FFDW Supports MIT Open Learning in Preserving Humanity’s Most Important Information

Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web (FFDW) is proud to support MIT Open Learning, an organization focused on transforming teaching and learning through the innovative use of digital technologies. With FFDW’s support, Open Learning will embark on a three-year project to explore how decentralized technology can support Open Learning programs, including Next-Gen OpenCourseWare (OCW) and uploading OCW to the decentralized web.

MIT Open Learning makes MIT education resources available to learners around the globe, produced by an institution that is consistently ranked highly among the world’s leading education and knowledge institutions. OCW offers free, accessible web-based materials from more than 2,500 MIT courses, including lecture videos and notes, syllabi, assignments, student notes, and more. Anyone can learn for free from MIT OpenCourseWare – these materials are open to learners worldwide and have reached more than 300 million people since 2001. Courses include everything from architecture to biology to management and political science.

These learning resources are intended to be free, open, and publicly available – furthering humanity’s access to knowledge. Ensuring the preservation of this information is core to Open Learning’s mission, and FFDW’s support will enable Open Learning to explore how decentralized storage can advance this endeavor.

“Knowledge is fundamental to our freedom, and ensuring that knowledge is freely and widely available is more crucial than ever," said Prof. Christopher Capozzola, Senior Associate Dean for Open Learning. “The decentralized web provides more options for preserving and safeguarding knowledge. We’re excited to explore how the decentralized web might also support access to the distribution of educational materials and are eager to document and study our experiments with these cutting-edge technologies.”

Open Learning’s project will take concrete steps to explore the decentralized web, including cataloging, converting, and preserving OCW materials on the decentralization web; documenting the media preservation process, and hosting public seminars about the challenges and opportunities of the decentralization web.

“FFDW is on a mission to preserve humanity’s most important information, and MIT’s project to explore how decentralized technologies can solve real-world challenges to preserve critical data is a natural fit,” said FFDW President and Chair Marta Belcher.

To learn more about Open Learning, visit https://openlearning.mit.edu/.