UNSW has joined some of the world’s best universities in partnering with Coursera, the largest provider of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

The US-based education company is committed to opening up free access to high-quality online education for all by partnering with top universities such as Stanford, Yale and Columbia. In less than two years since it was founded, Coursera has more than 80 education partners, enrolling four million-plus students worldwide.

UNSW and Coursera announced the new partnership ahead of a public forum on MOOCs featuring Coursera co-founder Professor Daphne Koller and UNSW Vice-Chancellor Professor Fred Hilmer.

UNSW is delighted to sign on to the leading online education platform, Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said.

“By partnering with Cousera we are in fine company. We now have the opportunity to work with great partners around the world to build UNSW’s digital education profile.

“Importantly, it is also an excellent opportunity to incorporate some of the best online teaching practices and technological advancements into degree programs taught at UNSW, benefiting all our students and enriching their educational experience,” Professor Martin said.

Coursera’s Professor Koller said: “Today we’re happy to announce that the University of New South Wales is joining Coursera’s network of global educational partners currently offering free online courses to millions of people.

“We’re proud to welcome UNSW, with its strengths in a broad range of disciplines and we look forward to working with the University as its faculty members explore the benefits of online education within their own classrooms, and share their knowledge with the world beyond,” Professor Koller said.

UNSW’s Professor Martin said the University had been working to identify a range of courses to showcase UNSW’s strengths. Initial offerings will be in science and engineering, commencing in early 2014.

Coursera also announced that the University of Western Australia has joined its network.

On Thursday 1 August, UNSW Vice-Chancellor Professor Fred Hilmer will speak at a joint UNSW–United States Studies Centre (USSC) public forum “What MOOCs mean for universities – revolution or evolution?” He will be joined by Professor Koller and Mr Andrew Stevens, Managing Director of IBM Australia and NZ.

The forum follows the release of the report ‘From university exports to the multinational university: the internationalisation of higher education in Australia and the United states’, co-authored by Dr Sean Gallagher, COO of the USSC, and Professor Geoffrey Garrett, Dean of the Australian School of Business at UNSW. Read more about the report on the ASB newsroom.

Media contact: Denise Knight, A/Director, UNSW Media Office, 0405 207 685 d.knight@unsw.edu.au

 

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Prof Iain Martin and Coursera's Prof Daphne Koller at the UNSW signing