The Impact of MITx

By Stefanie Koperniak | MIT News

Through the MITx MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy, Munip Utama strengthened the skills he was already applying in his work with Baitul Enza, a nonprofit helping students in need via policy-shaping research and hands-on assistance.

Utama’s commitment to advancing education for underprivileged students stems from his own background. His father is an elementary school teacher in a remote area and his mother has passed away. While financial hardship has always been a defining challenge, he says it has also been the driving force behind his pursuit of education. With the assistance of special programs for high-achieving students, Utama attended top schools and completed his bachelor’s degree in economics at UIN Jakarta — becoming the second person in his family to earn a university degree.

Utama joined Baitul Enza two months before graduation, through a faculty-led research project, and later became its manager, leading its programs and future development. In this interview, he describes how his experiences with the MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP), offered by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and MIT Open Learning, are shaping his education, career, and personal mission.

Q: What motivated you to pursue the MITx MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy?

A: I was seeking high-quality, evidence-based courses in economics and development. I needed rigorous training in data analysis, economic reasoning, and policy design to strengthen our interventions at Baitul Enza. The MITx MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy offered exactly that: a curriculum grounded in real-world problem-solving, aligned with the challenges I face in Indonesia.

I deeply admire MIT’s commitment to transforming teaching and learning not only through innovation, but also through empathy. The DEDP program exemplifies this mission: It connects theory with practice, allowing learners like me to apply analytical tools directly to real development challenges. This approach has inspired me to adopt the same philosophy in my own teaching and mentoring, encouraging students to use data and critical thinking to solve problems in their communities.

Q: What have you gained from the MITx DEDP program?

A: The DEDP courses have provided me with rigorous analytical and quantitative training in data analysis, economics, and policy design. They have strengthened both my research and mentorship abilities by teaching me to approach poverty and inequality through evidence-based frameworks. My experience conducting independent and collaborative research projects has informed how I mentor students, guiding them to carry out their own evidence-based research projects. I continue to seek further academic dialogue to broaden my understanding and prepare for future graduate studies.

Another key component has been the program’s financial assistance offers. Even with DEDP’s personalized income-based course pricing, financial constraints remain a significant challenge for me, and Baitul Enza operates entirely on donations and volunteer support. The scholarships administered by DEDP have been crucial in enabling me to continue my studies. It has allowed me to focus on learning without the constant burden of financial insecurity, while staying committed to my mission of breaking cycles of poverty through education.

Q: How are you applying what you’ve learned from MIT Open Learning’s MITx programs, and how will you use what you’ve learned going forward?

A: The DEDP program has transformed how I lead Baitul Enza. I now apply data-driven and evidence-based approaches to program design, monitoring, and evaluation — enhancing cost-effectiveness and long-term impact. The program has enabled me to design case-based learning modules for students, where they analyze real-world data on poverty and education; mentor youth researchers to conduct small-scale projects using evidence-based methods; and improve program cost-effectiveness and outcome measurement to attract collaborators and government support.

Coming from a lower-middle-class family with limited access to education, MIT Open Learning has opened doors I never imagined possible. It has reaffirmed my belief that education, grounded in data and empathy, can break the cycle of poverty. The DEDP program continues to inspire me to mentor young researchers, empower disadvantaged students, and build a community rooted in evidence-based decision-making.

With the foundation built by MITx, I aim to produce policy-relevant research and scale up Baitul Enza’s impact. My long-term vision is to generate experimental evidence in Indonesia on scalable education interventions, inform national policy, and empower marginalized youth to thrive. MITx has not only prepared me academically, but has also strengthened my resolve to lead with clarity, design with evidence, and act with purpose. Beyond my own growth, MITx has multiplied its impact by empowering the next generation of students to use data and evidence in solving local development challenges.

Benjamin Daniel | School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences 

Davi Augusto Oliveira Pinto’s career in Brazil’s foreign service took him all over the world. His work as a diplomat for more than two decades exposed him to the realities of life for all kinds of people, which informed his interest in economics and public policy.

