MOOCs: Uppsala University opens its doors to the world

‘Uppsala University has cutting-edge expertise in these important and in-demand fields, and we want to test this opportunity to offer many more people access to that expertise. We have chosen three areas in which we are global leaders – we’re highlighting the best,’ says Vice-Chancellor Eva Åkesson.

The new online courses are made possible through a partnership with MOOC learning company FutureLearn, which is owned by The Open University. FutureLearn has 95 different partners, including universities such as The University of Edinburgh, Fudan University and Durham University, as well as organisations such as UNESCO and Cancer Research UK.

Registration is now open for the course Antibiotic Resistance: the Silent Tsunami, which is due to start on 3 October.

Later in the autumn, Uppsala University will launch the courses Climate Change Leadership and Understanding Financial Crisis: Business Cycles and Policy. Registration for these two courses will open soon.

The courses do not offer any credits, but anyone can take the courses online – there are no entrance requirements, they are free of charge, and thousands of participants can take the course at the same time. All that is needed to participate is a computer, tablet or smartphone and Internet access.

Mats Cullhed looks forward to the start of the course:

‘I see many potential opportunities with this type of course. While contributing with important knowledge, we learn more about Internet-based technologies and teaching methods that can be used in our regular courses. We also hope to bring more people’s attention to Uppsala University and showcase the stimulating academic environments that await international students applying here’, he says.

Information on all MOOCs offered at Uppsala University will be available on the FutureLearn platform.