Majestic peaks and remote backcountry vistas are the classroom in the Mountains 101 massive open online course.
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, along with Kerry Mummery, Dean, University of Alberta Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, heralded the achievements of the University of Alberta's Mountains 101 Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in interdisciplinary mountain studies. With over 3,000 people from across Canada and around the world having completed the course so far, the course is an unparalleled success.
Created with the support of Parks Canada and the Alpine Club of Canada, the University of Alberta's Mountains 101 is sparking the interest of new and lifelong learners alike with a 12-lesson free, online course focusing on the physical, biological, and human dimensions of mountain places in Alberta, Canada and around the world.
Led by UAlberta experts David Hik, professor in the Faculty of Science, and Zac Robinson, associate professor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, the Mountains 101 MOOC includes contributions from Indigenous Peoples, environmental historians, glaciologists and Parks Canada scientists. Mountains 101 is one of the University of Alberta's contributions to Canada150 celebrations in 2017.
People can get additional information and register for the Mountains 101 MOOC at on the course website. Registration is ongoing and classes begin on the first Monday of each month.
Quick Facts
- Since the Mountains 101 MOOC began in January 2017, more than 18,000 people from across Canada and 140 countries around the world have registered for the course. Over 3,000 people have completed the course to date.
- Mountains 101 is the number 1 ranked course in the world for both Science and Environmental Science according to a top online catalogue of free courses and MOOCs.
- A MOOC is an interactive and video supported study made available over the Internet, without charge, to a very large number of people. The Mountains 101 MOOC consists of 30 hours of course work, comprised of 12 lessons, similar to any other university level course.
- The interdisciplinary approach to global issues, such as those affecting our mountains, will be increasingly important as we work to mitigate impacts of climate change.