Stanford Expands Public MOOCs (Massively Open On-Line Courses)
03/30/2013
MOOCs or Massively Open On-Line Courses is a new development to leverage technology to deliver education to large numbers (thousands to millions) of people. Khan Academy is similar in that it delivers education over the Internet but slightly different in that it is a one-to-one engagement of thousands of micro-lectures.
Stanford University will have about 20 courses that will be taught entirely or partially on-line starting on April 1. While the University’s first online courses tended to emphasize computer science and engineering, the offerings now include courses from political science, the humanities and public health, among many other fields.
Among the massive open online courses, or MOOCs, offered in the spring is “Comparative Democratic Development”. It is a “broad, introductory survey of the political, social, cultural, economic, institutional and international factors that foster and obstruct the development and consolidation of democracy.” This class starts on April 1.
On April 29 “Mobile Health Without Borders“ will make its debut. This course is taught by three Stanford physicians with international experience. It will be structured like a conference, with lectures by a wide array of experts, online discussions and team projects.
Other courses include “A Crash Course on Creativity” starting on April 22 and “ Technology Entrepreneurship” starting on April 29.
Stanford said that “it is providing public global access to selected learning experiences as a public service”. There are no university credits associated with them.
By Chuck Jones
