Whether seeking to prepare for Advanced Placement® Biology exams or pursue advanced math, high school students now can take advantage of free interactive online courses from the MIT-Harvard edX consortium designed to help boost their chance of college success.

Universities have found that taking a few extra courses can help close the readiness gap between high school and college. To address that need and expand access to AP courses, edX has launched a new high school initiative that includes 27 massive open online courses (MOOCs) in a variety of mostly STEM subjects.

Initial offerings range from Introduction to Algebra to AP English Language and Composition to a four-part series from the University of California, Berkeley on the Beauty and Joy of Computing. Some courses will offer a Verified Certificate of Achievement option, with fees varying by course.

Teachers can use these news courses to augment their classroom curriculum. The first classes launched in mid-October, 2014, with Rice University’s AP Biology course, the Washington Post reported. Boston University will offer AP Physics 1, and MIT will offer AP Physics C: Mechanics, starting in January.

While this is the two-year-old edX’s first foray into the K-12 space, nearly 150,000 high school students are among the 3 million enrolled.

Filed under: For Teachers, K-12 Education News, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources

Tags: Advanced Placement, College Board, college readiness, edX, Harvard, Internet Resources, MIT, MOOCs, online STEM learning, Resources for Teachers, STEM education, STEM videos, Web Resources