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Table of Contents
Analysis of Popular Online edX Courses from Harvard and MIT.........................................................2
Abstract.............................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................2
Methods.............................................................................................................................................2
DIAGRAM 1: Course Enrollment by Institution...................................................................................3
DIAGRAM 2: Course Categories Distribution......................................................................................4
DIAGRAM 3: Comparison of course Audited, certified of 50% Course Content Accessed and
Certified.................................................................................................................................................6
DIAGRAM 4: Course Category distribution as per Gender..................................................................7
DIAGRAM 5: TOP 10 COURSES........................................................................................................8
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................10

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Analysis of Popular Online edX Courses from Harvard and MIT

Abstract
The purpose of this analysis report is providing an overview of a widespread online course,
including Harvard and MIT on the edX platform. Utilizing data visualization features of
Tableau, the research will look into the trends, patterns and key insights that will emerge
from the enrollment statistics, course categories, learner reviews, duration and learner
choices. This research reveals the influence of online education along with the demand of the
high-status schools to shape and improve it. I found some notable differences in enrollments
within the Harvard and MIT course, different course categories that attract learners, and how
course ratings evolve over time. I presume there exists a link between enrolments and
duration of the course. I suggest that the top 10 most enrolled courses may be worth looking
into. The models, results and the implications of the research study for online education and
the future research directions are all discussed in the following section.

Introduction

In this report we analyze the role of online education platforms as well as the offerings of
Harvard and MIT offered on the edx platform which provides the best-in-class free courses
online Through data-driven approach. By using Tableau, I will be intending to provide
answers to the number of students taking courses in different subjects, and how the course
ratings change, to name a few. In so doing, our objective will be drawing on the
comprehension of information visualization and analytics in the context of the transformation
of digitized education and its impact on learners with global outreach. Thus, in the work of
Hoelscher and Mortimer (2018), we see a clear demonstration of how learning opportunities
outside of formal education can enhance students' overall academic development.

Through this analysis, we endeavor to address several key questions: What edX platform
offers from Harvard and MIT as the most popular ones? How do different subjects differ in
the total number of course enrollments? What elements affect the appeal of online courses?
Furthermore, how do they relate to course duration and the number of registered students?

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Methods

This mix of data preparation and visualization techniques through Tableau constitutes our
analysis method. The dataset of popular edX courses from Harvard and MIT was sourced
from (Kaggle edX data) [ https://kaggle.com/datasets/edx/course-study/reource/download ].

Data Preparation:

 The dataset was cleaned to remove any inconsistencies or missing values that could
affect the analysis. (Xu Chu, 26-July 01, 2016)
 Relevant variables such as course enrollment numbers, course categories, ratings, and
duration were extracted for further analysis.

Visualization:

 Tableau was applied to illustrate different patterns and details of the dataset in order
to meet various research objectives.
 Use of different charts and graphs from bar charts, pie charts, line graphs and scatter
plots were one of the strategies employed to present the information in the clearest
way possible.
 We also applied different styles of graphs, and charts in our dashboard for the
audience to manipulate and delve deeper into the dataset.
 This article (20 Aug 2020) covered on (Steven Batt, Tara Grealis, Oskar Harmon,
Paul Tomolonis) represented the introduction of information visualization by the use
of Tableau.

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DIAGRAM 1: Course Enrollment by Institution

 Harvard:
 The total enrollment for Harvard courses stands at 21,01,121.
 It is being seen that Harvard courses are less popular than MITx except
for year 3 where Harvard courses were more popular.
 MIT:
 The total enrollment for MIT courses amounts to 23,51,408.
 Overall, MITx course are more popular than Harvard courses, except
for year 3.
 Popularity for MITx courses were increasing steadily for the year 1 to
3 but in year 4 it started dropping.

Findings:

 MIT courses boast a higher total enrollment, amounting to 2,351,408, indicating a

slightly greater appeal among learners compared to Harvard offerings (Source: edX
dataset, 2016).

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DIAGRAM 2: Course Categories Distribution

 Harvard:
 The total unique categories of courses are 4.
 It is being seen that Harvard courses are less into the technology
domain.
 Only 12 STEM and CS courses in the given data
 MIT:
 The total unique categories of courses are 4.
 MIT has lots of Technological courses as compare to Harvard.
 Whereas 109 STEM and CS courses in the given data

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  As technology is a trending domain, that maybe the reason for the
popularity of MIT courses to increase that steadily.

Findings:

 MIT boasts a significant number of courses in technological domains, indicating a

strong emphasis on technology-related subjects
 Both Harvard and MIT exhibit a commitment to offering a diverse array of courses
across various categories, catering to a wide range of learner interests and educational
needs.

DIAGRAM 3: Comparison of course Audited, certified of 50% Course Content

Accessed and Certified

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  Harvard:
 Most people tend to audit the course rather than buying it.
 MIT:
 Most people tend to audit the course rather than buying it.

Findings:

 In the case of both MIT and Harvard most people tend to audit the course (more than
350k) but only few decides to get certified.

 People often audit courses instead of buying them because it's cheaper, allows
exploration before commitment, suits casual learners, offers flexibility, and provides
access to valuable content without financial strain. (Online Course Content Auditing).
 The fact that a significant number of people audit the courses of MIT and Harvard it
really shows the Quality of courses made by top word educational institutes.

