MIT Debuts Video Lectures For Students, By Students

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBVeO71_jY&feature=relmfu

With its top-notch science, technology, engineering and math programs, Massachusetts Institute of Technology has plenty resources to share. Now a new initiative called MIT+K12, a partnership with the popular video learning site Khan Academy, will bring MIT expertise to students in kindergarten through high school.

MIT students will create 5-to-10-minute videos to teach younger students the fundamentals of science and engineering. Like Khan Academy videos, MIT+K12 videos are easy to understand, but the for-students-by-students vibe adds an element of fun. Sometimes, like in the video above, the instructors even dress up in costume.

MIT+K12 already has about 36 videos on a variety of science and engineering topics. And if teachers don’t see the video they're looking for on the site, they can submit a lesson plan for MIT students to draw from in adding to the collection.

Ian A. Waitz, dean of MIT's engineering school, told MIT News that the school started the program because its leaders want to "inspire young people to change the world through engineering and science." Early feedback about the videos has been overwhelmingly positive: In a survey of 300 K-12 students who viewed them, 73 percent said the material "showed me that science and engineering could be cool."

The videos are available on the MIT+K12 site and YouTube channel, and highlights will also be available on the Khan Academy site.