Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University Join Coursera

17/06/2013

The Technion and Tel Aviv University (TAU) have become members of Coursera’s network of educational partners, and will soon offer free online courses to anyone in the world. These two universities will join 80 universities and other educational institutions, including fellow Israeli institution and current partner Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to promote learning without limits.

As of today, the Technion and TAU will develop an initial offering of four courses, which span the subjects of engineering, archaeology, biology and cultural studies.

The Technion’s first course will be offered in English and Arabic:

  • Nanotechnology and Nanosensors, taught by Professor Hossam Haick of the Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering

Initial course offerings from TAU will be offered in English, including:

  • The Rise and Fall of Jerusalem – Judah Under Babylonian Rule, taught by Professor Oded Lipschits, Ph.D., Director, Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology in the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures
  • What A Plant Knows (and other things you didn’t know about plants), taught by Professor Daniel Chamovitz, Ph.D., Director, Manna Center for Plant Biosciences in the Department of Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants
  • The Emergence of the Modern Middle East, taught by Professor Asher Susser, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow in the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies

“We are excited about joining the Coursera initiative, which will not only give us the opportunities to contribute to society, it will also pave the way to improve our on-campus teaching,” commented Professor Danny Lewin, Assistant to the Senior Vice President for the Promotion of Teaching at the Technion.

Prof. Raanan Rein, Tel Aviv University’s Vice President, welcomed the agreement with Coursera, saying “This initiative reflects Tel Aviv University’s ongoing commitment to innovation in teaching and greater global outreach”.

“It is an honor for me to be working with two of the best universities in my birth country, to provide students access to great education, free of cost,” said Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller. “Tel Aviv and the Technion will now be able to reach students in Israel and around the world, spreading their knowledge and expertise to thousands more people than ever before possible.”