The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is among the first in Asia and the only university in Greater China to sign an agreement today (19 September) with Coursera to bring HKUST's courses online worldwide. Coursera is an education technology organization founded by computer science professors from Stanford University. Coursera's current partners comprise world leading universities such as Stanford University, Princeton University, University of Michigan, and the University of Washington. With today's announcement, HKUST will be hosting three debut online courses reaching students across the globe.
HKUST President Prof Tony F Chan said, "HKUST is enthusiastic about online education and we are glad to be among the first in Asia and the only university from Greater China to become a partner institution of Coursera to make our courses available to students across the globe. As an international research university committed to excellence in education and research, HKUST constantly strives to find innovative ways to enhance the education experience of our students. We are very excited to be among the group of world leading universities working with innovative organizations such as Coursera."
The move will expand HKUST's growing course roster and international presence, adding new perspectives in the areas of humanities, life science, science & technology and more. Under the partnership, three courses will go online in early 2013:
'A New History for a New China 1700-2000: New Data and New Methods, Part 1' by Prof James Lee, Dean and Chair Professor of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, will summarize new directions in Chinese history and Chinese social science and organize this knowledge in a framework for learning about China in comparative perspective.
'The Science of Gastronomy' by Prof King Chow, Professor of Life Science and Biomedical Engineering, and Prof Lam-lung Yeung, Adjunct Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry, will demonstrate the importance of scientific principles and their application in cooking practice.
'Science, Technology, and Society in China 1: Basic Concepts' by Prof Naubahar Sharif, Associate Professor in the Division of Social Science, will analyze science/technology-society relationships and related policy issues with a focus on China.
Through the partnership with Coursera, HKUST will stay abreast of innovative technological and pedagogical developments in online education. Students will have access to valuable experiences beyond the lectures through Coursera's extensive community engagement opportunities, which include in-person Meetups in over 600 cities around the world, thousands of Coursera community forums, and professor and student-organized networking.
Since its first course offerings six months ago, Coursera has accelerated toward its mission to educate millions worldwide, enrolling more than 1.3 million students around the world, building meaningful community engagement systems, and establishing advanced technologies to support learning online.
Course Details
A New History for a New China 1700-2000: New Data and New Methods, Part 1
Science, Technology, and Society in China 1: Basic Concepts
About the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a top-ranked international research university excelling in science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. Internationally renowned for its academic rigor and accomplishments, the University promotes interdisciplinary studies and provides holistic education, nurturing well-rounded graduates with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, innovative thinking and relevant skills to thrive in a knowledge economy. As an international university with strong ties to global thought leaders, HKUST has also wide-ranging connections with Mainland China while aspiring to be a global premier knowledge hub and a center of research breakthroughs. HKUST was ranked Asia's number one for the second year in a row in 2011 and 2012. It was placed third for the world's under-50 universities in 2012. The Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA (EMBA) program, for the third year in succession, topped the Financial Times EMBA global rankings.
About Coursera
Coursera is on a mission to change the world by educating millions of people by offering classes from top universities and professors online for free. Coursera's comprehensive education platform combines mastery-based learning principles with video lectures, interactive content and a global community of peers, offering students from around the world a unique online learning experience. Coursera has partnered with top-tier universities to provide courses across a broad range of disciplines, including medicine, literature, history and computer science, among others. Coursera is backed by leading venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and New Enterprise Associates. For more information, visit Coursera.org.
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
Mavis Wong
Tel: 2358 6306
Email: maviswong@ust.hk
