Mini Medical School first CU course to launch on FutureLearn MOOC platform
The CU School of Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus launches the new way to take its renowned Mini Medical School on FutureLearn, the leading European MOOC (massive open online course) platform. FutureLearn is the second MOOC platform partner with CU system in addition to its partnership with Coursera.
The Mini Medical School is an online sequence of two short courses: “Introduction to Medical Science” and “Hot Topics in Medical Science.” Based on a live on-campus course that was taught at the School of Medicine for 25 years, J. John Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., leads learners on a journey through the basic science principles that underlie the modern practice of medicine.
Cohen teaches Mini Med the way many actual medical schools teach in the first year or two of school: As he discusses the science, he points out its clinical relevance. For example: The heart is a pump whose smooth functioning is coordinated by the flow of bio-electrical currents. We can listen in on these currents, and diagnose abnormal conditions, by doing an electrocardiogram.
The teaching level is appropriate for a busy audience. The purpose is to help participants understand the human body, enabling them to take charge of their health. The learning modules are brief and translate the medical language into everyday terms.
Discussions among students are encouraged. There are no prerequisites; students range from high schoolers to people considering a career in health care to working and retired professionals with highly varied backgrounds.
Cohen has been honored for his innovative and interactive education models, which have served to demystify and communicate the medical sciences. In 2001, he was awarded the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award, a national recognition of exceptional teachers in schools of medicine. He received the AAAS Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology in 2010.