Dr. Larry Goodwin, President of the College of St. Scholastica, led a Presidential Lecture titled "New Experimental Approaches to University Teaching and Learning" on 18 March to discuss a recent development in tertiary education, MOOCs, during his visit to UIC to reinforce the partnership between the two colleges.
MOOCs, which stands for Massive Open Online Courses, are pre-recorded lectures available for free online. MOOCs decrease the physical hours of face time with professors and reduce the overall costs of receiving education, and hence reach a large and wide range of audiences.
"MOOCs provide valuable clues about a future that's rushing towards us and forcing us to re-image our educational work," said Dr. Goodwin.
Dr. Goodwin at the lecture
The College of St. Scholastica is currently undertaking a new MOOCs pilot programme, CSS Complete. According to Dr. Goodwin, CSS Complete is at its experimental stage and is geared for adult students who are self-directed and don't necessarily need to learn in a classroom. The programme will award credits for competency, and students will be assessed by faculty experts to determine their true understanding of the chosen subject.
Dr. Goodwin believes that MOOCs are an innovative solution that make use of new technology for the confounding education issues in the United States and is re-inventing the tertiary education system.
Dr Goodwin served in the American Army in the Vietnam War, and after the war he went back to study. Dr Goodwin was appointed as the President of the College of St Scholastica in 1998. Outside the president's office, Dr Goodwin is a Rotarian, is on the Minnesota Public Radio Regional Council and is on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Private College Council.
Reporter: Chiu Wen Chin
Photographer: Chen Qijie
Editor: Deen He
(from MPRO, with special thanks to the ELC)
