The UoQ MOOC helps half a million students’s MOOC on how to prepare for the IELTS course, via edX, has cracked half a million enrolments. That is more than double where it was in July 2016 when it reached 200 000 users within its first year (CMM July 4 2016). The MOOC has global enrolments with people in Egypt, India and Vietnam making the majority. This, as UoQ suggests, is a great way of building the university’s brand among completers, “for those who then apply to study on campus, they will find a welcoming and supportive environment as UQ continues to implement initiatives that improve the student experience.” But it is also an extraordinary demonstration of the MOOC as community service, or in this case, international aid to people in skill-poor countries looking to lift their English language literacy.
Campus Morning Mail is an independent newsletter written and published by Stephen Matchett, formerly a long-serving journalist at The Australian newspaper. The daily e-news column receives no undisclosed funding or other assistance from any organisation or individual.
Subscribe