MIT Open Learning

Horizon: Technology education for the modern enterprise. A content library with bite-sized content for everyone from the C-suite to the front line.

Client

In 1999, President Charles Vest asked a faculty committee how best to use the internet to further MIT’s mission. Its recommendation: put all of MIT’s course materials online for free. In 2002, there were 50 classes; today there are 2,450. Today, MIT Open Learning is the central hub for educational innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with multiple initiatives that serve both MIT students and learners around the world.

MIT Horizon is one of the newest strategic initiatives within the MIT Open Learning ecosystem, specifically designed for workforce education and organizational agility. It serves as an enterprise-level content library that helps large organizations, government agencies, and small businesses educate their employees on emerging technologies. It prioritizes rapidly evolving technologies that are creating disruption and volatility. As companies struggle to keep their teams technologically aware, they also require greater assurance that strategic decisions remain driven by accurate and up-to-date information.

Screenshot of the MIT Horizon webpage on Blockchain Technology, showing a list of courses, past online events, and eBooks related to blockchain, with a black header featuring a geometric pattern and menu options.
Screenshot of the MIT Horizon website featuring topics in emerging technologies, upcoming online events, recent publications, and updates on digital transformation.
MIT Horizon website homepage featuring the headline 'Tech moves fast.' and a call-to-action 'Contact Us' button, with a background image of a person holding a tablet displaying an educational platform on autonomous vehicles, with navigation links at
A progress tracker showing the completion of topics, with some topics marked as completed and others upcoming, including Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, 5G, Cybersecurity, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and Digital Twin.

Process

Create an academic-to-enterprise pipeline

While MIT Open Learning focuses on a broader philosophy of "open education" and rigorous academic certifications, MIT Horizon needed to be more practical, translating high-level research into more actionable, industry-relevant insights. Designing the curriculum for Horizon required us to think of it as a kind of “application layer,” which distilled MIT’s cutting-edge research and deep expertise into a format that fits the speed of modern business.

Closing the Skills Gap: MIT Horizon directly addresses the "digital divide" in the workforce, ensuring that as technologies like AI and Robotics advance, the global workforce is prepared to use them ethically and effectively rather than being displaced by them.

By providing a "shared language" for complex topics like climate change and artificial intelligence, these organizations equip the next generation of problem-solvers with the interdisciplinary thinking required to tackle the world's most pressing issues.

A person working on a laptop at a desk with a warehouse full of shelves and boxes visible through a large window behind them. Wireless signals are shown emanating from robots and a person in the warehouse.
Sequence of three illustrations showing a 3D printer carving a small wooden block into a lion sculpture, with the sculpture becoming progressively larger.
Comparison of 4G and 5G signals showing 4G with single antenna and widespread coverage, and 5G with multiple focused beams from multiple antennas.
Warehouse aisle with robotic robots and shelving units, one robot scanning boxes with a laser and another using a lift.
Diagram of an airplane showing key parts: hydraulic spoiler activator, aircraft wing rib, and fuel nozzles.
Diagram of an industrial robot arm with labeled components including controller, power supply, actuator and joint, sensor, and end effector.
Four line graphs comparing cybersecurity threats from Q2 2017 to Q1 2019, showing Total Malware, New Malware, New Malicious Signed Binaries, and New Ransomware, with data sources from McAfee Labs.
Diagram of a 3D printer showing the printing process, with labels for the chamber, print head, print bed, and material spool.
A digital illustration showing a combined view of a dinosaur's wireframe model on the left side and a rendered, detailed version on the right side, divided vertically. The wireframe section features a T-Rex head with grid lines, while the rendered se

Project

With so much information available, it’s difficult to figure out what you can trust. MIT Horizon leverages a team of world-class experts and writers to create accurate, impartial information and insights on key technologies.

MIT Horizon is a modular platform— designed specifically for enterprise-scale workforce education. It includes articles, illustrations, videos, podcasts, books, and live online events featuring industry and academic leaders. This modular structure means that it can be easily incorporated into the organization’s existing learning infrastructure: learning paths, platforms, programs, and courses. 

Core Educational Modules

  • 5G Networks

  • Artificial Intelligence

  • Additive Manufacturing

  • Augmented and Virtual Reality

  • Big Data Analysis

  • Blockchain Technology

  • Cloud Computing

  • Cybersecurity

  • Internet of Things

  • Robotics

Improvement is also ongoing. Horizon adapts educational research to develop resources that boost retention. Ongoing research with users and organizations to inform new topics, formats, and learning pathways. 

The result is an education platform that helps the workforce leverage disruptive technologies. With a shared resource, companies can more easily establish a common language and understanding of very new and complicated technologies that are changing their jobs — and their industries.

Results

Hundreds of thousands of employees at leading corporations and government entities use MIT Horizon to upskill thousands of employees at once.

The U.S. Department of Defense has made Horizon available to 2.5 million individuals across 100 career fields and every branch of the department. MIT Horizon partnered with the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office to provide content for Digital On-Demand, providing flexible, mobile-friendly content to all members of the DoD military and civilian workforce.

"We feel a responsibility at MIT to provide learning opportunities that can help today's workforce keep up with this pace of innovation."

— Sanjay Sarma, Vice President for MIT Open Learning