Students and teachers to reap benefits of UQ, edX and Microsoft partnership

A series of free online courses designed to support school leaders and teachers to develop innovative teaching practices will start on Tuesday 17 January.

Microsoft K-12 Education Leadership Series is a five-part Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) program developed by The University of Queensland, edX, Microsoft, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan.

It aims to improve education worldwide by providing school leaders and teachers with the latest research, technologies and proven approaches to learning design.

The series includes:

1) Launching Innovation in Schools (MIT)

2) Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning (Michigan)

3) Deep Learning Through Transformative Pedagogy (UQ)

4) Leading Change: Go Beyond Gamification with Gameful Learning (Michigan)

5) Design Thinking for Leading and Learning (MIT).

Deep Learning Through Transformative Pedagogy has been developed by UQ’s School of Education and The Science of Learning Research Centre in partnership with UQx.

Queensland Brain Institute Director and Science of Learning Research Centre member Professor Pankaj Sah said the course would be a valuable tool for teachers and school leaders.

“It will assist school leaders seeking to transform their practice, and contribute to understanding the neurological theory behind how students learn, study and remember in a digital age,” he said.

“It is of particular relevance to school leaders, such as senior school principals, who are grappling with the need to develop and implement innovative education delivery models to better prepare students for the future.

“Understanding deep learning from a neurological perspective will be a useful step along that process, particularly in a rapidly changing digital world.”

The MOOC will be freely available to anyone worldwide interested in the deep learning process.

Head of the School of Education Professor Merrilyn Goos said UQ’s course would enable teachers to adopt and implement powerful teaching techniques that develop inquisitive, creative and effective learners.

“It will help participants to develop a layered and nuanced understanding of deep learning from a psychological, neurological and educational perspective,” she said.

“The course modules provide real classroom examples of teachers facilitating and students engaging in deep learning, with outcomes aimed at providing authentic learning activities to assist students to become independent thinkers, innovative creators and effective communicators.

“These lifelong learning skills will be vital, not just for tomorrow’s students, but for the educational institutions, school leaders and administrators around the world dealing with a rapidly transforming learning environment.”

The series starts on Tuesday 17 January. Registrations are open here.

UQx represents UQ’s engagement with edX, the world’s largest non-profit MOOC provider, established by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard in 2012. UQ joined as a charter member in 2013.

Media: Zarese Kisielewski, z.kisielewski@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3365 6211.