FAQ: Highlights for High School

What is Highlights for High School?

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

Can I get credit for using Highlights for High School?

Where should I start with Highlights for High School?

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

How do I turn on captions in Real Player?

Are these materials appropriate for home schooled students?

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

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?

The Highlights for High School portal contains links from the homepage especially for students and teachers explaining how the site might be most useful.  Explore Introductory Courses to see what courses will be like in college.  Follow the lessons in High School Courses Developed by MIT Students. Study for exams in Biology, Calculus, and Physics. Apply what you’ve learned to Build Stuff, Write Better, or even Save the World. Check out some Demonstrations on Video, explore Labs, or feel the excitement of Competitions .

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.

How do I turn on captions in Real Player?

Captions provide corresponding text for individuals who are unable to hear audio content such as video and audio lectures.  To activate captions, follow these steps:

• Real Player version 9 and higher (Windows® or Mac®)
• Windows version, select Tools > Preferences from the menu bar in the Real Player window.
• Mac version, select Real One Player™ > Preferences from the menu bar in the Real Player window.
• Numerous Preferences categories appear in the left column. Select "Content."
• Within the Content section, select Accessibility, The Accessibility section includes two checkboxes, one for toggling captions, and one for toggling descriptive audio.

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