New Learning Experience Platform paves the way for innovation in education

Harvard commemorated a significant achievement in January with the introduction of the Learning Experience Platform (LXP)—a university-wide project aimed at facilitating innovative instruction and fostering cutting-edge digital education experiences.

Held at Harvard Business School’s Batten Hall, over 120 attendees, including instructors, deans, and senior officials, assembled to mark the LXP’s deployment. During his opening comments, Vice Provost for Advances in Learning Bharat Anand emphasized the collaborative essence of the initiative, co-developed by the Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL), Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT), and Harvard Business School.

“This is about ensuring we maintain control over our educational trajectory,” Anand stated. “We’ve devised a platform that embodies Harvard’s principles—modular, adaptable, and grounded in over a decade of advancements in online education.”

A decade in development

Harvard has long been at the forefront of digital education. From co-founding edX in 2012 to pioneering asynchronous case-based learning with HBS Online, the University has continuously investigated how technology can broaden access and improve learning.

The pandemic expedited this transition, making both the potentials and shortcomings of existing platforms more apparent. The 2022 Harvard Future of Teaching and Learning Report highlighted, among other things, the requirement for a contemporary digital learning platform that aligns with the excellence of Harvard’s physical assets.

LXP addresses this need. Designed to accommodate online and hybrid learning, it provides a versatile, modular platform capable of supporting a diverse array of teaching methods and course durations, leveraging innovative “teaching elements” centered on peer and active learning, including “online cold calls” and tools for highlighting viewpoint diversity. It cultivates consistent, high-caliber learning experiences for everyone from first-year students to alumni and global learners.

Addressing fragmentation

A key motivation behind creating the LXP was to streamline the complexity and fragmentation of the digital learning landscape. “If a learner wanted to discover a Harvard course on AI or climate change today, they’d need to navigate over a dozen different websites,” noted Dustin Tingley, deputy VPAL.

“Currently, there are over 40 learning platforms managed by HUIT, resulting in technological clutter and cost inefficiencies,” stated Emily Bottis, HUIT’s managing director for academic technology.

“We aimed to rectify that fragmentation and inefficiency while still maintaining the capability for local innovation,” added Zachary Wang, VPAL’s director of strategic technology.

The LXP consolidates resources across Schools and ensures consistency in user experience while accommodating diverse teaching approaches. Seven Harvard Schools are already utilizing the platform in various formats.

Initial successes

The platform’s inaugural program was a pre-matriculation course intended for incoming Harvard Law School students—20 hours of foundational content that other law institutions can now adapt for their specific needs. This type of modularity, according to HLS Online Executive Director Leah Plunkett, is one of LXP’s greatest assets: “You can create once and tailor infinitely.”

Another achievement occurred last summer when over 1,600 new Harvard College first-year students completed three brief orientation modules through the LXP. These included videos featuring faculty, polls, peer-engagement tools, and interactive content.

“What truly drove innovation last summer [in online orientation] was getting students enthusiastic,” said Katherine Veach, assistant dean for first-year academic programs. “We delivered critical information in a manner that felt personal and engaging. Students were able to hear directly from faculty they might have already known, read about, or were eager to learn from. The platform transformed that experience into something memorable and interactive at scale, unlike emails could ever achieve.”

Engineered for the future

LXP is already facilitating a wide variety of learning experiences, spanning from brief modules to semester-long programs, with plans to expand offerings for Harvard’s alumni and international collaborators. Its versatility allows for everything from 15-minute tutorials to multiweek blended courses.

“A 12-week semester is typical for residential education,” said Anand. “However, in online formats, that structure doesn’t always apply. What if an executive program convened once a week for five weeks? Or what if a course adapted its duration to suit the learning objectives, whether that meant 10 weeks or 10 hours? The LXP empowers Harvard to design around the learner’s needs—not the constraints of outdated systems.”

Founded on three core principles

Anand outlined three guiding principles that informed the LXP’s development.

First, educational creativity: “Our faculty possess numerous ideas for inventive teaching. They shouldn’t have to conform those ideas to generic platforms. The LXP provides them with the freedom to craft educational experiences that genuinely embody their vision.”

Second, a united Harvard vision: “The platform is accessible to all Harvard Schools and guarantees a consistently high-quality learning experience throughout, while also permitting local customization to maintain each School’s distinctive voice, priorities, and teaching approach.”

Third, global outreach: “Whether through online classes, livestreams, or blended experiences, the LXP enables the University to fulfill its mission of engaging learners on a large scale beyond campus.”

With the platform now operational, faculty are urged to explore novel ways to enhance their teaching and connect with learners.

“We’ve established the groundwork,” Anand concluded. “It’s now the responsibility of our faculty and academic staff to envision what lies ahead and to create educational experiences that are as inspiring and impactful as the concepts we teach.”