New Free Online Coursera Course Focuses on Urban Planning, Technology, Cities
TechniCity Class To Be Co-Taught by OSU's Jennifer Cowley and VT's Tom Sanchez
The Ohio State University's College of Engineering will offer its first free online course, TechniCity, in May 2013 as part of OSU's new Coursera offerings.
The four-week class will explore how the increasing availability of networks, sensors and mobile technologies allows for new approaches to address the challenges that our cities face. It will cover how cities are changing, how technology is used to engage with the public to support decision-making, tools for analyzing the city, the infrastructure that makes the real time city possible, and how creativity can spawn technological innovation.
Geared toward upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, TechniCity is being taught by Jennifer Evans-Cowley, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State, and Tom Sanchez, professor of urban affairs and planning at Virginia Tech.
"We were inspired to engage with thousands of students across the globe who share our passion for cities and want to think creatively about how technology can improve our quality of life" said Cowley.
Sanchez notes that "this course covers some of the most fascinating technologies in cities today. The course is also structured to encourage students to look into the future and imagine the new roles that technology will play." The instructors envision the course as an active "virtual salon," or discussion forum, where participants can engage in reasoned debate and polite conversation, while offering criticisms of current technology issues facing the world's cities. Students will hear technological innovators and thought leaders about course topics, complete homework assignments and engage in a peer evaluation project of their choosing.
Ohio State University partnered with Coursera in fall 2012 to offer free online courses. Formed by two Stanford University professors, Coursera offers high-quality college-level courses online for free, creating new worldwide learning opportunities. Coursera courses can be taken for free by anyone who signs up by providing an email address. Visit www.coursera.org for more information.
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Contact: Jennifer Evans-Cowley, 614-292-0479, cowley.11@osu.edu
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