That was the mission driving the launch of the Nation-Wide Online School for Ukraine, a platform designed to provide seamless, equitable, and high-quality education to over 500,000 students in grades 5–11 during times of disruption, war, and uncertainty. Backed by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Osvitoria, UIED, and global education donors, this initiative rapidly deployed a robust national learning platform based on the Open edX LMS, one that supports distance and blended learning at massive scale.

Building a Scalable, Inclusive Learning Platfom

Ukraine’s strategy focused on delivering three guarantees:

• Guarantees of access to knowledge for students,
• Guarantees of delivery for teachers,
• And guarantees of resilience for the system as a whole.

To meet these goals, the team needed an LMS that was:
Open-source and adaptable
Scalable to hundreds of thousands of users
Easy for educators to manage without training
Equipped to deliver content in inclusive and mobile-friendly formats

After analyzing technical requirements and future demands, the Open edX LMS emerged as the ideal platform.

Customizing the Open edX LMS for National Scale

The Open edX platform was customized and extended with:

• A Teacher’s Office, allowing instructors to duplicate and tailor master courses
• Role-based access controls for administrators, methodologists, instructors, and learners
• Full integration with mobile and offline access
• Inclusive features like sign language translation and audio descriptions, supported by UNICEF Ukraine

Teachers could easily:

• Invite learners
• Track performance and view grade journals
• Send communications
• Manage discussions, all from a single dashboard

The result? A user-friendly interface requiring no additional training, a crucial factor in fast national rollout.

Results: From 35,000 to 500,000+ Students

What started with just 35,000 registered learners grew to over 500,000 active users, covering 18.5% of all Ukrainian pupils in grades 5–11. The platform delivered:

• Nationwide learning continuity during school closures
• Open access for learners in occupied territories or abroad
• Resilience and transparency across regions
• Full alignment with Ukraine’s national education standards

Platform Modules and Features

LMS

• Course catalogue, registration, glossary, email modules
• Journal of assessments, bookmarks, admin panel

Studio

• Course creation and editing
• Media uploads, textbook management, certificate generation

Mobile App

• Access to materials and communication for learners on the go

Preview Mode

• Instructor preview for quality assurance before publishing

A Blueprint for Digital Education Resilience

The Ukrainian case is a standout example of how open technologies, expert collaboration, and a shared vision for equitable access can create impact, even under the most difficult conditions.

As the world looks to future-proof education, Ukraine’s Open edX–based model offers a blueprint for resilience, scalability, and inclusion.

Learn More

Explore the full case study below, or contact Raccoon Gang, the Open edX implementation Partner, to learn how the Open edX LMS can support digital education in your country or institution.

The post Empowering a Nation: How Ukraine Scaled a National Online School with the Open edX® Platform appeared first on Open edX.

The Challenge

NASA’s ambitious goal was clear: empower 20,000 scientists with open science skills through a comprehensive online curriculum. But the requirements were complex:

• Strict sequential progression through modules
• Support for both full and fast-track learning paths
• Robust analytics to track learner progress
• Digital credentials to recognize achievement
• Launch timeline of just 3 months

The Solution: The Open edX Platform at the Core

NASA partnered with Raccoon Gang to build Open Science 101 on a branded Open edX platform. The solution combined:

• Five interactive modules (25 lessons total) built in Articulate Rise 360 and integrated via SCORM
• Guided progression with sequential unlocking to ensure learners master concepts before advancing
• RG Analytics integration for real-time tracking and data-driven insights
• Credly digital badges tied to assessment outcomes for shareable credentials
• Rich interactivity including quizzes, drag-and-drop activities, and multimedia content

The Impact

The result? A scalable, measurable online learning experience that:

• Equips researchers with critical open science skills
• Fosters transparency and collaboration across the scientific community
• Provides NASA with actionable data to continuously improve the program
• Offers learners recognized credentials that validate their expertise

As Olha Turutova, Head of Instructional Design at Raccoon Gang, notes: “We launched on schedule and can scale without a rebuild”—a testament to the power of choosing the right platform and partners.

