Try Coursera, and the University of London International Programmes

Are you thinking about enrolling in a University of London International Programmes course of study? Maybe you are already enrolled and are considering increasing the number of courses you register for this term? If you are, then this summer could be a good time to see what it is like to study in an online format, or to find out what it is like to manage multiple units. The University of London International Programmes is participating in Coursera, and offering several courses you can try at no cost. The course structure outlines the amount of time you should expect to invest in the courses, and provides easy to follow dashboards. The courses incorporate video lectures, live interaction on social media platforms, weekly assignments, and extensive online resources. I am enrolled in a few Coursera modules this summer, including two offered by our university.

There is a lot of dialogue about online learning as a contemporary, progressive model for providing focused, affordable, high quality degree level study. Some conversations about online study revolve around developing specific career skills. Whatever your goals, online study with an institution like ours has a lot to recommend it.

The University of London International Programme’s Coursera page

This summer I am enrolled in 2 U of L Coursera courses, “The Camera Never Lies, Film, images & historical interpretation in the 20th century for those who have a general interest in photojournalism, and films based on historical events,” and “Creative Programming for Digital Media & Mobile Apps, for anyone who would like to apply their technical skills to creative work ranging from video games to art installations to interactive music, and also for artists who would like to use programming in their artistic practice.” There are also courses in Law, Psychological Sciences, and Computing, Information Security.

‘The Camera Never Lies’ has some relationship to the English program’s ‘Approaches to Text’ because it examines the interpretation of images and the media.The rhetoric of images and the juxtaposition with language is very important in my professional life, and it is something I engage with for fun too. For me, the ‘Creative Computing’ course has a professional application as well because we are developing a multiplayer game concept as part of a mobile marketing and education campaign. This course targets ‘Creatives’, like me, who are not programmers but need and want the tools.

If you are wondering about the kind of education track record distance learning offers for degree level study, be reassured that the University of London has offered degrees for 150 years, and Harvard University has offered degree level study through distance learning for 140 years.

It seems ironic to me that pedagogy and an academic model implemented over 100 years ago is now embraced as an innovative, twentieth century solution and opportunity. For me, the University of London International Programmes offers the best option based on criteria like flexible schedule, rigorous academics, method of examination, school ranking, cost, and areas of study. Coursera is a very exciting opportunity to explore areas of personal, professional, and academic  interest. I will be blogging about the Coursera courses over the next few weeks. If you decide to enroll leave a note here in the comments. It is always nice to have study partners and learn from each other’s experience.

Caowrites is studying the BA English by distance learning with the University of London International Programmes.

Creative Programming for Digital Media & Mobile Apps begins on Monday 10 June. Watch the introductory video here.

The Camera Never Lies begins on Monday 24 June. Watch the introductory video here.

2 Responses to Try Coursera, and the University of London International Programmes

  1. paulinus ikeorah c. says:

    Please I will like to get more knowledge on the coursera courses above especially on ‘the camera never lies’

  2. Catherine says:

    Hi! When you click the link paragraph 3, ‘The Camera Never Lies’ it will redirect you to the Coursera website. Happy Studies! CAO

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