France adopts the edX platform to create national online learning portal

France is encouraging its universities to build MOOCs with edX’s open-source platform.

This year France’s Ministry of Higher Education and Research opened a digital university called France Université Numerique, which will serve as an online clearinghouse for MOOCs offered by various French universities.

While powered by edX’s open source platform, France’s new MOOC and blended learning portal will be independent, separate and distinct from edX.org, but the French government might pay edX for support services. The first courses will began early next year.

“France is the first country to adopt OpenEdX at a ministerial level. (…) France’s adoption of the edX platform is a testament to the power of online education and the potential of edX’s open source platform,”said Anant Agarwal, president of edX.

EdX, which was founded by Harvard University and MIT, recently made the source-code for its platform available.

(Disclosure: one of IBL Studios’ premier services is the installation and maintenance of edX platforms).