TAU ONLINE - Innovative Learning

What TAU ONLINE - Innovative Learning does

TAU ONLINE — Innovative Learning (TAU OUT, 'Going Out to Learn') is the online learning arm of Tel Aviv University's Decanter for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Operating as a public, free-of-charge MOOC platform, TAU OUT delivers 20+ university-level courses across four disciplines — Exact Sciences, Life Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences & Law — designed and taught by Tel Aviv University faculty. The platform is accessible globally through its own website, Israel's national Campus.gov.il portal, and international MOOC aggregators Coursera and edX. It serves four primary user segments: general public learners seeking personal enrichment, prospective university admission seekers using TAU OUT credits as an alternative to the psychometric entrance exam, Israeli high school students participating in the Ministry of Education's 'First Semester Already in High School' program, and periphery-area students reached via the 'Academic City' initiative.

The core technology is a standard MOOC delivery stack running on the TAU OUT web portal (tauout.tau.ac.il), embedded within national digital learning infrastructure and distributed through third-party platforms. Course content is produced by Tel Aviv University faculty and developed in partnership with research institutions such as HIT (Holon Institute of Technology) and TAU's own Minducate Center for Learning Sciences. Students passing course examinations with a score of 60 or higher earn academic credit valid for ten years, which can be applied toward undergraduate admission at Tel Aviv University as a substitute for the psychometric exam, and — for high school students — as partial substitutes for Bagrut (matriculation) exam components. The platform was established around 2018 with the Academic City initiative, with the Ministry of Education partnership expanding in 2025.

TAU OUT operates as a university outreach and widening-participation initiative funded by Tel Aviv University rather than as a commercial enterprise. There are no public pricing tiers, no subscription fees, and no disclosed revenue; the platform functions as a freemium public good. Its commercial value is indirect — captured through TAU's admissions funnel, brand extension, and contribution to national education policy on access and equity. Distribution relies entirely on institutional channels (university brand, Ministry of Education endorsement, national learning portal, MOOC aggregators) and organic social media presence, with no paid performance marketing or sales infrastructure. The entity is staffed by approximately 8 employees and is structurally integrated with Tel Aviv University as a government/state academic institution, with no venture capital or private equity ownership.

Name

TAU ONLINE - Innovative Learning

Legal name

Tel Aviv University

Website

https://tauonline.tau.ac.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TAU OUT is the free MOOC platform of Tel Aviv University's Decanter for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, offering 20+ faculty-taught courses across four disciplines via Campus.gov.il, Coursera, and edX. It serves general public learners, prospective university admission seekers using MOOC credits as a psychometric exam alternative, and Israeli high school students via Ministry of Education partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Online Learning

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Fully Online Universities (Online-First, Degree-Granting) (EDAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Homeschool Programs & Online Curriculum Schools (EDAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Online higher education
• Massive open online courses
• Academic credit programs
• University online learning
• Online course catalogs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tel Aviv

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Open-Access Online Courses (Public Good): TAU OUT courses are offered free of charge to the general public. The platform operates as a public good and outreach initiative of Tel Aviv University's Decanter for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, funded by the university rather than directly monetized.
2. Acceptance Pathway (Credit-Based Admission): The platform's primary institutional value lies in enabling an alternative admissions pathway to Tel Aviv University. Students earn academic credit by passing online course examinations (passing threshold 60+), which can substitute for psychometric exam scores. This is a service provided by the university, not a direct revenue-generating product.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

TAU OUT operates the online academic course catalog of Tel Aviv University's Decanter for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, delivering free MOOCs to the general public across four disciplines: Exact Sciences, Life Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Law. The platform also provides a credit-based alternative admissions pathway to undergraduate programs at Tel Aviv University, plus a "First Semester Already in High School" program embedded in Israeli high schools through the Ministry of Education.