Key Takeaway

By combining Rise 360 content authoring with Open edX platform’s robust delivery infrastructure, NASA created a learning program that’s not just informative—it’s transformative and ready to scale.

Want to dive deeper? Read the full case study to learn about the technical challenges, solutions, and lessons learned from this groundbreaking project below.

The post How NASA Scaled Open Science Education to 20,000 Researchers with the Open edX Platform appeared first on Open edX.

Our 2025 Distinguished Contributors remind us that open source is never just about code — it’s about community.

What Does It Mean to Be a Distinguished Contributor?

Being recognized as a Distinguished Contributor in the Open edX community isn’t about one big moment. It’s about the consistent, long-term work that helps the ecosystem grow and evolve:

• Sharing knowledge
• Supporting newcomers and fostering inclusion
• Building tools that empower others
• Keeping the open-source spirit alive

Together, these contributions shape the future of open learning for everyone.

Congratulations to Our 2025 Distinguished Contributors

We’re deeply grateful to this year’s honorees for their dedication, leadership, and care in advancing the Open edX mission.

Distinguished Engineers
Xavier Antoviaque | Braden MacDonald | Omar Al-Ithawi

Distinguished Innovator
Régis Behmo

Distinguished Advocates
Stefania Trabucchi | Marco Morales

Mission-Aligned Leader
Thomas Staubitz (German UDS)

Rising Star
Grace Zawadi

The post Open edX Distinguished Contributors appeared first on Open edX.

We’re thrilled to announce a compelling panel session at the Educause Annual Conference 2025 that showcases how the Open edX platform is the strategic foundation for these diverse and scalable initiatives.

Educause 2025 Panel Spotlight: Upskilling with Open Source

Join us to learn how two leading institutions, with wildly different missions, leverage the same open source platform, the Open edX LMS, to meet the critical demand for skills-forward learning.

Session Details

• Working Title: From Beekeeping to Quantum Computing: Launching an Upskilling Program with Open Source Technology
• When: Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 8:30AM–9:15AM CT | Meeting Room 101 E, Level 1
• Where: Educause, Nashville, TN
• Track: Future of Work: Professional Development and Skills Enhancement

The Power of Open Source for Workforce Development

This 45-minute panel will explore the strategic benefits of using open source infrastructure to launch and sustain non-credit, revenue-generating education programs. By using the Open edX LMS, organizations can maintain absolute institutional autonomy and brand identity while building solutions that are both scalable and market-responsive.

We’ll be diving deep into two fascinating real-world case studies:

1. Penn State Extension: Discover how they use the Open edX platform to deliver community and industry-based workforce development across areas like agriculture, food safety, and business operations. This is a model for using digital learning to strengthen local economies and support lifelong learning for a broad, community-focused audience.
2. MIT xPRO: Learn about their approach to preparing professionals for the cutting edge of technology. MIT xPRO utilizes the Open edX LMS to provide advanced training in high-demand fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, equipping learners with cutting-edge technical and leadership skills.

Meet the Panelists

The session features a group of experts who are driving innovation in both product and pedagogy:

• Jenna Makowski (Lead Product Manager at Axim Collaborative)
• Rebecca Rumbel (Assistant Director of Digital Education – Non-Credit, Penn State Extension)
• Dr. Indi Marie Williams (Instructional Designer and Technology Manager, MIT xPRO)
• Moderator: Edward Zarecor (Vice President of Engineering at Axim Collaborative))

Key Takeaways: Your Blueprint for the Future of Work

Attending this session is an investment in your institution’s strategic vision. You will walk away with actionable insights to:

• Evaluate the Strategic ROI: Understand the cost-effectiveness and scalability advantages of open source for creating and distributing microcredentials and professional training.
• Analyze Implementation Models: Contrast the strategies of Penn State Extension’s broad community reach and MIT xPRO’s focus on deep technical upskilling.
• Drive Institutional Autonomy: Learn how platforms like the Open edX LMS give you control over your data, your brand, and your product roadmap—essential for long-term sustainability and agility.
• Leverage Stackable Credentials: Gain insight into building flexible, modular training programs that meet evolving industry demands and expand educational impact.

