The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of the USA, currently ranked number one university in the world, is partnering the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) to enable AIT to have access to top-class teaching and learning materials of all the courses being taught at MIT via the Open Courseware initiative of the University.

Through this agreement, AIT’s faculty and students will have direct and free access to teaching and learning materials on over 2,000 courses spanning MIT's entire curriculum via AIT’s university campus network,

These were stated by Prof. Clement Dzidonu, President of AIT in a meeting with officials from MIT in Accra.

According to Prof. Dzidonu, as part of the cooperation, MIT has made available to AIT a specially configured system containing materials and learning resources on all MIT’s programs including syllabuses, reading materials, lecture notes, student handouts, courseware, lessons, learning videos and lectures, exams, e-books, e-journals, e-lab resources and other teaching and learning materials of all MITs undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.

“This special agreement with MIT is in line with AIT’s determination to offer its campus-based and open university students in Ghana and elsewhere high quality education and professional training offered by top universities anywhere in the world,” he stated observed.

Michael Obiri, Head of Network Systems and Services at AIT, disclosed that the arrangement has enabled our students “at any of our campuses can now have direct and free access to MIT’s top-class and quality learning resources and lecture materials on all courses being taught by world-class MIT Professors in all fields and disciplines spanning, engineering, science, architecture, management, computer science among many others.

“Our students access these extensive learning and teaching support resources on AIT’s campus network server without the need to download them over the Internet. MIT using an online link over the Internet will regularly update these resources on the AIT’s local servers which is serving as a mirror site for the MIT’s Open Courseware (OCW) system.”

Daniel Nettey, Head of Learning Management Systems Development Unit at AIT, noted that: “Our students in addition to having access to AIT’s own extensive learning support and e-library resources can now have direct and free access to all learning resources on all degree programmes available to MIT’s own students. Our faculty members can also have direct access to teaching materials and lecture notes prepared by top-notch Professor at MIT to teach our own students in Ghana”

On his part Prof. Rafael Reif, the MIT President, said, “The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students, and bring knowledge to bear on the world’s challenges... open sharing of knowledge is the purest manifestation of this mission”

“Working with world-class institutions like MIT is central to AIT?s strategy to partner with the best in the world of university education and professional training to offer our students world-class quality degree programs of international standard,” noted Mr Dominic Osei-Boakye, Executive Manager for Admissions and Operations at AIT.

According to Professor Francis K.A Allotey, President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees, AIT was privileged to be partnering with such a prestigious institution of learning to provide world-class education at an affordable cost to our students

AIT is a technology-focused research university modelled on internationally recognised institutes of technologies like the MIT and the California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) both ranked among the top five of the world ranking of universities.

AIT operates both campus-based university and Open University systems. It offers a number of undergraduate campus-based programmes as well as undergraduate and postgraduate Open University programmes in various fields, including engineering, computer science, information technology, business, project management, education among others. AIT is a leading Ph.D. research university and has currently enrolled over 250 Ph.D. students and candidates.

MIT established in 1861 with the mission to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology and other areas of scholarship. MIT is famous for its quality education, major achievements in research and as a leading entrepreneurial and technological university in the world. According to the British newspaper, the Guardian, MIT alumni have set-up 25,800 companies, employing more than three million people, including about a quarter of the workforce of Silicon Valley. Those firms between them generate global revenues of about $1.9tn a year. If MIT were a country, it would have the 11th highest GDP of any nation in the world.