CILT celebrates strides in digital education

UCT’s Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) celebrated their many successes in the digital education space at an event on 7 June.

The gathering recognised three important milestones in online education at UCT: the completion of 12 massive open online courses (MOOCs), the building of the One Button Studio – an automated digital media facility for creating educational videos – and the launch of the formal online education project.

“We want to particularly acknowledge, Max, your role in all of this,” said CILT director Associate Professor Laura Czerniewicz to UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price in her introduction to the event.

“When you came to UCT, you said you were going to work, and focus attention, on online education … You’ve really put your money – and your support – where your mouth is.”

“UCT’s MOOC project has been remarkably successful.”

In the last three years 200 000 people have signed up for UCT MOOCs, Czerniewicz reported. On average, 700 people join one of the eight courses available on Coursera every week.

UCT’s first two MOOCs, Medicine and the Arts: Humanising Healthcare and What is a Mind? are now in their eighth offering on Future Learn.

UCT’s MOOC project has been remarkably successful, noted Price.

“Of course, that’s largely due to the individual rock stars who’ve conceptualised them, who’ve done the lectures, and who have such an engaging style. And we are really lucky at UCT to have so many of you.

“Most of us are teachers because we want to affect people’s lives, and we want to share our knowledge and change the way they think.”

MOOCs offer opportunities to do this on a scale that was previously unimaginable, he said.

“It’s also, obviously, a way in which we fulfil our social mission of making education accessible.”

By Kate-Lyn Moore. Photo Je’nine May

Source University of Cape Town