If you are tasked with developing new revenue streams, closing critical skills gaps, or simply need an education platform that can truly do it all—from beekeeping fundamentals to the complexities of quantum computing—this session is a must-attend.

We look forward to connecting with you in Nashville! Stop by booth 1905 to meet the Open edX team

The post From Beekeeping to Quantum Computing: How the Open edX LMS Powers the Future of Work at Any Scale appeared first on Open edX.

We’re excited to announce a powerful panel session at the Educause Annual Conference in Nashville that will tackle this crucial topic head-on, using the Open edX platform and Western Governors University (WGU) as a premier case study for success.

Panel Spotlight: A Case Study for Open Source as a Strategic Imperative for Higher Education

Join us to learn how actively engaging with open source communities allows universities to leverage collective intelligence, re-balance control over product roadmaps, and ultimately place higher education in the EdTech innovation driver’s seat.

Session Details:

• What: A Case Study for Open Source as a Strategic Imperative for Higher Education
• When: Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 9:45 AM–10:30 AM CT
• Where: Educause 2025, Nashville, TN

Meet the Experts:

This dynamic 45-minute panel brings together leaders who are not just users of open source, but active contributors shaping its future:

• Ed Zarecor (VP Engineering, Axim Collaborative)
• Mike Hassett (WGU)
• Josh Baron (Apereo Foundation)
• Stephanie Lieggi (Executive Director of OSPO, Executive Director of CROSS, UC Santa Cruz)

We look forward to seeing you at Educause 2025!

The post Open Source is Not Just Technology: It’s a Strategic Imperative for Higher Ed appeared first on Open edX.

By leveraging the Open edX platform’s open-source flexibility and scalable architecture, IBM turned a learning platform into a full-fledged innovation hub. From AI-powered grading tools and custom authoring systems to global hackathons with over 176,000 participants, IBM’s Skills Network redefines what corporate and social learning can achieve.

The result? A high-engagement, hands-on learning experience that empowers individuals and organizations alike to thrive in the AI-driven future.

Read the full case study below to see how IBM and the Open edX community are shaping the future of large-scale, accessible, and impactful learning.

The post Empowering Millions: How IBM Scaled Global Upskilling with the Open edX Platform appeared first on Open edX.

Why Choose the Open edX LMS?

Traditional LMS platforms often lack flexibility and scalability. By contrast, the Open edX platform’s modular architecture made it possible to customize features, integrate with diverse IT systems, and adapt to varied pedagogical approaches across institutions. The universities also benefited from the strong support of the global Open edX community and its proven track record.

Key Innovations

Through collaboration, the universities introduced enhancements that are now shaping future versions of the platform, including:

• Real-time analytics for data-driven decisions
• Customized feedback systems to boost engagement
• Advanced exam tools and flexible grading options
• Interactive content integration with H5P
• Risk detection systems to support at-risk learners
• Enhanced user interface and accessibility features

Overcoming Challenges

The project wasn’t without obstacles—such as differing IT infrastructures, data privacy concerns, and cultural differences in pedagogy. However, the flexibility of the Open edX LMS and the collective strength of collaboration allowed the consortium to overcome these hurdles.

The Impact

The transformation has already delivered tangible benefits:

• Expanded access to high-quality courses
• Greater efficiency in administration and resource sharing
• Innovative teaching practices supported by advanced tools
• Improved student engagement and learning outcomes

Looking Ahead

This case study demonstrates how open-source technology and cross-institutional collaboration can spark innovation in education. By extending the Open edX platform’s capabilities, UPV and its partners have created a flexible, scalable LMS model that other institutions worldwide can look to for inspiration.

Learn more here:

The post A Digital Transformation: Seven Universities in Spain using the Open edX LMS appeared first on Open edX.