Oliveira Pinto is now focused on strengthening his diplomatic work through his MIT education. He completed the MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP), which is jointly administered by MIT Open Learning and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), and then applied and was accepted to the DEDP master’s program within MIT’s Department of Economics.

“I think governments should be able to provide data-driven, research-supported services to their constituents,” he says. “Returning to my role as a diplomat, I hope to use the tools I acquired in the DEDP program to enhance my contributions as a public servant.”

Oliveira Pinto was one of Brazil’s representatives to the World Trade Organization (WTO), helped Brazilian citizens and companies abroad, and worked to improve relationships with governments in South Africa, Argentina, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay. He observed firsthand how economic disparities could influence laws and lives. He believes in a nonpartisan approach to public service, producing and sharing policy based on peer-reviewed data and research that can help as many people as possible.

“We need public policy informed by evidence and science, rather than by politics and ideology,” he says. “My experience at MIT reinforced my conviction that diplomacy should be used to gather people from different backgrounds and develop joint solutions to our collective challenges.”

As someone responsible for dealing with international trade issues and who understands the potential negative, far-reaching impacts of poorly researched and instituted policies, Oliveira Pinto saw MIT and its world-class economics programs as potentially world-altering tools to help him advance his work.

Advocacy and economics

Growing up in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Oliveira Pinto learned about the country’s past of economic cycles driven by exporting commodities like minerals and coffee. He also witnessed what he described as Brazil’s “eternal state of development,” one in which broad swaths of the population suffered, and very soon became aware of the impact that issues like inflation and unemployment had on the country.

“I thought studying economics could help solve issues I observed when growing up,” he says.

Oliveira Pinto earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and a master’s degree in public policy from Escola Nacional de Administração Pública.

Oliveira Pinto’s personal experiences and his commitment to understanding and improving the lives of his fellow Brazilians led him to enroll in the Instituto Rio Branco, Brazil’s diplomatic academy, where he was trained in a variety of disciplines. “I was drawn to investigate inequality between countries, which led to my diplomatic career,” he says. “I worked to help Brazilian migrants abroad, promoted Brazilian companies’ exports, represented Brazil at the WTO, and helped pandemic-era assistance efforts for people in Brazil’s poor border towns.”

During the pandemic, Oliveira Pinto found himself drawn to the DEDP MicroMasters program. He was able to review foundational economics concepts, improve his ability to synthesize and interpret data, and refine his analytical skills. “My favorite course, Data Analysis for Social Scientists, reinforced the critical importance of interpreting data correctly in a world where information is increasingly abundant,” he recalls.

The online program also offered an opportunity for him to apply to study in person. Now at MIT, Oliveira Pinto is finishing his degree with a capstone project focused on how J-PAL works with governments to support the scaling of evidence-informed policies.

J-PAL’s research center and network have built long-term partnerships with government agencies around the world to generate evidence from randomized evaluations and incorporate the findings into policy decisions. They work closely with policymakers to inform anti-poverty programs to improve their effectiveness, an area of particular interest to the Brazilian diplomat.

“I’m trying to understand how J-PAL’s partnerships in these places are working, any lessons we can learn from successes, challenges faced, and how we can most effectively scale the successful programs,” he says.

Inside and beyond MIT

Oliveira Pinto was welcomed into a thriving, diverse community in Cambridge, a journey that was both edifying and challenging. “My family and I found a home,” he notes, observing that many Brazilians live in the area, “and it’s sobering to see so many people from my country working hard to build their lives in the U.S.”

Oliveira Pinto says working closely with members of the MIT community was one of the DEDP master’s program’s big draws. “The ability to forge connections with students and faculty while learning from Nobel laureates and accomplished researchers and practitioners is amazing,” he says. Collaborating with people from a variety of professional, experiential, and backgrounds, he notes, was especially satisfying.

Oliveira Pinto offered special praise for MIT’s support for his family, describing it as “particularly rewarding.” “MIT offers so many different activities for families,” he says. “My wife and three daughters benefited from the support the Institute provides.” While taking advantage of his time in the States to visit Canada and Washington, D.C., they also made the most of their time in Cambridge. The family enjoyed sailing, swimming, yoga, sports, pottery, lectures, and more while Davi pursued his studies. “The facilities are awesome,” he continues.

