The University of Tasmania is leading the world in free online health education with three of its Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) ranking in the top 12 online courses internationally.
The College of Health and Medicine’s Understanding Dementia, Preventing Dementia and Understanding MS (Multiple Sclerosis) MOOCs were recognised today by the Class Central online ranking system at positions four, twelve and seven respectively.
With around 300,000 participants to date, the three courses aim to give people worldwide access to the latest in health research and education.
College of Health and Medicine Executive Dean Denise Fassett said the latest results were testament to the impact the online courses were having on the lives of people.
“With an estimated 450,000 people in Australia alone living with dementia and over 25,000 Australians living with MS, widespread education is imperative to help address the needs of those people, their families and carers,” Professor Fassett.
“Both MS and dementia are key research flagships for our college, and the high uptake of these free, online courses is testament to the ongoing demand for research and education in both of these fields.”
The longest-running of the courses, the Understanding Dementia and Preventing Dementia MOOCs, are offered by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre.
The newest of the courses, the Understanding MS MOOC, was introduced earlier this year by the Menzies Institute for Medical Research.
The three courses have attracted a broad range of participants from health workers, to family members living with a loved one with dementia or MS.
The Class Central rankings were generated from the input of 60,000 reviewers.