In our upcoming webinar, “A New Era of Learning: Shaping the Skills-Forward LMS,” we’ll dive into the findings of our research on the evolving technology needs of higher education. We’ll share insights from institutions that are making skills-forward learning work and reveal what they need from their EdTech partners to build for the future.

This session will provide clarity on:

• The core technology features needed to support progress tracking, content alignment, and flexible grading.
• How a purpose-built platform can empower new roles and lighten the administrative load.
• Why an open-source approach offers a unique path to building a more collaborative and responsive solution.

Featured Speakers

We’ve brought together a panel of experts who are at the forefront of this educational shift.

• Lacey McCann, Senior Director, Competency-Based Products and Experience, C-BEN
• Jenna Makowski, Senior Product Manager, Axim Collaborative
• Jason Richter Ed.D., Director of Project Management, Unicon

Join us to learn how to build a tech stack that not only supports your CBE programs today but is also ready for the workforce demands of tomorrow.

✓ Sign Up Today ✓

The post A New Era of Learning: Shaping the Skills-Forward LMS appeared first on Open edX.

To address this crisis, Talview has secured a U.S. patent for Alvy, the world’s first agentic AI proctoring software. Unlike rule-based monitors, an agentic AI behaves as an autonomous agent that perceives, reasons and acts frequently. Alvy’s design combines the power of Agentic AI with a seven-layer security framework, creating a robust, adaptive shield against modern cheating methods.

Why Alvy as Agentic AI Proctoring?

Conventional proctoring systems rely on fixed or static rules, flagging eye movement or background noise and passing them to a human reviewer. These passive systems struggle to keep pace with evolving AI cheating fraud. By contrast, an agentic AI proctoring technology acts like an intelligent autonomous guardian. It learns from each assessment, adapts to new Ai cheating tactics and makes context aware decisions in real time.

Alvy embodies this paradigm shift. It employs six specialized features for identity verification, live monitoring, real time candidate assistance, research and ai cheating pattern detections. This modular architecture allows the system to operate in both Copilot and Autopilot modes. Copilot assists human proctors, doubling their coverage and cutting review times by up to 75 %, while Autopilot delivers fully automated monitoring with a 40 % reduction in false alerts

Decoding the Talview Seven Layer Security Framework

To understand what makes this patented technology different, it helps to look at its layered defense:

• Identity verification – Real-time face recognition and photo ID matching prevent impersonation and deepfakes.
• Behavior monitoring – AI video analysis detects offscreen glances, gestures, and whispering.
• Environment monitoring – Secondary cameras enable 360° room scans to spot hidden people or devices.
• Device security – Secure browser blocks internet searches, VMs, ai cheating tools, multiple monitors and screen sharing.
• Assessment feed monitoring – Real-time checks flag AI-generated answers and irregular navigation.
• Intelligence layer – Cross-session analytics detect collusion, identity fraud, and repeat cheating.
• Web monitoring – Scans the internet for leaked questions and shared answers before, during, and after exams.

By layering these defenses system, Alvy proactively detects, prevents and deters both simple impersonation and advanced AI cheating fraud.

What’s Inside the Patent?

Talview’s Alvy Patent (Patent No. 12,361,115 B1) covers the architecture and functioning of Alvy’s agentic AI engine. Unlike traditional proctoring systems that simply flag predefined violations, Alvy operates as a closed loop agent that observes, interprets, decides and acts autonomously. 

The patent system incorporates multiple subagents that gather data from video, audio, screen activity, identity checks, browser interactions and environmental signals. These inputs feed an AI-driven risk scoring engine, which uses contextual awareness and cross-session analytics to detect collusion, identity fraud and pattern-based cheating. 

When a threshold is met, Alvy can intervene in real time, either by assisting the candidate, escalating to a human proctor or autonomously blocking suspicious activity. The patent specifically protects this agentic control loop, ensuring that only Talview can lawfully deploy such a combination of continuous monitoring, adaptive decision making and autonomous action. In practical terms, this means Alvy isn’t just an algorithm that watches it’s a network of intelligent agents that perceive, decide and act to preserve exam integrity, and its patented status provides legal clarity for organizations adopting it.

