“The humanities in general have been taught in a relatively traditional format—the lecture hall, or the seminar room,” said Martin Puchner, professor of drama and English and comparative literature. “It’s gotten good at it, but there are new opportunities provided by different types of technologies.”

EdX is an evolving platform, and students may have a chance to contribute feedback and classroom modules as early as the fall, according to Malan.

Although many people view Harvard’s exclusivity as one of its defining features, professors say that increased accessibility of Harvard’s educational offerings to the broader community will not diminish the University’s prestige.

Puchner said that much of the “residential, liberal arts college” experience cannot be duplicated simply by putting classes online. Daily interactions among students and between students and their instructors, he said, are incredibly important as well.

“I don’t think the online courses will dilute the brand,” Puchner said. “I think it will make Harvard College even more desirable than it already is.”

While some professors feel strongly that edX will supplement, rather than displace, tradition learning models, Khademhosseini said that he can imagine a future in which online portals provide an education that is on par in terms of quality with in-person classes at universities.

“I think it’s not impossible,” he said. “I think the trend is going that way.”

—Staff writer Radhika Jain can be reached at radhikajain@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Kevin J. Wu can be reached at kwu@college.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: May 8

An earlier version of this article stated that more than 15,000 students around the world have taken Michael Sandel’s course “Justice” online. In fact, more than 15,000 students have taken the class at Harvard, while millions around the world have watched the course lectures online.