UAF has partnered with edX to offer online courses and programs to a global audience. The partnership announcement was made on August 11th, 2020. The first five courses began in late September and early October 2020.

Relevant links and information:

• AlaskaX Institution Page: https://www.edx.org/school/alaskax
• AlaskaX press release for partnership announcement: UAF partners with edX to share Arctic courses, research globally

What is edX?

• edX is a non-profit global online education platform with 33 million learners founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012.

Why are we doing this?

1. To share UAF’s expertise with the world and solidify our brand as a leader in Arctic research. 
2. To increase enrollments in UAF’s programs via marketing and analytics on the edX platform.
3. To generate revenue.

How does putting courses online for free help UAF?

• Creating short, massively scalable courses on edX’s global platform of millions of learners will allow UAF to share our unique Arctic research outside of Alaska and on the global stage.
• These courses will allow UAF to establish a brand foothold in our institutional strengths of climate change research, indigenous studies, and Arctic and circumpolar studies.
• Any course offered on the platform will instantly reach a massive new global audience, and create the potential for increased enrollment in related programs.
• UAF will receive revenue from learners who pay for verified track certificates in courses and programs.

What support does UAF get for our partnership?

• Instructors receive assistance from edX to manage the massive scale of enrollments as well as marketing and technology support.
• UAF gets access to the edX platform to create unlimited courses and programs.
• Instructors and course teams receive educational consultation and data analytics services.
• 24/7 learner technical support for learners from edX.

How is this investment going to pay off?

• Courses and programs offered on edX have the potential to increase traditional enrollment through cultivation of leads from learners who take UAF’s courses on the platform.
• With more courses and successful course runs, UAF could see increased revenue from learners paying for verified certificates.
• UAF will be able to engage in further competition in the online program space with full program offerings that reach beyond the sphere of our traditional target market.

Who is in charge of the partnership?

• The partnership with edX is an effort supported by the UA system.
• The edX partnership is currently led by UAF and supported by UAF eCampus.

What does AlaskaX mean?

• AlaskaX is our designated partnership moniker, which all edX partner schools have, ending in X.
• MichiganX, GeorgetownX, AdelaideX are examples of monikers from other edX partner institutions.