Northwestern was one of the first universities to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) to experiment with new modes of teaching and learning and to engage with a global audience. To date, the University has produced over 30 individual courses, including five multi-course sequences called Specializations, on a range of diverse topics from the sciences to the humanities to professional development.
And now, as a special offer to you as a member of the Northwestern community, you can take any of our MOOC offerings on Coursera and earn the paid Course or Specialization Certificate free of charge.
This offering comes about through a collaboration among Human Resources, the Office of the Provost, and Information Technology to provide the campus community with the opportunity to experience our own faculty in the virtual classroom. You can take a course in an area of your interest and on your own schedule.
Samir A. Desai, executive director of learning and organization development with Human Resources, hopes that everyone will take advantage of this offer. “Northwestern is making significant efforts to invest in our people and offer them quality professional development opportunities,” he said. “This is a great way for a member of the University community to benefit from our fantastic course offerings and further build their skill set, learn from our talented faculty members about something that interests them, and have a fulfilling career.”
The benefits of earning a Course or Specialization Certificate include:
- Advance your knowledge and build skills in a high-demand field.
- Demonstrate your enhanced professional qualifications.
- Highlight a new credential on your CV or resume and social media networks.
To see a listing of all courses currently offered and their course descriptions, please visit our MOOC page on the Digital Learning website.
Scott Pitts, applications systems manager for Northwestern IT’s Collaboration Services, is thrilled about the opportunity,.“With the dynamic nature of my schedule, I appreciate the flexibility that Coursera courses offer. Last year I took the Understanding Media by Understanding Google course and loved it, and with this new offer, I’m excited to start the Organizational Leadership Specialization this summer.”
To learn more about the courses and this special offer, visit our page on the Office of the Provost’s website. You can register and take advantage of this offer at any time.
Learn anytime, anywhere!