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The Story Behind “The Story of a MOOC”

By Courtney Lockemer, Communications Manager for Online Duke

courtney lockemer presenting a poster on medical neuroscience
Courtney Lockemer presenting the poster “The Story of a MOOC”

What does it take to make a MOOC?

What does it take to make a MOOC? Duke’s Center for Instructional Technology created a infographic that tells the story of one MOOC, Medical Neuroscience, taught by Duke professor Leonard White. The infographic illustrates just how much effort goes into one online course (196 videos, for example) and the many far-reaching impacts that come out of it.

Duke University was an early Coursera partner and has produced 31 MOOCs (and counting) for a total of over 2 million enrollments since 2013. Duke faculty who created and taught MOOCs often found the experiences personally rewarding and pedagogically transformative.

Value of MOOC’s at Duke

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Neurobiology of Humor

A Neurobiological Consideration of Humor
prof. l.e. white presenting a neurobiological consideration of humor
Prof. White presenting “A Neurobiological Consideration of Humor”

Prof. White recently participated in a unique interdisciplinary conference on humor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. His talk and demonstration was entitled, “A Neurobiological Consideration of Humor”.  In keeping with his Medical Neuroscience style, he brought human brain specimens to demonstrate to the diverse audience how the brain processes humor. The audience included, social scientists, psychologists, philosophers, humanists, feminists, humorists, television “sit-com” writers and producers, professional comedians, and students from a variety of disciplines. Several attendees gathered around the brains at the conclusion of the presentation for a closer look, to ask questions, and to hold a brain.

public interest at the end of the presentation a neurobiological consideration of humor
Public interest at the end of the presentation “A Neurobiological Consideration of Humor”
Neurobiology of Humor

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Medical Neuroscience, Course session January – March 2016

Final session based edition of the course

Coursera has been using a session based course platform in the past. Courses started at fixed points in time and students wanting to take the course at a time it was not scheduled had to wait for the next run of the course. That has changed, from now on you enroll and immediately start courses on the new on-demand course platform of Coursera

The first session of Medical Neuroscience was in 2013.  The course is designed for  people that are enrolled in a health professions curriculum or are preparing to do so. The intellectual challenge and content level of this course is comparable to what first-year students in the graduate-level health professions would experience and the course is expected to require 16-20 hours per week of effort.

medical neuroscience, data 2013, 2014, 2015
Medical Neuroscience, data 2013, 2014, 2015 . Source : https://online.duke.edu/around-the-world-and-back-again-the-story-of-a-mooc/

During all the sessions there good, lively and instructive discussions on the Discussion Forum.

Session 2016 Class Info

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New edition Neuroscience, textbook of the course

New edition of the course textbook

Prof. Purves et al. are currently working on a new edition of ‘Neuroscience’, the course textbook .  For the sixth edition of a lot of new images are being added to make the neuroscience concepts even more clear.

Prof. D. Purves, editor of Neuroscience, course textbook
Prof. Dale Purves,
Geller Professor of Neurobiology, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

We know Prof. Purves as instructor of the course ‘Visual Perception and the Brain‘.

The new edition and the course Medical Neuroscience

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Final Google Hangout Medical Neuroscience March 17 2016

The Final Google Hangout of the last session based course of Medical Neuroscience (the course will continue in the on-demand format). With Prof. White and Nicholas Janes on Thursday,  March 17, 2016.

Maggie Morton, Community Teaching Assistant (CTA) on this session reports:

Introduction Final Hangout

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