By Callum Borchers, Boston Globe
The new program, called HBX, also marks the school’s maiden voyage below the graduate level. At its Allston campus it currently provides master’s- and doctorate-level courses, or executive education certificates, to about 2,000 students a year. HBX is inspired by popular online learning platforms, such as edX, which was launched two years ago by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But unlike edX, the Harvard Business offering will not be a so-called MOOC — a massive open online course anyone with an Internet connection can join. Prospective students must apply for admission and must already be pursuing at least a four-year degree at another school. “The folks who are flocking to these open courses vary dramatically in terms of how committed they are to finishing. You get a lot of browsers,” said Youngme Moon, chair of Harvard’s MBA program. “We started from a very different place, where we decided we wanted to offer something that is for serious learners only.”
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