Assessing and quantifying impact

Oliveira Pinto’s investigations have yielded some fascinating findings. “Data can be misused,” he notes. “I learned how easily data can tell all kinds of stories, so it’s important to be careful and rigorous when assessing different claims.” He recalls how, during an econometrics class, he learned about parties on opposite sides of a health insurance divide pursuing radically different ends using the same data, each side promoting different views.

Oliveira Pinto believes his studies have improved his abilities as a diplomat, one of the reasons he’s excited about his eventual return to the public service. “I’ll return to government service armed with the skills the DEDP program and the research conducted during my capstone project have provided,” he says. “My job as a diplomat is to seek opportunities to connect with different people, investigate carefully, and find common ground,” work for which his DEDP MicroMasters and master’s studies have helped prepare him.

Completing his capstone, Oliveira Pinto hopes to draw lessons from J-PAL’s work with governments to improve constituents' quality of life. He’s helping generate case studies that may foster future collaborations between researchers and the public sector.

“Work like this can be a good opportunity for governments interested in a research-supported, data-driven approach to policymaking,” he says.

This article was originally published on MIT News.  

By Camila Massa

Can an online course change the way you learn, lead, and connect with others? For Verónica María Farías, the answer is yes. What began as a desire to deepen her understanding of systemic leadership transformed her learning so profoundly, she now describes it as part of her DNA.

From intention to action: learning in community

Farías’ career path blends philosophy, education, and public policy. A graduate of Universidad Panamericana in Mexico, she now leads a communications department at a Trust that promotes environmental impact programs. Her approach to work reflects a balance of leadership, critical thinking, and empathy applied to social change.

What drew her most to the MITx course u-lab: Leading from the Emerging Future was its emphasis on community practice. “I want to be there. I want to be part of that,” she recalls, describing the image of people engaged in conversation circles that first caught her attention. Part of MIT Open Learning, MITx offers high-quality massive open online courses adapted from the MIT classroom for learners worldwide.

Taught by Otto Scharmer, a senior lecturer at MIT and founding chair of the Presencing Institute, and along with other instructors, the u-lab MITx course introduces learners to the tools, methods, and spaces to bring about meaningful community, organizational, and systems transformations.

“I wanted to be part of those circles, and I stopped waiting,” Farías says, explaining how she decided to enroll in the course, which gave her a concrete roadmap and framework. The program introduced her to leadership tools including systems thinking, journaling, empathic communication and coaching circles, which soon became part of her daily practice.

“I didn’t wait for someone to create hubs, and so I created them myself,” says Farías. With that determination, she organized three coaching circles that met weekly, gradually growing into a true community of practice. The online course transformed into a living laboratory for experimentation, learning, and co-creating.

Shortly after beginning the program, Farías traveled to Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, to participate in a Latin American conference of Ecosystem Leadership. There, she met Scharmer and Arawana Hayashi, u-lab co-instructor and founder of the Social Presencing Theater practice. “I achieved my goal. I visualized it,” she says, remembering the moment she found herself in the very kind of supportive group she had pictured at the beginning of her journey.

The u-lab framework brought into practice

MITx’s u-lab begins with a clear diagnosis of the present world: change accelerates, while uncertainty and complexity do not slow down. The course invites participants to look at the root causes of systems and to shift the quality of attention they bring to listening and acting. Through an experiential learning process supported by a global community, learners are provided with tools, methods, and spaces for people to apply Theory U, which blends systems thinking, innovation, and leading change, with awareness practices, to the issues that matter most to them.

Farías’ daily work puts that framework into practice. She strengthened her ability to facilitate complex conversations, coordinate diverse teams, and build alliances that sustain ongoing projects. She also developed a leadership style centered on active listening and co-creation. Today she serves as one of the lead members of the Spanish-speaking Theory U Practitioners Hub, a network that connects more than 175 people around the world.