Product overview

TAU ONLINE – Innovative Learning operates the Decant for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at Tel Aviv University, structured as a multi-product platform centered on TAU OUT (Going Out to Learn). The primary product is the Academic Online Course Catalog (TAU OUT), offering MOOCs and academic courses to the general public across four disciplines: Exact Sciences, Life Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Law. A second major product, the Credit Pathway (קבלה בעזרת קורסים מקוונים), leverages completed TAU OUT courses as an alternative to the psychometric exam for undergraduate admission. A third product, the First Semester Already in High School (סמסטר ראשון כבר בתיכון), partners with Israel's Ministry of Education to embed TAU academic courses in high schools for early credit. The platform distributes courses through partnerships with Coursera, edX, and the national Campus.gov.il portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academic City (עיר אקדמית): Program bringing academic experiences to high school students in Israel's geographic and social periphery

Products and services

• TAU OUT Academic Online Course Catalog (MOOCs) Free, open-enrollment online academic course catalog offering MOOCs designed and taught by Tel Aviv University faculty across four disciplines (Exact Sciences, Life Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Law) to the general public worldwide.
• Credit Pathway — Alternative Admissions Track (קבלה בעזרת קורסים מקוונים)

Quantifiable outcome

• Students passing with a score of 60 or higher earn academic credit points valid for 10 years.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Israeli Ministry of EducationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The 'First Semester Already in High School' (Semester Rishon b'Tichon) program is an initiative of Israel's Ministry of Education. TAU OUT serves as a content and credentialing partner, providing university-level courses for high school students nationwide.
• Holon Institute of Technology (HIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 'Learning Technologies: Version Update' course was developed in partnership with HIT (Holon Institute of Technology). Dr. Hagit Misher-Tal, a senior lecturer at HIT's Faculty of Learning Technologies, is a co-instructor, and HIT is credited as a development partner for the course content.
• Minducate (Center for Learning Sciences, Tel Aviv University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinducate is a research center at Tel Aviv University dedicated to learning sciences. Dr. Nana Ariel, the instructor for the 'How to Learn How to Learn' course, completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Minducate, establishing a direct research-to-course content pipeline.
• Campus.gov.il (National Digital Learning Initiative)coreTechnology or IntegrationTAU OUT courses are embedded in Israel's national digital learning platform. Campus.gov.il is the government-mandated national MOOC aggregator, hosting TAU's academic courses for all Israeli learners and schools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• edX: edX hosts the 'Making a Difference' TAU OUT course series and is a leading global MOOC marketplace. It directly competes in the same online university-course category as TAU OUT and serves overlapping international learner segments.
• Coursera: Coursera is a global MOOC platform and the primary distribution partner for TAU OUT's course catalog. It is a direct peer in the online higher education course delivery space, serving learners worldwide with university-produced content.
• Open University of Israel: The Open University of Israel is Israel's primary distance-learning higher education institution, offering online undergraduate and graduate programs. It competes directly with TAU OUT for Israeli learners seeking flexible, online university-level instruction and credit pathways.
• FutureLearn: FutureLearn is a global MOOC platform offering university-produced online courses. It competes with TAU OUT in the international online higher education course category, serving similar lifelong-learning and skills-upskilling audiences.
• Technion – Israel Institute of Technology: Technion is Israel's leading technology university and operates its own online courses and widening-participation programs. It directly competes with TAU OUT for Israeli STEM learners and prospective undergraduate students in exact sciences.
• Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Hebrew University operates its own online course initiatives and is one of Israel's leading research universities. As a peer institution offering academic MOOCs and competing for Israeli undergraduate admissions, it is directly comparable to Tel Aviv University / TAU OUT.
• Ben-Gurion University of the Negev: Ben-Gurion University offers online courses and serves Israeli periphery students, including those in Be'er Sheva — overlapping with TAU OUT's target audience. It is a comparable Israeli research university with online higher education offerings and a similar admissions pathway structure.

Emerging players

• Khan Academy (Israel): Khan Academy Israel provides free online learning content widely used by Israeli high school students. It overlaps with TAU OUT's high school audience and is a comparable free, online, public-good educational platform, though focused on K-12 rather than university-level content.
• University of the People: UoPeople is a tuition-free, accredited online university serving learners globally. While operating internationally rather than regionally, it competes with TAU OUT for cost-conscious learners seeking accredited online higher education and credentials.

Others

• Campus.gov.il: Campus.gov.il is Israel's national digital learning portal hosting MOOCs from multiple Israeli universities. While it is also a TAU OUT distribution channel, it serves as an adjacent ecosystem aggregator that aggregates content from TAU OUT's direct peers (Hebrew U, Ben-Gurion, Technion, etc.).

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TAUVOD
• Facebookfacebook.com/tau2go
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovative-learning-canter-tau
• Instagraminstagram.com/telavivuni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TAU ONLINE - Innovative Learning