Oxford University To Start Offering Free Online Courses In 2017

Have you longed for the education of a reputable or even prestigious university but could never afford the tuition fees, or maybe you just did not make the cut? Unfortunately that’s the story of our lives for many of us, but thanks to the digital age, that is no longer a problem. In the US, universities like MIT, Berkeley, and Harvard have offered online courses.

Now it seems that in an announcement by Oxford University in the UK (via BBC), they too will start offering free online courses in which interested students can participate in. These online courses, in case you’re hearing about them for the first time, are known as “massive open online course” (Mooc). With Oxford University’s announcement, they will be running an economics course in partnership with edX that is expected to kick off next year.

According to the description of the course, “The course will examine the vital role that governments play in boosting economic development through video lectures, case studies, comparative analysis and a range of other learning activities.” It will be aimed at anyone who has an interest in economic development, such as students, people in the government, NGOs, or basically anyone who is interested in learning more about it.

Professor Ngaire Woods, the Dean of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government said, “We see this first massive open online course as an effective way to expand access to knowledge beyond the classrooms of Oxford, and to help people understand how their community and country can flourish wherever they are in the world.”  Enrollment has already begun via the edX platform and it is expected to begin in February, 2017.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Education