Scharmer’s work was a constant reference throughout her process. She remembers meeting him in Mexico: “He embodies Theory U. Seeing how, with great expertise, he was able to integrate everything that was happening in the room and lead it toward an emerging future was incredible,” she says, adding that the bridge between theory and lived experience is what makes u-lab truly unique.

Her experience did not end with the course. Today, every coaching circle Farías facilitates and every conversation she leads is a way of incorporating everything she learned.

“MIT, U-Lab, and the ecosystem leadership courses truly expanded my horizon in a way that created a real impact on my career and trajectory, professionally and of course personally, because sometimes there is simply no way to separate the two,” Farías says.

The interview for this article was conducted in Spanish.

By Stefanie Koperniak 

Gevorg Minasyan MAP ’23 first discovered the MITx MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) — jointly led by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and MIT Open Learning — when he was looking to better understand the process of building effective, evidence-based policies while working at the Central Bank of Armenia. After completing the MicroMasters program, Minasyan was inspired to pursue MIT’s Master’s in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy program.

Today, Minasyan is the director of the Research and Training Center at the Central Bank of Armenia. He has not only been able to apply what he has learned at MIT to his work, but he has also sought to institutionalize a culture of evidence-based policymaking at the bank and more broadly in Armenia. He spoke with MIT Open Learning about his journey through the DEDP programs, key takeaways, and how what he learned at MIT continues to guide his work.

Q: What initially drew you to the DEDP MicroMasters, and what were some highlights of the program?

A: Working at the Central Bank of Armenia, I was constantly asking myself: Can we build a system in which public policy decisions are grounded in rigorous evidence? Too often, I observed public programs that were well-intentioned and seemed to address pressing challenges, but ultimately failed to bring tangible change. Sometimes it was due to flawed design; other times, the goals simply didn’t align with what the public actually needed or expected. These experiences left a deep impression on me and sparked a strong desire to better understand what works, what doesn’t, and why.

That search led me to the DEDP MicroMasters program, which turned out to be a pivotal step in my professional journey. From the very first course, I realized that this was not just another academic program — it was a completely new way of thinking about development policy. The courses combined rigorous training in economics, data analysis, and impact evaluation with a strong emphasis on practical application. We weren’t just learning formulas or running regressions — we were being trained to ask the right questions, to think critically about causality, and to understand the trade-offs of policy choices.

Another aspect that set the MicroMasters apart was its blended structure. I was able to pursue a globally top-tier education while continuing my full-time responsibilities at the Central Bank. This made the learning deeply relevant and immediately applicable. Even as I was studying, I found myself incorporating insights from class into my day-to-day policy work, whether it was refining how we evaluated financial inclusion programs or rethinking the way we analyzed administrative data.

At the same time, the global nature of the program created a vibrant, diverse community. I engaged with students and professionals from dozens of countries, each bringing different perspectives. These interactions enriched the coursework and helped me to realize that despite the differences in context, the challenges of effective policy design — and the power of evidence to improve lives — were remarkably universal. It was a rare combination: intellectually rigorous, practically grounded, globally connected, and personally transformative.

Q: Can you describe your experiences in the Master’s in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy residential program?

A: The MicroMasters experience inspired me to go further, and I decided to apply for the full-time, residential master’s at MIT. That year was nothing short of transformative. It not only sharpened my technical and analytical skills, but also fundamentally changed the way I think about policymaking.

One of the most influential courses I took during the master’s program was 14.760 (Firms, Markets, Trade, and Growth). The analytical tools it provided mapped directly onto the systemic challenges I saw among Armenian firms. Motivated by this connection, I developed a similar course, which I now teach at the American University of Armenia. Each year, I work with students to investigate the everyday constraints that hinder firm performance, with the ultimate goal of producing data-driven research that could inform business strategy in Armenia.

The residential master’s program taught me that evidence-based decision-making starts with a mindset shift. It’s not just about applying tools, it’s about being open to questioning assumptions, being transparent about uncertainty, and being humble enough to let data challenge intuition. I also came to appreciate that truly effective policy design isn’t about finding one-off solutions, but about creating dynamic feedback loops that allow us to continuously learn from implementation.

