A University of Queensland MOOC has won the 2018 edX prize for exceptional contributions in online teaching and learning. Blake McKimmie, Barbara Masser and Mark Horswill are honoured for their Psychology of Criminal Justice MOOC, running since 2014. They take students through a murder, from corpse to trial verdict, examining processes and procedures in eight episodes.

Hooray for UoQ: According to edX, “this incredibly innovative use of realistic drama combined with novel assessments to reinforce the course content, truly demonstrates the passion that these professors have for this subject and, in turn, helps to excite the same passion in learners.”

It is another achievement for the UoQ massive on-line open course community, a national leader in encouraging content and developing demand across the many present and emerging MOOC markets. With 100 000 enrolments in the first year of its bized micromasters, for example, the university is already refining them to meet market needs, (CMM October 12 ) and CMM October 24).

It’s not alone: UoQ does not have leadership to itself in the Australian moocverse. The shortlist for this year’s edX award also included Curtin U’s Reputation Management in a Digital World, a subject in its innovative digital marketing micromasters, and the University of Adelaide’s Shakespeare Matters, (“learn about Shakespeare’s plays and their influence through a focus on emotions such as love, hate, and jealousy.”)