What’s Inside for you?

For universities, certification bodies and enterprises, the patented agentic AI delivers multiple benefits:

• Legal and competitive advantage – Because this technology is patented, organization adopting Alvy can be confident they are using a legally protected innovation that differentiates them from competitors. No other proctoring vendor can replicate Alvy’s agentic architecture.
• Compliance and transparency – The seven layer framework cover identity verification, device security, behavior monitoring, environment scanning, assessment feed analysis, intelligence-based pattern detection and web monitoring. Each layer produces auditable data, helping institutions meet regulatory requirements and demonstrate fairness and transparency.
• Improved trust and candidate experience – Because Alvy provides Realtime assistance and reduces false positives by 40 %, it both enhances integrity and improves candidate satisfaction. The system’s ability to detect 99 % of events that human proctors see assures stakeholders that assessments are both accurate and unbiased.
• Operational efficiency – With Copilot mode doubling proctor coverage and cutting review time by up to 75 %, organizations can scale exams without proportional increases in staffing. Autopilot mode handles medium stakes tests independently, reducing human workload and freeing proctors to handle exceptions.

How the Open edX LMS Benefits from Alvy?

The Open edX LMS, Talview’s core partner and one of the world’s leading open-source learning platforms, empowers millions of learners and educators globally. With the integration of Alvy’s patented agentic AI proctoring, the Open edX LMS can now deliver secure, scalable, and user-friendly proctoring directly within its platform.

For universities, training providers, and enterprises using the Open edX platform, this means:

• Seamless Integration – Exams remain within the familiar Open edX environment.
• Unmatched Security – The seven-layer framework blocks both traditional and Gen AI cheating tools.
• Global Scalability – Autopilot and Copilot modes allow mass assessments without overburdening staff.
• Transparency & Trust – Audit-ready reports enhance credibility for online credentials.

This technology collaboration reinforces the Open edX community’s mission to make education accessible while ensuring academic integrity at scale.

“The Open edX Project is committed to advancing accessible and credible learning experiences.”
– Said Eden Huthmacher, Open edX Community Manager 

Future of Trust-Driven Proctoring Starts Now

Alvy’s patent marks more than an innovation milestone, it redefines what AI in assessments, exams should embody: intelligence, autonomy, ethics, and transparency. As Ai cheating technologies rapidly evolve, only equally advanced, agentic systems can deliver the scale, speed, and sophistication needed to maintain exam integrity.

“This patent reaffirms Talview’s commitment to building secure, fair, and candidate-friendly assessments.” 

– Said Sanjoe Jose, CEO of Talview

By combining Agentic AI with our deep domain expertise, we’re helping organizations using the Open edX platform deliver assessments that inspire trust at scale.

Whether you’re managing certification exams, academic exams, or enterprise hiring assessments, Alvy provides the assurance that every evaluation is protected by the world’s first patented Agentic AI.

• Alvy Patent Details to explore the technical innovation behind our breakthrough
• Experience Alvy’s Agentic AI and see the difference intelligent proctoring makes

The post Talview Secures U.S. Patent for Alvy – Agentic AI Proctoring appeared first on Open edX.

This year’s report highlights some major milestones:

• Over 100 million learners have registered on Open edX-powered platforms, with more than 207 million course enrollments worldwide.
• The ecosystem now includes 2,283+ live sites, representing an 18% year-over-year growth.
• Partnerships with mission-aligned organizations, such as Western Governors University, help expand the platform’s reach and impact.
• Inspiring case studies showcase how institutions leverage the Open edX to platform to power large-scale, innovative learning experiences.
• A thriving open-source community is contributing new features, translations, and platform improvements, ensuring that the Open edX platform remains a robust, sustainable solution for the future of learning.

The 2024 Impact Report also explores the challenges and opportunities ahead, particularly in harnessing emerging technologies like AI, while staying true to our mission of democratizing education worldwide!

Read the full 2024 Impact Report here

The post The 2024 Open edX Impact Report Is Here appeared first on Open edX.