This is essential to refining programs in real time, adapting to new information, and avoiding the trap of static, one-size-fits-all approaches. Equally valuable was becoming part of the MIT and J-PAL’s global network. The relationships I built with researchers, practitioners, and fellow students from around the world gave me lasting insights into how institutions can systematically embed analysis in their core operations. This exposure helped me to see the possibilities not just for my own work, but for how public institutions like central banks can lead the way in advancing an evidence-based culture.

Q: How are you applying what you’ve learned in the DEDP programs to the Central Bank of Armenia?

A: As director of the Research and Training Center at the Central Bank of Armenia, I have taken on a new kind of responsibility: leading the effort to scale evidence-based decision-making not only within the Central Bank, but across a broader ecosystem of public institutions in Armenia. This means building internal capacity, rethinking how research informs policy, and fostering partnerships that promote a culture of data-driven decision-making.

Beyond the classroom, the skills I developed through the DEDP program have been critical to my role in shaping real-world policy in Armenia. A particularly timely example is our national push toward a cashless economy — one of the most prominent and complex reform agendas today. In recent years, the government has rolled out a suite of bold policies aimed at boosting the adoption of non-cash payments, all part of a larger vision to modernize the financial system, reduce the shadow economy, and increase transparency. Key initiatives include a cashback program designed to encourage pensioners to use digital payments and the mandatory installation of non-cash payment terminals across businesses nationwide. In my role on an inter-agency policy team, I rely heavily on the analytical tools from DEDP to evaluate these policies and propose regulatory adjustments to ensure the transition is not only effective, but also inclusive and sustainable.

The Central Bank of Armenia recently collaborated with J-PAL Europe to co-design and host a policy design and evaluation workshop. The workshop brought together policymakers, central bankers, and analysts from various sectors and focused on integrating evidence throughout the policy cycle, from defining the problem to designing interventions and conducting rigorous evaluations. It’s just the beginning, but it already reflects how the ideas, tools, and values I absorbed at MIT are now taking institutional form back home.

Our ultimate goal is to institutionalize the use of policy evaluation as a standard practice — not as an occasional activity, but as a core part of how we govern. We’re working to embed a stronger feedback culture in policymaking, one that prioritizes learning before scaling. More experimentation, piloting, and iteration are essential before committing to large-scale rollouts of public programs. This shift requires patience and persistence, but it is critical if we want policies that are not only well-designed, but also effective, inclusive, and responsive to people’s needs.

Looking ahead, I remain committed to advancing this transformation, by building the systems, skills, and partnerships that can sustain evidence-based policymaking in Armenia for the long term.

This article was originally published on MIT News.  

By Duyen Nguyen

This October marks an extraordinary milestone — ten years since MIT announced the groundbreaking MITx MicroMasters program.

Offering learners everywhere a flexible and affordable pathway to a master’s degree, the MITx MicroMasters program began as a bold experiment in reimagining the graduate admissions process: learners who pass one or more proctored exams after completing a semester’s worth of graduate-level online courses, taught by MIT instructors, can accelerate their pursuit of an advanced degree — becoming more academically prepared while saving time and money.

Participants in the pilot program in supply chain management (SCM) who earned the MicroMasters academic credential could apply for admission to MIT’s master’s degree program in SCM. Those who were admitted received course credit for the work they had completed online.

Today, the MITx MicroMasters program has expanded to include the high-demand areas of data, economics, and design of policy; principles of manufacturing; statistics and data science; finance; and supply chain management. More than 9,500 learners from around the world have earned a MicroMasters credential and many have gone on to pursue their graduate degrees at MIT and other top institutions, with over 50 pathway schools now granting academic credits to MITx Micromasters credential holders.

Here are seven inspiring MITx MicroMasters community stories from the past 10 years that showcase how access to education can empower people to improve their own lives and the lives of those around them.

MIT’s first MicroMasters learners earn credentials (2017)

MIT’s inaugural MicroMasters program in supply chain management drew more than 180,000 learners of all ages, from around the world. More than 1,100 learners finished all five of the courses required to earn the MicroMasters credential.

