MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning in MOOCs

Through the MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning in MOOCs, MIT recognizes MOOC instructors who have demonstrated excellence, impact, innovation, and passion in educating global learners. Annual winners receive a monetary prize and a plaque and are honored at the MITx Significant Interest Group event. The MITx Faculty Advisory Committee serves as the review panel for nominations. 

The nomination period is currently closed. 

The MITx Prize nominees will be judged based on four main criteria. More detail on each area is listed within the description of the narrative letter below.

1. Effective and engaging teaching methods
2. Learner-focused Innovation
3. Global reach and impact
4. Residential impact and reuse

Please make sure to carefully review the information below.

Nomination Process

To nominate a course and course team for the MITx Prize, please submit a narrative letter that includes information relating to the questions outlined below. Within the letter or as an appendix, we strongly encourage you to include links, screenshots, or documents from the course itself as examples of meeting the criterion described. Anyone within the MIT community may nominate a course, but we encourage you to collaborate with the course team/instructors to create a robust nomination. We also welcome course teams to nominate themselves; there will be no penalty for a self-submitted nomination.

In the narrative letter, please address the following:

• Describe the general design approach for this course, and how it supports the desired learning outcomes. Please include any research-based teaching or learner strategies utilized.
• Describe how this course has included innovative technologies, approaches, or strategies to enhance the learning experience. Innovations may include new technology, communication or engagement methods, assessment strategies and more. If applicable, discuss how the innovation may be used by other course teams in the future.
• Discuss the impact of the global offering of this course. How have learners used the knowledge gained in the course? How else has the course offering impacted people, industries, or communities outside of MIT?
• Describe the current or intended use of this course’s content for residential MIT students. Include any ways in which the digital content may have changed the way the residential course is taught or organized, and any other similar impacts.
• Has this course been reused or repurposed for any other groups or projects? This may include things like corporate sales, collaborations with other universities, or other MIT initiatives as examples. If so, please describe the use case(s).

Aside from the narrative letter, please submit at least 1 letter of support from MIT colleagues outside of the course team with your nomination. We recommend letters come from department or section heads, other MIT faculty in the subject area, Digital Learning Lab members, program directors, or any others with relevant expertise.

Eligibility

• Instructors who have taught a MITx MOOC that ran on edX.org during the established window for each year. Start date must fall within the eligibility period.
• Any and all MOOC course types on edX.org and MITx Online are eligible, including self-paced, instructor paced, first runs and reruns. Nominations will also be accepted for entire programs, as long as at least two courses in the nominated program fall within the eligibility period.
• Nominations may be shared by up to 5 members of the instructional team for the course.

Please contact MITx_OL@mit.edu with any questions. We look forward to receiving your nominations!

Past Recipients

For more information, please contact MITx_OL@mit.edu.