NEWS

What is a MOOC ?

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses that anybody can take, and those who complete the course can earn an official certificate for a fee. Top universities around the world offer MOOCs, and the total number of registered learners on the Coursera and edX platforms has reached more than 130 million. Along with self improvement, learners are using MOOCs to improve their professional skills, and the individually validated certificates are helping learners advance in the workplace and make career changes.

Featured Courses

Coursera

Let’s Read! Learning Japanese through Science & Technology-2

This is the second part of our Japanese language learning courses. It focuses on improving Japanese reading comprehension through vocabulary and expressions retention, with a theme of Science and Engineering research at the University of Tokyo. In addition to reading, illustration videos and interview videos allow you to practise "listening" and "writing" skills. You can also broaden and deepen your knowledge in the related areas.

FURUICHI Yumiko (Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo)

Coursera

Learn How to Teach by 6 Min. Micro Teaching

How should we work on class design and improvement? This is a program to learn specifically how to design and improve classes through the creation of a 6-minute microteaching class. The program is designed for current and prospective teachers from elementary to higher education, and can be completed in three weeks. The program is designed to help learners understand the significance of the “6-minute microteaching class,” and practice the necessary knowledge and theory based on the “ADDIE Model,” a concept for creating such classes, through a variety of work (hands-on experience). Then, through creating a graphic class design and a class design sheet, learners design and conduct a microteaching class. Afterwards, learners will review the microteaching class and work on improvement. In addition to watching videos and completing worksheets (individual work), the course also emphasizes the expansion and deepening of learning through interaction with other learners in the learning community, such as discussion forums.

KURITA Kayoko (Professor, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo)

Coursera

From the Big Bang to Dark Energy

We have learned a lot recently about how the Universe evolved in 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang. More than 80% of matter in the Universe is mysterious Dark Matter, which made stars and galaxies to form. The newly discovered Higgs-boson became frozen into the Universe a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang and brought order to the Universe. Yet we still do not know how ordinary matter (atoms) survived against total annihilation by Anti-Matter. The expansion of the Universe started acceleration about 7 billion years ago and the Universe is being ripped apart. The culprit is Dark Energy, a mysterious energy multiplying in vacuum. I will present evidence behind these startling discoveries and discuss what we may learn in the near future.

MURAYAMA Hitoshi (Professor, Kavli IPMU, The University of Tokyo)

Coursera

Contemporary Garden City Concept from Asia

The course focuses on contemporary urban planning issues, particularly the Garden City concept, addressing the global trend of integrating green spaces into cities to combat environmental challenges. Cities worldwide are striving to introduce green elements regardless of location, driven by concerns such as climate change, natural disasters, and political instability. The course discusses the transition from traditional urban structures to dispersed green matrices, emphasizing the importance of green spaces in enhancing their resilience. It contrasts Western cities' vertical agricultural integration with historical Japanese cities' horizontal integration, advocating for a new approach to urban agriculture. Let's consider the concept of a contemporary Garden City, focusing on the symbiotic relationship between urban and rural land uses. Through a mixture of theoretical discussion and practical examples, this course explores strategies for realizing this urban planning vision. The course is offered in Japanese and English and is available at all times. Anyone can take the course from the Coursera website.

Makoto Yokohari (Professor, The School of Engineering) Akito Murayama (Professor, Ph.D. in Urban Engineering, Department of Urban Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo) Toru Terada (Associate Professor, Department of Natural Environment Studies) Kimihiro Hino (Associate Professor, Department of Urban Engineering) and 4 member(s).

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