Curtin is helping bring free education to the world, with another Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) which opened in mid-March.<\/p>\n
The six-week MOOC \u2018Participating in the Digital Age\u2019 <\/i>explores the role of the digital world in our daily lives and how we can participate. It joins Curtin\u2019s two other MOOCs that opened in 2013: \u2018Discovering the Universe through Science and Technology\u2019 and \u2018Australia China Trade\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018Discovering the Universe through Science and Technology\u2019 saw more than 6,000 students enrol and impressive completion rates of more than 30 per cent.<\/p>\n
Curtin also has plans for a Digital Marketing MOOC that can provide financial benefit for learners who go on to study further at Curtin. The University hopes that students who successfully complete the MOOC and enrol in Curtin\u2019s Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing will receive financial credit for a unit of their studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough our Learning for Tomorrow strategy, we\u2019re reconfiguring our approach to education at Curtin,\u201d said Professor Jill Downie, Curtin\u2019s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education. \u201cMOOCs have the potential for the kind of global scale and reach that will help us engage our vision for new markets, and there are opportunities to leverage MOOC-principles to scale delivery of more conventional units.\u201d<\/p>\n
MOOCs aren\u2019t the only programs that will benefit from Curtin\u2019s new approach to learning. From 2016, Curtin degree courses will be delivered using a mix of traditional on-campus teaching, flipped classes, technology-enriched environments and distributed learning techniques such as 3D technology that actively engage students.<\/p>\n
The \u2018virtual classroom\u2019 method is already being used to distribute one of the University\u2019s nursing courses to WA\u2019s remote north-west and there are plans to offer first year health sciences and other courses to other parts of regional WA and Curtin\u2019s Singapore Campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some respects the future has already arrived at Curtin. We know the challenges are vast – but so are the opportunities,\u201d said Professor Downie. \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time to be educators, providing world-class, engaging opportunities within the framework of a classroom – but one without walls, time limits and geographical constraints.\u201d<\/p>\n