FAQ: Highlights for High School

What is Highlights for High School?

Highlights for High School is an MIT initiative providing free, open source teaching and learning materials to high school teachers and students. The site includes: Video lecture clips, lecture notes, practice problems, exams, and other resources from MIT’s introductory Physics, Biology and Calculus courses; mini-courses for high school students developed by MIT students; and an introduction for students to the college-level MIT curriculum and course materials on OpenCourseWare.

How do I register to use MIT OpenCourseWare Highlights for High School materials?

MIT OpenCourseWare Highlights for High School is free, and requires no registration.

Can I get credit for using Highlights for High School?

No. MIT OpenCourseWare is a publication of the course materials that support the dynamic classroom interactions of an MIT education; it is not a degree-granting or credit-bearing initiative.

Where should I start with Highlights for High School?

We encourage educators to start with the Introduction for Teachers to learn more about how to use the website. There, you can also see examples of how others have used OCW materials, read advice from other teachers, and learn how to navigate the site.

High school students will want to check out our Introduction for Students to learn more about what they can do on Highlights for High School.

Does MIT OpenCourseWare Highlights for High School have a social networking component or online community?

At this time, Highlights for High School is focused on providing students and teachers with easy to access, high quality educational resources. We believe that social networking is a valuable tool for tutoring, discussing problems, and meeting students and teachers from other schools. Based on user feedback, future versions of the site may include a social networking component or online community.

The videos won't play. Is there another way to watch them?

If the video you want to watch has technical difficulties, you can still watch the video by downloading it. Downloads are accessed in different ways depending on what kind of video player appears.

  • If a series of tabs appears below the video box, click on the tab on the far right that says “Download this Video.” You will see links to that video hosted elsewhere. Download the video from Internet Archive.
  • In some cases, the link to Internet Archive appears directly below the video in the video box itself. (There are no tabs.)
  • If you are in the “Exam Preparation” section of Highlights for High School, you can access the video from the full course site on OCW. Just go to the OCW site (ocw.mit.edu) and type the course number in the “Search” box that is in the upper right of the window. Click on “Video Lectures” in the far left column of the course site. Then click on the appropriate video in the list.

To view a clip of the video, start the video by clicking on the arrow and then drag the white circle at the bottom across the bar to the appropriate start time.

Are these materials appropriate for home schooled students?

Although this site was not designed specifically for home school use, we hope that home school students and their parents/guardians will find these materials to be of value. Interviews with educational experts and home school parents conducted during the feasibility assessment phase of the Highlights for High School project indicated that home school students might find the materials on this site useful for their academic advancement.

How do I apply for admission to MIT as a student?

Contact the MIT Admissions Office at:

Office of Admissions
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Room 3-108
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307

Phone: +1.617.253.3400