI and its consequences on civil livelihood.
Key Activities
Research Engagement
​
MIT Open Learning supports several educational research centers and projects. Each center has a unique research focus but are united in their “initiatives to improve education for all levels: pK-12, higher education, and workforce learning” (MIT Open Learning, n.d.).
Open Learning recently developed the Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education Initiative, or RAISE Initiative for short. Focused on research and outreach, RAISE aims to “advance equity in learning” and prepare K-12 students to be “successful, responsible, and engaged in an increasingly AI-powered society,” from AI literacy research to digital makerspaces (RAISE Initiative, n.d.). RAISE has significantly developed their AI curriculum offerings in 2024, or free educational resources for students and educators. In partnership with Grow With Google, for example, RAISE developed a self-paced generative AI course to teach educators how to leverage AI tools in their classroom. For students, RAISE also developed Day of AI, a series of 12 courses designed to “engage [students] in creative discovery, discussion, and critical thinking as they learn the fundamentals of AI [and] investigate its societal impacts'' (Day of AI, n.d.). This initiative reached 500,000 students across 114 countries in 2022-2023 (Ouellette, 2023). Courses like “AI and Human Rights,” where students develop an “AI Bill of Rights,” or “Understanding AI in Social Media,” where students learn about the spread of misinformation” prepare’s students for the AI Age. These courses are interactive and free to use, true to Open Learning’s mission of providing accessible, digital learning experiences.
Open Learning also houses the Center for Advanced Virtuality, a studio and media lab to support student creative projects and research focused on “learning, simulation, and cognition” (Center for Advanced Virtuality, n.d.). One such project includes “Media Literacy in the Age of Deepfakes,” an interactive module that demonstrates “different ways to analyze emerging forms of misinformation such as ‘deepfake[s]’” and ways to create synthetic media for civic good (Glick et al., 2021). This includes three lessons that teach students how to identify, define, and navigate misinformation, and resources like lesson planning and activities.
Each of these initiatives offer freely accessible learning materials that leverage emerging technologies, explore societal dilemmas, and prepare students to be civically engaged.
​​
MOOCs and Professional Development
​
Open Learning offers massive, open, online courses (MOOCs) in partnership with edX in their “MITx Online” portal. Here, “learners from anywhere in the world” can enroll in one of 63 courses either for free or for certification at low cost (MITx, n.d.). These courses range from topics like literature, engineering, or public policy, and are either self (asynchronous) or instructor-paced (synchronous). Additionally, MIT hosts the Open Learning Library, a learning content library with over 100 interactive learning activities for educators. One such course includes “Sorting Truth From Fiction: Civic Online Reasoning,” a course for educators to help their students find reliable sources of political information (MIT Open Learning Library, n.d.). Finally, Open Learning offers professional development courses at cost to support workforce certification and upskilling. These include in-person and online courses (MIT xPro), technical training bootcamps (MIT Bootcamps), and even organization-level course libraries for enterprises (MIT Horizon).
​
​
Business Model Canvas
Partnerships
-
edX: MOOC development; houses MIT MOOC courses
-
Google: e-learning and curriculum development in partnership with RAISE
-
MIT Departments: collaborate with other departments, faculty, and initiatives under MIT
Customers
students, educators, MIT faculty, professionals, enterprises and institutions worldwide
Value Propositions
-
Accessibility: “promote open software and technology, and open sharing of information,” free of charge, to extend MIT to the world.
-
Innovation: commit to creativity, emerging technology, iteration, and productive failure to positively transform the education profession.
-
Research: “[pursue] new ideas [with] the best evidence available,” promoting integrity and best practices in education.
-
Collaboration: “support and nourish ideas” with organization and faculty partnerships for the betterment of educational innovation.
Channels
-
Online Platforms: course portals for MOOCs; curriculum and lesson plan portals for educators
-
Research Collaborations: publications on behalf of Open Learning, students, and faculty
-
Blog: newsletter and internal blog to share events, programming, and achievements
-
Social Media: self-promotion on platforms like Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn
-
Conferences: attending education-centered conferences to present research; RAISE hosts AI & Education Summit to connect professionals and share research
Customer Relationships
-
Students: free courses or self-paced MOOCs; help page for FAQs; no direct instructor support
-
Educators: free access to educational materials; help page for FAQs; email for platform registration
-
MIT Faculty; consultation for instructional technology services, support, and integration
-
Professionals: direct contact form to express interest in a course; receive calls and solicitations to enroll
-
Enterprises/Institutions: Direct contact form to request access to workforce-curated content library
Revenue Streams
MOOC courses, funds from MIT, federal grants for research initiatives, donations from philanthropic organizations
Cost Structure
Open Learning’s expenses include: development and maintenance of online platforms, research and innovation projects, and marketing and community outreach
Resources
-
Experienced faculty and educational researchers: Open Learning hosts renowned faculty and directorship to support its operations and research initiatives
-
Advanced technology: a strong technological infrastructure, studios, and media labs enable innovative, state-of-the-art learning solutions
-
MIT-at-large: MIT’s strong brand reputation as a leading research institution enables project recruitment, funding opportunities, and inter-department collaborations
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Open Learning is true to its mission of increasing accessible learning by offering free or low-cost-for-credit courses. They meet the needs of several types of learners including workforce, K-12, collegiate, or professionals. Lastly, Open Learning is penetrating the emerging field of AI in education, securing themselves as a leader in this discipline by offering original, relevant, and essential learning solutions. Open Learning should continue to develop accessible learning content focused on AI to maintain their influence while exemplifying their value proposition.
Weaknesses
Open Learning houses several centers and initiatives, each with their own operations and website. Several course libraries live on different hyperlinks depending on which center developed them. This makes it challenging for learners to locate courses that are relevant to them. It is also challenging to understand how each of these centers are connected to one another under Open Learning. A centralized webpage that describes the organizational scope of Open Learning would help users 1) locate services that are right for them and 2) understand how each center aligns with Open Learning.
Opportunities
Open Learning could mitigate de-centralization by creating a universal learning content library. This library could be curated with all freely available courses to make engagement and registration easy for the user. The library could even include filters to help users identify relevant learning content, such as grade level, discipline, or department. As far as content opportunities, Open Learning could expand its AI literacy courses by curating content for the 2024 election. This would offer culturally relevant and emerging skills to help educators provide impactful learning in their classrooms.
Threats
Technological advancement could make it challenging for Open Learning to keep pace with AI’s growth, especially as other institutions like Indiana University and the University of Washington invest in AI education (Coffey, 2023). Open Learning can lead the “AI race” by proactively focusing outreach in K-12 settings. such as design competitions where high school students use AI to address civic challenges. Students would learn technical skills, practice creativity, problem-solve, and prepare to contribute the field. Partnerships with tech companies like Google or Amazon Web Services could enhance brand exposure as well. Investing in K-12 students would proactively promote MIT’s initiatives, recruit talent, and prepare future leaders for the AI Age.
Recommendations
Content Curation
compile all free course offerings and resources in a centralized content library so users can easily find and engage with relevant learnings
Global Partnerships
continue to secure high-profile partnerships with leaders in educational technology, such as Google and edX
Organization
create a webpage that describes the centers Open Learning houses, their functions, and how they contribute to the overall mission of Open Learning
K-12 Outreach
prioritize K-12 students and educators in free product offerings, events, and programming to foster early engagement with AI and civic good
Icons sourced from Flat Icon, artists “Good Ware,” “ChiliColor,” & “Freepik.”