Vijay Kumar has driven sustainable, technology-enabled educational innovation at MIT For over 28 years. As the Founding Executive Director of J-WEL (Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab) and Associate Dean for Open Learning, he has developed strategies and led initiatives integrating technology into education.
His prior roles at MIT include serving as Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and Assistant Provost.Vijay has spearheaded key projects such as the Open Knowledge Initiative (O.K.I.) supported by the Mellon Foundation, a collaborative effort to develop open architectur for eduucational applications the Woodrow Wilson-MIT collaborative initiative for professional development of teachers through contemporary learning science and technology and CLIx, a Tata-MIT initiative for improving educational quality and access in underserved Indian schools, recognized with UNESCO’s 2017 King Hamad Prize
He also provided leadership for NSF and U.S. Department of Education-funded projects addressing STEM education in Haiti and differentiated student learning needs, respectively.
He is a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee of MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW), served as the Executive officer for MIT's Council on Educational Technology and as a member of the steering committee for I-Campus, the MIT-Microsoft Alliance initiative for educational technology.
A global advisor and researcher, Vijay has collaborated with organizations like WHO, UNESCO, the Smithsonian, and the India National Knowledge Commission. His recent engagements include advancing STEM education, AI literacy, and educational futuring in Southeast Asia (SEAMEO, Philippines), the MENA region, Central Asia (Uzbekistan), Peru and India.
His expertise extends to fostering open educational resources, educational policy, and teacher professional development through technology. Notable efforts include those with the Hewlett Foundation, Al Ghurair Foundation, Qatar Foundation International, and Singapore University of Technology and Design, among others. He has also been active in professional organizations such as Educause, Internet2, and the New Media Consortium.
Vijay co-edited the book Opening Up Education (MIT Press, 2008). He has authored numerous articles and presented extensively on educational innovation and technology strategy.
He has been an important contributor to professional organizations such as Educause (Seminars on Academic Computing (SAC, Chair), ICDE, Internet2 (Applications Strategy Council and the New Media Consortium.
Vijay was awarded an Honorary Professorship by Tianjin Open University, October 2013. He was also appointed as the Exxon Mobil Chair for Technology Enabled Learning at the University of Qatar, 2014.
Education.
- Ed.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1986; Dissertation: "Introducing Technological Innovations for Education in a Developing Country - Implications for Planning."
- M.S. Industrial Management, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, India, 1978; Dissertation: "Systemic Planning for Higher Education Administration"
- B.Tech. Chemical Engineering, IIT, Madras, India, 1975.
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, IIT, Madras, India, 2011.