University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken announced last week that NU will begin working with Coursera, a leading provider of massive open online courses (MOOCs).
The collaboration will expand access to the university’s rich course content and talented faculty to significantly more individuals via distance learning.
The University of Nebraska is one of 10 state university systems and public university flagship institutions that announced their intent to join Coursera. Coursera already partners with 70 leading universities in the U.S. and beyond, including seven Big Ten institutions.
The importance of E-learning is something UNMC is very aware of, said Dele Davies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies.
“UNMC views e-learning as an important part of the future of medical education,” Dr. Davies said. “We are excited for the University of Nebraska to be collaborating with Coursera.”
The collaboration will provide NU faculty from all four campuses the opportunity to explore new and enhanced learning technologies that benefit students and advance the university’s mission.
Milliken noted that the details of the university’s involvement with Coursera – including what course content might be offered and when it might become available – will depend on interest among faculty members and a review process at the university. Participation in Coursera will be entirely voluntary for faculty.
“I’m very pleased to be working with Coursera to explore how we might leverage technology to expand access to high-quality University of Nebraska course content to many more people,” Milliken said.
Milliken noted that the University of Nebraska Online Worldwide remains NU’s primary platform for providing distance education. Online Worldwide provides access to more than 130 online degree, certificate and endorsement programs offered by the four campuses.
Partnership with Coursera offers additional opportunities for the university to expand access to education and increase its name recognition, particularly among international students. Coursera offers hundreds of free courses in a wide range of topics.
The partnership also creates new opportunities for faculty to collaborate with their colleagues at different institutions.
In addition to the University of Nebraska, nine other universities announced their plans to work with Coursera: the State University of New York (SUNY), Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Colorado, University of Houston System, University of Kentucky, University of New Mexico, University System of Georgia, University of Tennessee and West Virginia University.
Answers to frequently asked questions about Coursera are available here.