OREANDA-NEWS. Everybody is invited to participate in massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered by the University of Tartu free of charge. In the spring semester of 2015, the university offers three MOOCs that deal with energy policies, analytical chemistry and programming. 

MOOCs are online courses that are offered by many top universities of the world (including Cambridge and Stanford) free of charge, including feedback, exam and certificate of achievement.

Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of the University of Tartu Martin Hallik believes that a good MOOC presents a subject or a problem in a simple, clear and comprehensive manner: “A good MOOC deals with a specific topic and leaves everything irrelevant aside. This makes teaching several subjects easier and faster.” Hallik said that a MOOC is also a great advertisement both for the specialisation and the university: “Thus a MOOC can be the best magnet to attract good students from both Estonia and abroad.”

Three MOOCs are soon starting at the University of Tartu:

  • Energy Policies in Europe. 2 February – 1 March 2015 (in English)
  • Estimation of Measurement Uncertainty in Chemical Analyses. 2 March – 12 April 2015 (in English)
  • About Programming. 9 March – 5 April 2015 (registration opens on 16 February) (in Estonian)

The volume of the MOOCs is 1 ECTS (26 hours of the learner’s work), they are fully web?based and participants who successfully complete the course get a certificate from the University of Tartu. The completed courses can be taken into account in the completion of degree programmes if the learner’s higher education institution has a matching course in terms of learning outcomes.

The MOOCs aim to give various target groups access to university studies, diversify and introduce the opportunities of studying at the university, improve the quality of university studies and support everyday learning process.