Tomsk Polytechnic University has concluded an agreement with Coursera, an educational platform. Students of the university will gain unlimited access to all courses.
The agreement between Tomsk Polytechnic University and Coursera is concluded for two years. During this period, students and staff can use the resource courses without limitations.
“Nowadays, all world universities assert their courses on Coursera. For students, it is a chance to gain access to the best online content in the world and become a participant of a so-called program of virtual academic mobility, to spend at least half a term at the other university even on electronic educational resources. It is also an opportunity for supervisors of educational programs not to limit themselves to the competencies which there are already at the university,” Alexander Fadeev, TPU Vice-Rector for Digital Affairs, says.
Several ways to use Coursera courses will be suggested for TPU students. In a first way, a student will be able to choose a course instead of a subject or its part, which he studies at TPU. In case of agreement of the supervisor of the educational program, an electronic certificate on completion of a course will be credited as a subject assessment at the university.
The second way offers a course integration in the subject by the professor. In this context, a student simultaneously studies at the university and on the platform.
“We also consider the variants when a student chooses a course independently based on his personal preferences. The work on creating assessment mechanisms, assessment courses on their topics and quality for academic training is in progress,” Alexander Fadeev adds.
At the moment, TPU possesses about 70 licenses. A part of them is planned to be given for the competence development of university professors.
There will be prepared detailed guidance on access to Coursera for university students and staff. It will be released in personal accounts and sent via email.