In the new collaboration, announced earlier this month, researchers from Davidson College plan to use data from the College Board to design mini-courses on edX to help students master the most difficult concepts on Advanced Placement exams; thus hoping to better prepare high school students for college-level academics.

“I think high school is particularly close to my own heart,” Agarwal said. “At the end of the day, if students don’t have the right background [for college courses] they won’t get much out of it.”

As edX continues to bring in partner universities and organizations from around the world and diversify the pool of courses offered to the public, Agarwal and other faculty members involved in edX hope that virtual education will become a more transformative source of learning.

“There is much excitement and much uncertainty in the world of online education,” said history professor William C. Kirby, who co-taught Societies of the World 12: “China” with Bol this past semester. "No one can safely predict where online education will go, but I for one am glad that Harvard has been willing to experiment and to leap a bit into the unknown."

—Staff writer Kristina D. Lorch can be reached at klorch@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Conor J. Reilley can be reached at creilley@college.harvard.edu.