The 2013 Hack IP Challenge

I helped organize the first Hack IP Challenge that introduces students to a “live” intellectual property (IP) challenge facing Harvard University:

Thousands of users have already registered for edX/HarvardX, the free online education platform launched in 2012 in partnership with MIT.  Courses offered range from the popular Intro to Computer Science (CS50x) to Human Health and Global Environmental Change (PH278x), and more across the sciences and humanities. Users can access interactive coursework, videos, and learning tools for free. Enrollment is expected to climb steadily as new courses are developed.

Enter the Hack IP Challenge. With early indications of success, HarvardX leadership seeks to set precedent with the content use policy.  Hack IP tasks teams to research, develop, and pitch their vision for a content use policy framework that will help institutions better utilize the edX platform and promote the goal “to research how students learn and how technology can transform learning–both on-campus and worldwide.”

In a weekend-long immersion setting, IP Hackers will present their proposals to those who are shaping the rules under which Harvard and its partners in edX (and future online education efforts) provide education to millions of people. These decision-makers are looking for new ideas from student-participants, and may choose adopt some proposals or follow up with teams and individual students after the weekend.

Featuring Professor Larry Lessig, Dean Martha Minow, Professor Jonathan Zittrain, Jonathan Hulbert , Mark Chang, Aaron O’Hearn , Arial Diaz and Kyle K. Courtney (me!)

Check the event out at http://bit.ly/hackip2013 and on Twitter: #HACKIP2013

I did a live, short Spreecast video last week about the issues involved: http://www.spreecast.com/events/hacking-the-future-of-edu-harvardx