For years, students across the University of Illinois Urbana campus have had the opportunity to enjoy Prof. David Ruzic’s popular Introduction to Energy Sources (NPRE 101) class. Now it will be available worldwide, as one of the university’s online Coursera courses.
The online offering, ““What You Need to Know; Energy, Environment and Everyday Stuff,” will be available through Coursera’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform at Illinois, and is expected to debut in March. Ruzic, an Abel Bliss Professor in the College of Engineering, competed across campus to have the course chosen among proposals the university administration considered as MOOCs.
“In some ways, this wraps up and sums up my teaching of the 101 class,” Ruzic said. “Students who take it really love it, and I wanted to share this with the world. (Through Coursera) the class will be on the books for years until it gets outdated.”
Ruzic has filmed 128 segments, each six to 10 minutes long and arranged in 24 energy-related topics, including an overview of energy, chemistry, fuel cells, electricity and electric grids, coal, oil, natural gas, solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, nuclear energy, nuclear accidents (Chernobyl and Fukushima), nuclear waste, economics and fusion. Designed as a free course, the offering takes about eight weeks to complete online.
Ruzic will create quizzes and homework for online students who seek course credit. Those students will receive a certificate upon completion.
In addition to making energy instruction available across the planet, the online effort will be useful on campus, as well, Ruzic believes. “Many of the segments I produce will be used in NPRE 201 (Energy Systems) or 101. It could be easier (in class) to show a five minute videotape; I could use bits and parts to enhance education.”
Through the Coursera partnership, the University of Illinois promotes its land-grant mission by sharing knowledge with people who are unable to physically come to campus. The effort also introduces the university to prospective students and lifelong learners across the globe.
“It’s very important name and brand recognition,” Ruzic maintains. “The U of I is one of the best institutions in the world and should be seen in that light.”