+This set of questions and answers accompanies MIT’s February 13, +2012, announcement regarding MITx’s prototype course — +6.002x: Circuits and Electronics. +
+ +MIT seeks through the development of MITx to improve +education both on the MIT campus and around the world. + +
On campus, MITx will be coupled with an Institute-wide research +initiative on online teaching and learning. The online learning tools +that MITx develops will benefit the educational experience of +residential students by supplementing and reinforcing the classroom +and laboratory experiences.
+ ++Beyond the MIT campus, MITx will endeavor to break down barriers to +education in two ways. First, it will offer the online teaching of MIT +courses to people around the world and the opportunity for able +learners to gain certification of mastery of MIT material. Second, it +will make freely available to educational institutions everywhere the +open-source software infrastructure on which MITx courses are based. +
+ ++Since it launched OpenCourseWare 10 years ago, MIT has been committed +to using technology to improve and greatly widen access to +education. The launch of MITx represents a next step forward in that +effort. +
+ ++At MIT, each course is assigned a number. All courses in the +Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) start +with the number 6, and 6.002 (also known as Circuits and Electronics) +is one of the introductory courses for EECS +undergraduates. MITx’s 6.002x is modeled on the on-campus +version of 6.002. +
+ ++ The course introduces engineering in the context of the lumped + circuit abstraction. Topics covered include: resistive elements and + networks; independent and dependent sources; switches and MOS + transistors; digital abstraction; amplifiers; energy storage + elements; dynamics of first- and second-order networks; design in + the time and frequency domains; and analog and digital circuits and + applications. +
+ ++6.002x is built on the content created collaboratively by MIT +professors Anant Agarwal and Jeffrey H. Lang for 6.002. +
+ ++To enroll, visit http://mitx.mit.edu +and sign up. +
+ ++6.002x will become available online on Monday, March 5. +
+ ++In this pilot course of MITx, learners seeking a certificate will have +weekly deadlines for homework and labs. Similarly, the midterm and +final exam will be given within a specific range of days. However, +faster-paced learners can proceed multiple weeks ahead if they choose. +
+ ++Students should expect to spend approximately 10 hours per week on the +course. However, the time taken by individual students might vary +considerably depending on background and skill. +
+ ++There are four instructors for 6.002x: Anant Agarwal, Chris Terman, +Gerald Sussman and Piotr Mitros. The team also includes several +teaching assistants (TAs). +
+ ++Students taking 6.002x will have weekly video lectures, readings from +the textbook, practice exercises and homework; design and laboratory +exercises are also significant components of the course. The course +will also provide additional tutorial material. There will be a +midterm and a final exam. An interactive laboratory playground will +also be made available for students to experiment creatively. +
+ ++In general, for any given week, learners are expected to work through +a couple of lecture sequences containing a few videos (each 5 to 10 +minutes in length) and a few interactive practice exercises. Learners +can also read appropriate parts of the textbook linked to the +videos. Lab and homework exercises will round out the week. Tutorials +are also provided as additional reference material. +
+ ++The course will include a discussion forum for learners to ask +questions, to post answers, and for discussions. Several helpful +documents, FAQs, tutorials and videos on using the various components +of the course will also be provided. +
+ ++Yes. 6.002x will offer modest support for collaborative work through a +prototype wiki and discussion forum. +
+ ++While MITx courses are open to all, there are some skills required to +succeed in taking the course. +
+ ++In 6.002x, students are encouraged to have the knowledge obtained from +a college-level physics course in electricity and +magnetism (or from an advanced secondary-education course in electricity and magnetism, as with an Advanced Placement course in the United States). Students must know basic calculus and linear algebra, and +have some basic background in differential equations. +
+ ++Since more advanced mathematics will not show up until the second half +of the course, the first half of the course will include an optional +remedial differential equations component for students with weaker +math backgrounds. +
+ ++All of the courses on MITx will be free of charge. Those who have the +ability and motivation to demonstrate mastery of content can receive a +credential for a modest fee. For this prototype course, the fee for a +credential will be waived. +
