Coursera

Coursera is a database that contains hundreds of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). After launching and registering with the app, users can tap the “Magnifying Glass” button on the bottom of the screen to browse the MOOCs available in Coursesa. The MOOCs are grouped by topic (e.g., Art, Economics & Finance, Engineering, and Humanities, among others). When users tap a topic of interest, the actual MOOCs included in that topic are viewable. Users can then tap on a specific MOOC and watch an overview video, read about the instructor, review the class details, and see related courses. If users are interested in this class, they can enroll in it by tapping the “Join” button and accepting the Honor Code terms. Users will then receive an email confirming their enrollment. Users can view the courses in which they have enrolled by tapping the “home” button.

Instructional Ideas

1. After teaching a unit or series of lessons, teachers can have students enroll in a related MOOC using this app and complete that course as an extension. After completing the MOOC, students can compose a synopsis of the MOOC, including: (1) what they learned, (2) what they still want to know about the topic, and (3) a ranking of the MOOC’s quality. Students can compose their synopsis using the UX Documents, Office Offline, or WPS Office apps and then email it to their teacher.
2. As part of an independent-learning experience, teachers can have students research the MOOCs listed in this app and enroll in one. Students will then be required to complete the course and compose a report in which they: (1) state the content they learned, (2) explain how/why the content they learned is relevant, (3) provide an overview of the assignments they completed, and (4) highlight one area that they would like to further study independently. Students can compose their report using the UX Documents, Office Offline, or WPS Office apps and then email it to their teacher.
3. After becoming familiar with MOOCs using this app, teachers can have students pick a topic that they understand deeply and create a MOOC for it, complete with assignments. Students can use the TouchCast app to record their video lessons, create assignment documents using the UX Documents app, and post them to the Coursmos app.

Screenshots