Health Talk

Yesterday the University of Minnesota announced it would partner with Coursera – a leading massive open online course (MOOC) platform – to develop free online courses to improve teaching and learning through technology, the health sciences will be well represented in the effort.

Of the five University faculty involved at the launch, three are from the health sciences:

• Karen Monsen, Ph.D., assistant professor, School of Nursing, “Interprofessional Healthcare Informatics”
• Michael Oakes, Ph.D., associate professor, School of Public Health, “Social Epidemiology”
• Peggy Root Kustritz, D.V.M., Ph.D., professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, “Canine Theriogenology for Dog Enthusiasts”

Other Academic Health Center faculty will likely offer their coursework via Coursera in the future, however the coursework above was in a position to be quickly developed into the MOOC format.

The University’s partnership with Coursera aligns with a similar move by a number of other schools across the United States.  The Star Tribune reported today that Coursera currently works with 33 other universities, with another 29 recently signing on from 13 different countries.

According to a University press release, the U of M does not provide credit for the completion of MOOC, but is working on a process that would allow currently enrolled students to earn credit for completion of U of M offerings from Coursera by integrating them with existing academic courses.

Coursera will not charge the University of Minnesota for hosting its courses, and the U of M will retain the rights to course content. The U of M may also repurpose its Coursera content to enhance traditional course offerings for enrolled, credit-seeking students.