More than 10,000 people from around the world have already signed up for the World Bank Group’s first MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) on climate change, an initiative that appears to be tapping into a younger-than-usual audience than our e-courses usually get.
We’ve been excited to see this participant data because we know that for the world to effectively be able to address climate change, young people must be well-informed and engaged. We’re also pleased that most people who registered so far come from developing nations – and that many are joining an e-course for the first time.
The MOOC course, titled Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided, is based on a recent research report with the same name that the Bank commissioned from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
The course kicks off Monday, January 27, and will be delivered on an online platform hosted by Coursera, an education company that partners with top universities and organizations to offer courses for free.
MOOCs have the potential to reach a large general audience that goes far beyond the Bank’s traditional clients. That makes them a new instrument we can use as we seek to share our knowledge so that anyone interested in a topic can access our research and in-house expertise free of charge.
MOOCs, in other words, will give people across the globe easier access to valuable, evidence-based knowledge on complex development problems.
The course on climate change offers participants the most recent scientific evidence as well as some of the opportunities for urgent action on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and explores forward-looking scenarios about our world.
Will our communities be drier or wetter? Will it be hotter or colder? How will climate change affect our food supply and our water? Can cities be made greener? What steps can we take to prepare for some of these changes?
The course has two tracks Climate Champion/Generalist and Policy and Leadership. It runs for four weeks and participants will have access to the material for six months after the course ends.
Many more are expected to sign up for the course over the next two weeks.
Interested? Registering is as easy as 1-2-3 and remember to tell others about it, too!
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