Mountain View, California headquartered Coursera, the world’s largest open online education provider, recently announced the launch of project-based courses on topics ranging from persuasive writing to computer construction.
In a project-based course, one can master content efficiently by applying his knowledge and the concepts he has learnt to a real-world project as he learns and he will receive guidance from instructors and peers along the way, and finish the course with a completed project to be used and shared.
Project-based learning is becoming popular as they provide career-oriented students a way to learn skills they can prove in the job market. These courses feature capstone projects which the students can incorporate into portfolios for their job searches once they are done with the course.
The following project-based courses are open for enrolment now:
1. Creating a resume
Description of the course: This course is designed primarily for young professionals or college students who are writing their first resume or looking to give an old resume a fresh and polished professional look. All job seekers will benefit from the course material and project, however, regardless of their career stage or professional background. All one will need is word processing software that will allow him to create a resume on a computer. There are several free tools available.
Name of the University: State University of New York
Commencement Date – March 28
Duration of The course – 4 weeks
2. Create Your Own Website in One Week
Description of the course: This project-centred course is designed for learners who have little or no prior experience developing a web site. One will need a computer with a stable Internet connection. Coursera will use WordPress to get him started, provide lots of downloadable examples, and guide him through the process of giving and receiving constructive peer-to-peer feedback.
Name of the university – State University of New York
Name of the Instructors – Jennifer Adams, Margaret Schedel and Melissa Clarke
3. Business Model Canvas: A Tool for Entrepreneurs and Innovators
Description of the Course: This project-centred course is designed for anyone who wants to understand innovation best practices and the intra-corporate entrepreneurial (intrapreneur) skills needed to lead innovation projects, teams, and strategies. Entry and senior-level professionals in a variety of industries – including education, healthcare, business, and not-for-profit – will benefit from the course materials and project experience. The only prerequisite is a strong desire to understand best practices in innovation and to master the skills needed to transform a new idea into a profitable reality.
Name of the University: University System of Georgia
Name of the University: Dan Stotz
Name of the instructors: David Kirkland
Duration of the course – 8 weeks
4. Writing Professional Emails and Memos
Description of the course: This course is designed to be beneficial to all levels of learners, whether you have never heard of an email/memo or write them every day. Everyone will learn something from this experience. In fact, different levels of learners are encouraged in this course so that we can all learn from each other. There will be thousands of learners working side-by-side on their projects, and the environment will be social, supportive, and constructive.
Name of the university: University System of Georgia
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of the instructors: Tamara Michele Powell and Tiffani Kristine Reardon
Duration of the course – 4 weeks
5. Build your first application for Android smartphone
Description of the course: This project-centered course is designed for learners who have some prior experience programming in Java, such as an introductory college course or Coursera’s Java Programming Specialisation. When the student completes the project, in addition to having a personalised app that he can use and share, he will have the skills and background he needs to move on to more advanced coursework in Android development.
Name of the University: Centrale Supélec
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of the instructors: Virginie Galtier and Michel Lanotto
Duration of the course: 5 weeks
6. Write a Persuasive Essay, Editorial or Position Paper
Description of the course: In this project-centred course, one will learn everything he needs to research and present an effective and persuasive position paper or policy advice. Coursera recommends the student to sign up for a certificate as this course is on premium grading and he will only enjoy the full benefit of the project if he can join in with the assignments. In addition, this course contains the exciting opportunity to research and analyse historical decision-making, international relations, business cases and battles in an effort to truly understand constructing a convincing argument.
Name of the University: Universiteit Leiden
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of the instructor: Richard Griffiths
Duration of the course: 4 weeks
7. Plan and Design Print Infographics
Description of the course: In this project-centred course, the student will create a content-rich infographic on a topic of his choice. He might choose to create a visual representation of data from the world of sports, entertainment, politics, or science, to explain a business trend or environmental issue, or even to present a theme or development from his personal life. His finished infographic will engage his target audience and convey information clearly through effective use of design elements such as typography, color, and structure.
Name of the University: Michigan State University
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of the instructor: Karl Gude
Duration of the course: 4 weeks
8. Leading a Strategic Innovation Project
Description of the course: This course is intended to help the student to improve his ability to manage creativity, innovation and change in business, education, healthcare, government, and in any other complex organisation or institution by diagnosing potential innovation failures before they can occur. Using an “innovation constraints” framework that draws on modern social science research and on insights from business practice, participants will learn how to best manage people (be they co-workers, bosses, customers, clients, friends or any other stakeholders) when innovation is the goal.
Name of the university: Vanderbilt University
Name of the instructor: David A. Owens
Duration of the course: 8 weeks
9. Build a Computer from first principles: from NAND to Tetris
Description of the course: In this project-centred course, the student will build a modern computer system, from the ground up. Coursera will divide this fascinating journey into six hands-on projects that will take him from constructing elementary logic gates all the way through creating a fully functioning general purpose computer. In the process, he will learn – in the most direct and constructive way – how computers work, and how they are designed.
Name of the University: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of the instructors: Shimon Schocken and Noam Nisan
Duration of the course: Week 6
10. Write a TV or web series pilot episode
Description of the course: In this project-centred course, the student will design a series bible and write a complete pilot episode for his own unique television or web series, be it drama or comedy or something in between. He will learn to break down the creative process into components, and he’ll discover a structured process that will allow him to produce a polished and pitch-ready script in just a few weeks. Completing this project will increase his confidence in his ideas and abilities, and he will feel prepared to pitch his first script and get started on his next.
Name of the university: Michigan State University
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of the instructor: David Wheeler
Duration of the course: 5 weeks
11. How to Make a Comic Book
Description of the course: In this project-centred course, the learner will create an original four page minicomic designed around a short story of his choosing. This course is designed for all-age learners (high school age and above, at least 13 years of age) who are interested in learning how to make a comic book, but have never completed one before.
Name of the university: High Tech High Graduate School of Education
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of the instructors: Patrick Yurick and Christopher O’Keeffe
Duration of the course: 6 Weeks
12. Writing a Scientific Paper: By and For Ph.D Students
Description of the course: In this course, the student will outline a complete scientific paper, choose an appropriate journal to which he’ll submit the finished paper for publication, and prepare a checklist that will allow him to independently judge whether his paper is ready to submit.
Name of the university: École Polytechnique
Commencement Date: March 28
Name of instructors: Mathis Plapp
Duration of the course: 4 Weeks