Side by side
MIT OpenCourseWare vs OERSI
Both stand on open educational resource platforms. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Web
Choose MIT OpenCourseWare if you want free, self-paced access to MIT course materials for independent or academic learning, teaching, or lifelong learning. Look elsewhere if you need course credit, a completion certificate, or a degree program.
Visit MIT OpenCourseWare Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
OERSI provides a centralized way to find higher-education learning resources while leaving the content with its original providers. Its API, downloads and MIT-licensed software also support reuse beyond the search interface.
Visit OERSIThe facts
| MIT OpenCourseWare | OERSI | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Web | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Not published |
| Plans published | 1 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | ocw.mit.edu | oersi.org |
| On open educational resource platforms | #10 of 27 | #14 of 27 |
MIT OpenCourseWare: what it does well
- Free access to materials from more than 2,500 MIT courses.
- No enrollment or account is required.
- Learners can use course materials at their own pace.
- Materials may be downloaded, modified, remixed, and reused with attribution.
- Select courses are available offline on mobile devices.
What to know first
- OCW provides no course credit or certification.
- It offers no degree programs.
- Offline mobile access is available for select courses.
OERSI: what it does well
- Central search across national and international collections
- Filters help narrow educational resource results
- JSON Elasticsearch API supports bulk access
- Metadata downloads are available
- Code is MIT-licensed
What to know first
- Does not host learning materials
- Listed resources must meet higher education criteria
- API searches should target the oer_data index
Alternatives to MIT OpenCourseWare Alternatives to OERSI The whole list