Campus IL

Campus IL (קמפוס IL) is Israel's national digital learning platform, a free MOOC site for anyone who reads Hebrew, with parts of the catalog in other languages. Its footer describes it as "מיזם הלמידה הלאומי של ישראל. קורסים אקדמיים ומקצועיים באיכות גבוהה, פתוחים לכל אחת ואחד, ללא עלות" (Israel's national learning initiative: high-quality academic and professional courses, open to everyone, at no cost). The About page explains that the Digital Israel national initiative at the National Digital Agency and the Council for Higher Education joined forces so that everyone in Israel can gain education and skills, and that the site "מבוסס על הפלטפורמה הייחודית מבית edX, שפותחה על ידי האוניברסיטאות Harvard ו-MIT" (is based on the edX platform developed by Harvard and MIT).

Who is behind it

The About page names the project's leaders: Prof. Yaffa Zilbershats, chair of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education; Brig. Gen. (res.) Nati Cohen, head of the National Digital Agency; and Asaf Weiss, founder and director of Campus IL. Weiss's statement gives the idea in a sentence: "לפני 6 שנים חלמנו שכל אזרח ואזרחית בישראל יוכלו לרכוש מיומנויות, לצבור קרדיט אקדמי, להרחיב אופקים ולקדם את עצמם אישית ומקצועית" (six years ago we dreamed that every Israeli citizen could gain skills, earn academic credit, broaden their horizons and advance personally and professionally), achieved "יחד עם שותפים בממשלה ובאקדמיה" (together with partners in government and academia).

The courses come from a long list of partner organizations. The catalog filter includes Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Technion, the Open University, Ben-Gurion University, the University of Haifa, Reichman University, Ariel University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, many academic and teacher-training colleges such as Sapir Academic College, Kibbutzim College and Oranim, and public bodies including the National Digital Agency, the National Cyber Directorate, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor, the Israel Police, the Israeli Air Force, Yad Vashem, the Israel Tax Authority and the Central Bureau of Statistics.

What is in the catalog

The catalog is organized in seven areas: education and teaching, technology and computers, social sciences, life sciences, humanities, exact sciences, and personal development and skills. Under them sit dozens of topics, from artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, Python, robotics and software development to economics, psychology, political science, project management, nursing, first aid, medicine, archaeology, history, Islamic studies, Jewish thought, philosophy, engineering, mathematics and physics. Personal development covers Excel, safety, parenting, job search, work skills, English and Arabic, digital skills, mindfulness, social networks and internet marketing. For school students there is matriculation (bagrut) preparation in biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics, and teachers have courses on classroom management, distance learning and school management.

The home page shows the range through featured courses. The National Digital Agency offers "AI למתחילים: לומדים לדבר עם בינה מלאכותית" (AI for beginners: learning to talk to AI, 8 hours, with a certificate), "לעבוד חכם עם AI" (working smart with AI, 2.5 hours, with a certificate), "JavaScript למתחילים" (38 hours, with a certificate) and short 2-hour introductions to data and backend development. The Ministry of Labor offers a 26-hour course on developing and managing training, with a certificate. Tel Aviv University's "ללמוד איך ללמוד" (Learning how to learn) runs at 3 hours a week, and the Ministry of Health offers a 2-hour mindfulness course. Madrasa teaches spoken Arabic for beginners at 4 hours a week, and the National Cyber Directorate's "Self.Py" teaches Python at 5 hours a week, with a paid certificate. The course cards also give lengths in weeks ("שבועות"): 8 weeks for Learning how to learn, 15 for spoken Arabic and 10 for Self.Py.

A "culture, spirit and identity" strip shows the humanities side: Bar-Ilan University's 25-hour course on the thought of Rabbi Sacks, Tel Aviv University's 3-hour introduction to Chinese philosophy, and 2-hour tasters (marked "טעימה") from Kibbutzim College, Bar-Ilan University and Sapir Academic College. Sapir's page adds detail on its course on identities in Israeli TV series, led by Dr. Itay Harlap, which was filmed in the college's new TV studio and "הופק כולו ע"י סטודנטים ובוגרים של מכללת ספיר" (produced entirely by Sapir students and graduates).

The most popular course is "הפסיכומטרי של המדינה" (the state's psychometric course) from the National Digital Agency, a self-paced 3-month preparation for the university entrance exam whose card carries a "100K לומדים" (100K learners) badge. The spoken Arabic course shows "10K לומדים" (10K learners), and the home page invites visitors to join "עשרות אלפים" (tens of thousands) who have taken its popular courses.

How learning works

Courses, the About page says, combine videos, advanced interactive tools, forums and a variety of personalized learning tracks. Each course card states its organization, length and pace, and whether a certificate or academic credit is included. The catalog search lets learners filter by course language (English, Turkish, Chinese, Arabic, Romanian, Russian and Thai, besides Hebrew), by organization, and by learning goal: bagrut preparation, personal growth, academic education, professional development, enrichment, and gateways to academia, high-tech and a career. Further filters cover course or full study program, certificate, academic credit, duration in bands from 0-3 hours to 100+ hours, pace (guided or self-paced) and subtitle language, with subtitles offered in English, Turkish, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Romanian, Russian and Thai.

Cost, certificates and credit

The courses are free; every card on the home page is marked "חינם" (free). Certificates vary by course, and the filter shows three options: "כולל תעודה" (includes a certificate), "כולל תעודה בתשלום" (includes a paid certificate) and "לא כולל תעודה" (no certificate). Some courses also carry academic credit, described in the filter as "כולל קרדיט אקדמי בכפוף ובהתאם לתנאי המוסד" (includes academic credit, subject to and in line with the institution's terms). The introduction to psychology, for example, is labeled with academic credit. In other words, credit is granted by the partner institution on its own conditions, not by Campus IL itself.

The interface comes in Hebrew, English, Arabic and Russian, and the site has an accessibility statement, a contact page, a knowledge portal for support, a list of study programs and an events section.

Who it suits

The About page names its audience: high school students and university students, teachers, civil servants and jobseekers, senior citizens, and anyone curious who wants to broaden their horizons. In practice that means a school student preparing for the bagrut or the psychometric exam, a jobseeker taking a JavaScript or training-management course with a certificate, a student testing a subject through a credit-bearing course, a teacher picking up classroom tools, or an adult studying Jewish thought, Chinese philosophy or spoken Arabic for interest.

It suits less well a learner who does not read Hebrew, since most courses are in Hebrew even though the interface and some courses and subtitles are offered in other languages. Credit depends on each institution's conditions, and some certificates cost money, so a learner who needs either should read the course card first. For a Hebrew reader, it is one of the widest free course catalogs on offer, backed by the country's universities and government.