The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 24 April 2013.
Europe: First pan-European MOOCs launched
Universities in 11 European countries have joined to launch a pan-European MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) project, the European Commission reports. The scheme will initially offer around 40 online courses in 12 different languages, free of charge. Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education and Culture, said he hoped the project would “open up education to tens of thousands of students and trigger our schools and universities to adopt more innovative and flexible teaching methods.”
US: Students get opportunity to write TV soap episodes
Students at Northwestern University, Illinois, will get the chance to write episodes of the popular TV soap opera All My Children, UPI.com reports. The winners of the university’s Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival will be given an outline of an upcoming episode, and then get a week to complete the script. The festival’s namesake, Agnes Nixon, has been involved in developing the playwriting program at Northwestern, and is also a creative consultant on the show.
Illinois: The 'most average state'?
Global: Hybrid of distance learning, campus life & study abroad
A new initiative offers the chance to combine online learning with the experience of living in student dorms - and also with studying abroad in multiple locations. The Minerva Project, due to start teaching in 2015, will be the first ‘university’ where all teaching happens online, but with students living together in dorms, TIME reports. The US-based project will have student halls in locations worldwide, and students will spend time living in six or more countries during a four-year degree.
Ireland: Disappointing rating for innovation framework
Ireland’s first year of being include in the GE Global Innovation Barometer Report has brought disappointing results, with just one third of global executives surveyed saying they believe the country has an economic framework conducive to innovation. Overall, Ireland ranked 16th out of 25 countries, with Germany topping the list, closely followed by the US, The Irish Times reports. Within Ireland, perspectives were much more positive, but there was widespread agreement that greater public sector support for innovation is needed.
France: Business school exam uses question already seen online
Students who took an entrance exam used by some of France’s leading business schools may have to re-sit the test, after a question already published online was included. Examining body Ericome said an “internal dysfunction” had resulted in the mistake, which meant exam candidates were given a question already published as part of online exam preparation materials – including a full ‘model answer’, The Local reports.