+ ++Any learner who successfully completes 6.002x will receive an +electronic certificate indicating a grade. This certificate will +indicate that you earned it from MITx’s pilot course. In this +prototype version, MITx will not require that you be tested in a +testing center or otherwise have your identity certified in order to +receive this certificate. +
+ ++MITx courses will use automated technologies to check student work +including practice exercises, homework assignments, labs and exams. +
+ ++Grading schemes for each course will be announced with the +course. 6.002x will be graded on an absolute scale. The components +affecting a student’s grade and the grade thresholds will be +posted on the course website when the course comes online. +
+ ++The course uses the textbook Foundations of Analog and Digital +Electronic Circuits, by Anant Agarwal and Jeffrey H. Lang. Morgan +Kaufmann Publishers, Elsevier, July 2005. Relevant sections will be +provided electronically as part of the online course. While the +textbook is recommended, it is not required. The electronic text is +provided for personal use in connection with this course only. The +copyright for the book is owned by Elsevier. The book can be purchased +on Amazon. +
+ ++No, you do not need special software to access 6.002x, as you will +access the online interactive course through your browser. The course +website was developed and tested primarily with Google Chrome. We +support current versions of Mozilla Firefox as well. The video player +is designed to work with Flash. While we provide a partial non-Flash +fallback for the video, as well as partial support for Internet +Explorer, other browsers and tablets, portions of the functionality +will be unavailable. +
+ ++ Additional courses will be announced + on mitx.mit.edu as they become + available. We expect this will happen in fall 2012. +
+MIT News Office
+ +In December, +MIT announced the +launch of an online learning initiative called “MITx.” +Starting this week, interested learners can now enroll for free in the +initiative”s prototype course -- 6.002x: Circuits and +Electronics.
+ +Students can sign up for the course +at mitx.mit.edu. The course will +officially begin on March 5 and run through June 8.
+ +Modeled after MIT’s 6.002 — an introductory course for +undergraduate students in MIT’s Department of Electrical +Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) — 6.002x will introduce +engineering in the context of the lumped circuit abstraction, helping +students make the transition from physics to the fields of electrical +engineering and computer science. It will be taught by Anant Agarwal, +EECS professor and director of MIT's Computer Science and +Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL); Chris Terman, CSAIL +co-director; EECS Professor Gerald Sussman; and CSAIL Research +Scientist Piotr Mitros.
+ +++ ++ “We are very excited to begin MITx with this prototype + class,” says MIT Provost L. Rafael Reif. “We will use + this prototype course to optimize the tools we have built by + soliciting and acting on feedback from learners.” +
+
+To access the course, registered students will log in +at mitx.mit.edu, where they will +find a course schedule, an e-textbook for the course, and a discussion +board. Each week, students will watch video lectures and +demonstrations, work with practice exercises, complete homework +assignments, and participate in an online interactive lab specifically +designed to replicate its real-world counterpart. Students will also +take exams and be able to check their grades as they progress in the +course. Overall, students can expect to spend approximately 10 hours +each week on the course. +
+ ++“We invite you to join us for this pilot course of MITx,” +Agarwal says. “The 6.002x team of professors and teaching +assistants is excited to work with you on the discussion forum, and we +look forward to your feedback to improve the learning +experience.” ++ +
A video introduction to 6.002x can +be found here.
+ +A set of Frequently Asked Questions +about 6.002x can be found here.
+ ++ +FAQs about MITx as a whole can be found here. + +
+ ++At the end of the prototype course, students who demonstrate their +mastery will be able to receive a certificate of completion for +free. In future MITx courses, students who complete the mastery +requirement on MITx will be able to receive the credential for a +modest fee. +
+ ++Further courses are expected to become +available beginning in the fall. +
+ + ++ + 6.002x FAQ + +
+ +This account has already been activated. We will notify you as soon as the course starts.
+For now you can go to the MITx homepage or the 6.002x course page.
+Thanks for activating your email. We will notify you as soon as the course starts.
+For now you can go to the MITx homepage or the 6.002x course page.
+Something went wrong. Check to make sure the URL you went to was correct -- e-mail programs will sometimes split it into two lines. If you still have issues, e-mail us to let us know what happened at bugs@mitx.mit.edu.
+ +Or you can go back to the 6.002x course page.
+