RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Information Technology University (ITU) of the Punjab, Lahore and the global education platform, edX, the non-profit online learning destination founded by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) here on Monday to integrate edX courses in the existing ITU degree programs.

Dr Umar Saif, Vice Chancellor ITU and Dr. Anant Agarwal, Professor at MIT and CEO of edX, signed the MoU on behalf of the respective sides. The successful collaboration between ITU and edX will lead to the formation of the first “Digital University” in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice Chancellor of ITU, Dr Umar Saif stated that, “the collaboration with edX will allow Pakistani students to take courses from top universities in the world in their classrooms at ITU under the supervision of the ITU faculty members.” “This is the first of its kind partnership of EdX with any university, in which online courses on EdX are integrated into classrooms and supervised exams. Students earn a course completion certificate from a university such as MIT or Harvard and course credits from ITU. Specifically we will be integrating edX micro-masters into masters programs in Data Sciences and Development Economics from next year. Currently our first year Electrical Engineering students are enrolled into the Circuits and Electronics course at MIT through this partnership.”

“By leveraging technology and its university partnerships, ITU is offering its students a blended learning environment focused on improved learning outcomes by combining the best of online education with classroom instruction,” said Anant Agarwal, edX CEO and MIT Professor.