As a result, badges are now offered by an increasing number and variety of credible schools and programs, including the Kahn Academy, Carnegie Mellon, and, yes, MITx and edX.

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And, in fact, there has been some very intelligent writing on how the draconian SOPA legislation will impact the Open Educational Resource movement of which MITx is a leading light.

FORBES: And Not Only That, SOPA Will Ruin MITx!

In the long run, we'd probably see more innovative low-cost learning alternatives, such as the free online courses being offered by Stanford, Princeton, and MIT professors through the new ventures Udacity, Coursera, and MITx.

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Internet-based initiatives from Khan Academy to MITx are poised to give greater access, very possibly altering the nature of education in some ways, but concurrently fueling interest for US education in general and the deep, interactive learning that only on-campus instruction can provide not to mention the unmatched networking opportunities of physical universities.

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In fact, part of the reason for the fervent interest in these topics is that the free, unfettered internet and free educational resources (particularly those related to science and technology like the ones MITx is offering) and the small companies that emerge from them are closer to the heart of job creation than large corporations.

FORBES: And Not Only That, SOPA Will Ruin MITx!