Turning an economics education into solutions with impact (2018)

The MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy is an online series of courses designed for learners like Alan Al Yussef, who seek to have a direct impact on major social issues through an empirical, data-driven approach.

Learning from MIT, learning from the field (2019)

Robert Rains MS ’19 earned his master’s degree in supply chain management from MIT, despite his limited time and challenging location, by first earning an MITx MicroMasters credential online.

Learners today, leaders tomorrow (2020)

On June 18, 2020, 609 learners celebrated the completion of MITx MicroMasters programs in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP), Principles of Manufacturing, and Statistics and Data Science in an online event hosted by MIT Open Learning. This was the first time cohorts from these three programs were recognized through a completion ceremony, bringing together learners from 82 countries who earned their credentials between 2018 and 2020.

MITx MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management reaches 1 million enrollments (2022)

The landmark number, reached in September 2022, reflects both the success of the program and the changes transforming professional education as more learners turn to online programs to gain knowledge and improve their lives.

“MIT can give you ‘superpowers’” (2023)

“You don’t need to be a superhero to participate in an MIT program, but MIT can give you ‘superpowers,’” says MITx MicroMasters credential earner who went on to pursue an accelerated graduate degree in data science.

Advancing career and academic ambitions with MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance (2025)

“My story with the MITx MicroMasters Program is proof that no matter where you are — even if you’re in a small, developing country with limited resources — if you truly want to do something, you can achieve what you want,” says Satik Movsesyan, who completed the MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance following her graduation from the American University of Armenia in 2024.

In the coming year, we will celebrate the MITx MicroMasters 10th anniversary and all those who have learned with us. Dive deeper into the program’s impact and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on anniversary events and activities.

MITx MicroMasters celebrates 10 years of reimagining graduate-level education was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

By Lauren Rebecca Thacker

As a college student, Kevin Power never considered working in supply chain management; in fact, he didn’t know it was an option. He earned an undergraduate degree in manufacturing engineering while working full time at an oil refinery, which demanded a rigorous routine of shift work, long days, and evening classes.

After graduation, he found himself searching for new learning opportunities, and stumbled upon the online courses of the MITx MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management, an online program of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. Starting with Supply Chain Analytics (SC0x), Power was drawn in immediately by how directly applicable the lessons were to real work.

“So many courses that you do are more theoretical,” he reflects. “Everything I learned, I could apply it directly to my work and see the value in doing it. So as soon as I finished Supply Chain Analytics, I decided, OK, I’ll finish the whole program.” What he didn’t yet know was that he belonged to the very audience the MicroMasters was designed for — lifelong learners. Learners are often working professionals who want deep, flexible training while continuing their careers.

After completing the five-course MicroMasters track and earning his credential, Power uncovered another opportunity: the MIT SCM Blended Master’s Program, which pairs the online credential with a one-semester, on-campus program, resulting in a master of applied science degree in supply chain management.

For Power, the blend of online and in-person learning proved pivotal. He describes his MicroMasters experience as fertile ground for deep, self-paced study. “I’m a very introverted kind of learner, so I prefer to just learn out of a textbook and online,” he says. But, once in the MIT SCM program, he tapped into the soft skills he needs to stand out in the industry. “When I came to campus, it was more about networking and being able to communicate with executives, on top of our academic work,” he says. The immersive environment of combining scholarly rigor with real-world experience among peers across the supply chain industry is at the heart of what the blended program aims to facilitate.

During his time on campus, Power’s research included simulation modeling in port shipping and generative-AI–driven projects focused on supply chain resilience. “I had never done simulation modeling before, and right now it’s huge in the industry,” he says. “If I were trying to apply for a simulation modeling job, I’m sure it would help me greatly having done this.”

His project, completed with fellow MIT SCM student Yassine Lahlou-Kamal, was one of the winners at the 2025 Annual MIT Global SCALE Network Supply Chain Student Research Expo, in which students showcased their industry-sponsored thesis and capstone projects. This experience pays off in his current work with Elenna Dugundji in her Deep Knowledge Lab for Supply Chain and Logistics.

