“Individual learners,” people who can learn and grasp concepts and material without the assistance of an actual teacher, would also benefit from the distance learning project, Lerman said.

“It might give them a start in the same way a text book would give them [one],” he said. “A text book isn’t a course, but it might be useful to some learners, people who are used to learning on their own.”

Other colleges and universities have already been experimenting with various forms of distance learning.

According to Director of Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services, Frank M. Steen, other universities have taken measures that are equal to the OCW Initiative.

Steen also asserts that MIT’s announcement is different because they released the financial burden the institution would incur, whereas other universities have not publicized the amount of money spent on such efforts.

“Any university that puts up course web sites has to make a financial commitment. It is just that MIT announced the amount they planned to spend for 10 years, all at once,” wrote Steen in an e-mail.

For the past four years, Harvard has been hosting undergraduate courses web sites, some of which are accessible to the public. These sites feature many of the same things the OCW hopes to offer.

“[Anyone] can go to the FAS site and look at many, many course web sites in their entirety,” Steen said. “So, practically speaking, we have already completed the equivalent of the MIT project as far as making courses available.”

In addition, the College launched “Harvard at Home” last March, an online program that allows alumni to explore a range of academic topics.