The UAB increases its offer of massive online courses

The UAB offers a larger number of MOOC (massive open online courses) through its Coursera platform with courses on digital systems, proofreading of documents, and media effects of the Olympic Games. These courses have become very popular, as occurred with the first MOOC offered at the UAB on Egyptology and calculus. During the next few months, the UAB will also open enrolments for new courses on culture and sexuality, public policies and teaching in English for non-native teachers.

12/02/2014

The enrolment period opens in the months before each MOOC begins. The course "Digital Systems - Sistemes Digitals: de les portes lògiques al processador", which will begin on 17 February and is focused mainly on being applied to the field of computers, has 11,585 people enrolled. Two more are currently open for enrolment: the course "Correcció i estil en espanyol", which will begin on 5 May, and "The Olympic Games and the Media", which will begin on 2 June.

A new course will soon be available and open for enrolment, entitled "Representacions culturals de la sexualitat" and offered by lecturer Meri Torras. Next academic year two more MOOC will be available: "Democràcia i decisions públiques: una introducció a l'anàlisi de polítiques públiques" (directed by Joan Subirats) and "English for Teaching Purposes" (directed by Enric Serra). The latter two recently received funding from the Government of Catalonia from the Agency for Administration of University and Research Grants (AGAUR).

These new courses exist in addition to the two original courses the UAB offered in 2013 ("Pre-Calculus" and "Egiptologia", the latter also funded by AGAUR), which also attracted a large public and had more than 43,000 people enrolled in them.

Digital Systems Design

Lecturers Elena Valderrama, Jean-Pierre Deschamps and Lluis Terés offer the course "Digital Systems - Sistemas Digitales: de las puertas lógicas al procesador", a bilingual Spanish-English course which will be given with the support of videos and materials in both languages. This course will begin on 17 February

and focuses on the fundamentals of the design of today's digital circuits. It provides the skills needed to design digital systems of medium level complexity and to understand the basics of how computers function. Additionally, this MOOC represents an essential tool for those interested in computer hardware or application-specific integrated circuits (for robotics, bionics, industrial controls, etc.).

The course is considered suitable to students in their first year of engineering studies related to information and communications technologies (ICTs), as well as anyone interested in learning about digital systems. To enrol in the course, you will need prior knowledge of the binary system, programming and the fundamentals of electricity and electronics.

MOOC on Language Studies

On 5 May the course on proofreading Spanish texts, entitled "Correcció i estil en espanyol", will begin. Professor Santiago Alcoba from the Department of Spanish Studies will be in charge of giving the classes. The course aims to foster the interest in proofreading both one's own texts and those of others. The course does not include writing, editing or translating skills; it focuses more on encouraging the use of certain forms and paying attention to incorrect or ineffective expressions. Possible mistakes will be studied, as well as alternatives and variations which can be used in specific cases.

With regard to texts from other people, students will be aided in analysing what is being said and how to express it better (with more clarity, precision and accuracy). Each student will also work on their own texts, improving what they want to transmit and increasing the quality of their style with the help of more linguistic principles.

This course is addressed to students of Spanish language studies and to those with Spanish as a foreign language, as well as students of other languages, translation and interpreting, communication studies, education, the humanities, etc.

The Olympic Games and the Media

The course " The Olympic Games and the Media" will begin on 2 June. Created by the UAB Centre for Olympic Studies, it will be offered fully in English by Emilio Fernández Peña, lecturer of the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising.

It is a five-week course and is addressed mainly to undergraduate students, but is open to the public in general. The course focuses on the role played by the media during the Olympic games: how it has become a financial entity for the games (television rights, sponsorship programmes, etc.) and in a broadcaster of its system of values. The role of the games and its effect on modern culture will also be discussed, as well as symbols and rituals, the opening and closing ceremonies, and its presence in the social networks.

Students enrolled in this course will receive weekly emails with audiovisual materials and texts and will have to respond specific questions and hand in essays.

More information: Coursera UAB