A MOOC, a relatively recent development in online education, enables unlimited participation and open access to cutting-edge content delivered by international experts via the internet. Not only can learners worldwide take online courses that align with their interests and that are provided by top universities, they can also make learning more personalised and flexible.

CityU’s MOOCs, which will begin in September, would introduce our Discovery-enriched Curriculum (DEC), the research of our top academics, and the overall CityU brand to a global audience, explained Professor Arthur Ellis, Provost of CityU.

 

“The courses will be free and available to people all over the world, giving them a taste of the work we do at CityU,” he said.

 

CityU will partner with FutureLearn, which is owned by the Open University in the UK. A contract signing ceremony between the two parties was held in November 2015.

 

One course is slated to be delivered starting in September: “Foundation of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in China” by Dr Sun Hongyi, Associate Professor in the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.

 

“This free online course will introduce the processes related to discovery, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship; the influence of Chinese culture; and the characteristics and thinking of Chinese innovators and entrepreneurs,” Dr Sun said.

 

Dr Sun will use his PIPE model (Problem, Idea, Product and Enterprise) to introduce the processes. His teaching model was recognised with a First Award from the China Association of Higher Education under the Chinese Ministry of Education.

The five-week course, with availability of certificates after successful completion, will start from 12 September. With CityU’s connections to mainland China’s government, industry and universities, this course will benefit international learners interested in the China market.

A second course due for release this fall is “Discovering Socially Engaged Art in Contemporary China” by Dr Zheng Bo, Assistant Professor, School of Creative Media, an artist and writer who specialises in socially engaged art.

 

The courses are non-credit bearing and will be delivered independently of any CityU courses or programmes. They will be pitched at the undergraduate level and will be monitored by CityU staff members.

The MOOCs offered by CityU have been funded by Professional Development Awards (PDAs), which were established by the Office of the Provost for the development of MOOCs.

 

Interested parties can visit https://www.futurelearn.com/partners/cityu-hk to get more information and to register.