FAQ: Underwriting

 

Are the notices on these pages paid advertisements?

As an MIT program, how can I get my notice included on OCW?

Will you put paid advertising on the site in the future?

Would underwriting recognition generate enough income to support OCW?

I am an MIT faculty member. Does my course have to be used in the pilot?

 

Are the notices on these pages paid advertisements?

No. This fall we are piloting the use of ad-serving software to explore ways to communicate with our users, support the MIT community and explore sustainability opportunities for MIT OpenCourseWare. The pilot phase of the program includes only OCW messages and announcements from other MIT programs. We will receive no compensation for the messages during this pilot.

 

As an MIT program, how can I get my notice included on OCW?

Please contact us at [email protected].

 

Will you put paid advertising on the site in the future?

The goal of this pilot is to see how well this messaging approach meets our internal needs: increasing the number of newsletter subscribers, encouraging more visitors to donate, highlighting special content on our site, and providing visibility to other programs at MIT. Later phases of the pilot may explore underwriting recognition in a model similar to that used at NPR. In all cases, MIT faculty will be notified prior to the appearance of any underwriting on their courses and will be given the opportunity to opt out of any such program.

 

Would underwriting recognition generate enough income to support OCW?

Underwriting recognition would not generate enough income to support OCW, but could be an important part of an overall sustainability solution. We would continue to rely on direct funding from MIT, gifts from visitors, major support from donors and sponsors, and other sources of revenue in addition to possible underwriting support.

 

I am an MIT faculty member. Does my course have to be used in the pilot?

No. If you'd rather not have OCW use your course page for OCW messaging or MIT program notices, please contact us at [email protected]. Faculty will also have the option to opt out of any eventual underwriting acknowledgement.