Dive Brief:

• Stanford is trying to reclaim some leadership in the MOOC movement over companies such as Coursera and Udacity.
• The university has started using Open edX and is trying to improve its online infrastructure.
• The school's support for an open-source alternative could help other schools develop MOOCs without the help of proprietary companies.

Dive Insight:

The MOOC movement has strong ties to Stanford. Coursera's two founders are professors at the university. Udacity grew out of a computer course offered at Stanford. But the university is nervous about the for-profit motives of MOOC companies and sees a chance to influence the playing field. It's early enough in MOOC history that the market is still flexible, and a recognizable brand like Stanford still has a strong shot.