How does a free law class taught by Harvard faculty sound? Harvard Law School is accepting applications for its first online course via edX, a new online education venture between six leading universities. The 12-week copyright course begins on Jan. 28 and will be open to 500 students. It is being taught by William Fisher III, director of Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society.
The course is not a MOOC, or massive open online course, in which hundreds or thousands of students complete an online course largely on their own. Instead, the copyright course is intended to mimic a traditional Harvard law class. Students will be broken into smaller sections of no more than 25, and a former or current student of Fisher’s will facilitate discussions among section members in real time. Students also will take a three-hour test, just as regular Harvard law students do.