DIAGRAM 4: Course Category distribution as per Gender

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Findings:

 Across nearly all course categories, there is a higher proportion of males opting for
courses compared to females.
 Within the technology domain or specifically Computer Science, engineering and
mathematics, the disparity between male and female course opters is particularly
pronounced, with significantly more males than females.
 Only in subjects like humanities, History, Design, Religion, and Education the ratios
is almost same.

DIAGRAM 5: TOP 10 COURSES

TOP 10 COURSES LIST WITH COURSE CATEGORY

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Findings:

TOP 10 COURSES BREAKDOWN

1. Introduction to Computer Science

o Probably draws the learners interested in the basics of programming and
logical thinking to the ones who enjoy solving given problems.
2. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming
o Similar to the last course where more function-based programming approach
is used. Enthralls those involved in getting to grips with the dynamics of
coding and software development.
3. Introduction to Computer Science (2016)
o A refreshed introduction to computer science perhaps with renewed
information emerging in the technology. Issues for student computer science
learners who are on the hunt for the newest insights and knowledge.
4. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python
o Focuses Based on a specific approach to using Python for computer science
concepts. Provides learners with a reason to pick Python as a versatile and
used-by-most programming language.
5. Justice
o Examines differing ideas of what fair play in law or philosophy means. Attend
people who are passionate about ethics, jurisprudence or are talented at
problem-solving.
6. The Analytics Edge
o Discuss methods and instruments of data analysis and Business Analytics.
Attracts professionals to improve their analytical abilities for those who are
looking to develop an analytical thinking mindset either in science or business.
7. Circuits and Electronics
o Gives overviews of the fundamentals of circuits and the electronics. Probably
this machine does attract different groups of people. They can be universities
students of engineering and the curious minded people from this social group.
8. Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science
o Attracts individuals with a passion for both science and culinary arts.
9. Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?
o It focuses on the basic principles of entrepreneurship, which are first and
foremost understanding and finding a specific customer group. Open the doors
for power-brokers or who are eager to be part of the ecosystem.
10. Introduction to Biology: Secret of Life
o discusses an opportunity at learning biology basics from scratch and looking
into the marvel of life and all living beings. appeals to students with especially
interest to natural science and biological processes.

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  This top 10 pick of courses is representation of the various learner interests, such as
the foundational computing in the "Introduction to Computer Science," and culinary
sciences in the "Science and Cooking." These learners were not only taught practical
skills like data analysis in "The Analytics Edge" but also, they were taught to deal
with ethical and philosophical problems as seen in the "Justice."

 The compilation of the top 10 courses reflects diverse learner interests, from
foundational programming in "Introduction to Computer Science" to the culinary
sciences explored in "Science and Cooking." These courses not only cater to practical
skills, such as data analysis in "The Analytics Edge," but also address ethical and
philosophical questions, as seen in "Justice." (Ian Abrahams, June 2015)

Overall, they personify the great allure of online education, incessantly making sure both
opportunities for learning as well as the explorative nature of our disciplines are shared across
borders.

Conclusion

Finally, we can conclude, our review of the Harvard and MIT courses which is the main
resource of online learning proves that the online education is a changing system. We've
discovered course categories and numbers of enrolments are diverse, stretching from
absolutely basics of programming to complex ethical philosophy. (Joshua, Oct 2020)
Online education, spearheaded by esteemed institutions, serves as a catalyst for
democratizing knowledge and empowering global learners. (Joshua, Oct 2020)
As we come to the end of this study, it is clear enough that digital education which made top
schools such as Harvard and MIT possible, has become a great channel for knowledge
democratization that support people across the circles. (Joshua, Oct 2020). (Joshua, Oct 2020)

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REFERENCES

 Abrahams, I., & Reiss, M. J. (June 2015). The assessment of practical skills.
Retrieved from https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1493238/1/Abrahams%20&
%20Reiss%202015%20SSR%20Assessment%20of%20practical%20skills.pdf
 Batt, S., Grealis, T., Harmon, O., & Tomolonis, P. (20 Aug 2020). Learning Tableau:
A data visualization tool. Journal of Statistics Education.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00220485.2020.1804503
 Brown, J., & Baatard, G. (1-1-2012). Online Course Content Auditing: Templates and
Practices. Retrieved from https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1147&context=ecuworks2012
 Chu, X., Ilyas, I. F., Krishnan, S., & Wang, J. (26-July 01, 2016). Data Cleaning:
Overview and Emerging Challenges. Retrieved from https://bpb-us-
w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.gatech.edu/dist/b/1653/files/2020/10/data-cleaning-sigmod-
tutorial.pdf
 Hoelscher, J., & Mortimer, A. (September 2018). Using Tableau to visualize data and
drive decision-making. Decision Support Systems,.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2018.07.004
 Siirtola, H. (2019). The Cost of Pie Charts. Retrieved from
https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/117653/the_cost_of_pie_charts_2019.pdf?
sequence=2
 Saraiya, P., Lee, P., & North, C. (n.d.). Visualization of graphs with associated time
series data. Retrieved from https://infovis.cs.vt.edu/sites/default/files/infovis05-
grapheval.pdf
 Weishart, Joshua. E. (October 2020). Democratizing education rights. William &
Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Retrieved from
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1954&context=wmborj
 Kaggle (2016). Online Courses from Harvard and MIT. Retrieved from
https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/edx/course-study/data
 Catherine, C., Christianne, C., & Andresse, C. (February 2010). Why So Few?
Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Retrieved from
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