Beyond academics and research, Power threw himself into the fast-paced world of hackathons, despite having never participated in one before. “I’m very competitive,” Power confesses, “and I feel like I learn something new every time.” His first effort, an internal MIT competition called Hack-Nation’s Global AI Hackathon, earned him a win with an AI sports-betting agent project that fuses model-driven analysis with web scraping. Soon after, he tackled the OpenAI Red Teaming Challenge on Kaggle. Despite joining the competition halfway through the 15-day window, he raced through the final week and was selected as one of the winners. “It gave me a lot of confidence … that the things I’m working on right now are cutting-edge, even in the eyes of OpenAI.”

In terms of his return on investment in the degree, Power says, “I’m getting so much value out of being here. Even from just doing the Kaggle competition, I won more than the cost of my full MIT degree.” Long-term, Power has been impressed that “as far as I know, everybody that was looking for a job in the supply chain program has one.” The data back him up, as every student from the MIT SCM residential program Class of 2025 secured a job within six months of graduation.

Now a current master’s student in the MIT Technology and Policy Program, looking ahead, Power says, “I want to do a startup. A lot of the ideas came from research I’ve done here.”

Reflecting on the transformation he’s experienced in just 10 months of the program, he calls it “crazy.” “The SCM program really is amazing … I’d recommend it to anyone.”

By Stefanie Koperniak

When Alex Taffe enrolled in an introductory machine learning course from MITx at MIT Open Learning, he wasn’t just looking to fill a gap in his graduate curriculum — he was reigniting a curiosity first sparked years earlier in the Micro Air Vehicles Club at his alma mater Arizona State University (ASU).

The club was on a mission to build a quad copter that could successfully navigate an obstacle course in a competition. Taffe said that this challenge piqued his interest in the field of computer vision, inspiring him to take a graduate-level course in computer vision at ASU while earning his bachelor’s degree in computer systems engineering.

He worked as a software engineer, including at an avionics company, for five years before pursuing a master’s degree in computer science from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). ASU hadn’t offered an introductory machine learning course when Taffe was there, and although UC Davis offered a couple of options, they were both undergraduate classes and therefore didn’t have much availability for the enrollment of graduate students and wouldn’t count towards his degree.

After some searching, he found the MITx course 6.036 Introduction to Machine Learning, taught by Leslie Kaelbling, ​Tomás Lozano-Pérez, ​Isaac Chuang, and ​Duane Boning. Part of MIT Open Learning, MITx courses are online educational experiences drawn directly from the MIT classroom and developed in collaboration with MIT instructors. The 6.036 course was designed to teach learners the core principles, algorithms, and applications of machine learning, and also to engage them in exercises of both supervised learning and reinforcement learning.

“I started the MITx class right as I started my master’s degree,” says Taffe. “It has served as a true introductory class for me and prepared me for a machine learning class that I later took at UC Davis.”

While participating in this class, he also watched Professor Tamara Broderick’s 6.036/6.862: Introduction to Machine Learning lectures on YouTube, which he says he also found very useful.

Taffe has worked as a researcher at UC Davis’s Marcu Laboratory, which uses biophotonics to work toward better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. He continues to be especially interested in computer vision techniques, and has written Medium articles on topics of real-time instance segmentation and object detection. He also served as a teaching assistant for an Introduction to Programming class. As a teaching assistant, he often thought about the learning process and the best ways to absorb new content. He says he has especially valued the opportunity to be immersed in the content of the MITx course through the homework.

“The assignments were really comprehensive, and that was one thing I felt was missing from my graduate program’s course in machine learning,” says Taffe. “We had the opportunity to really dive into the topics in detail, and the homework really helped me to absorb that foundational knowledge.”

He is currently in the process of job searching after completing his graduate program in June 2025. He says now that he has a little more time, he frequently revisits the course and reviews the content, and says the course has helped prepare him for the next stage of his career.

“The world of AI is very fast-paced and always evolving,” says Taffe. “It’s an advantage to have a mastery of the basics.”