Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) continuously invests in the development of its staff and students. To meet the challenges of the global world and provide the best opportunities for its community, the university is continuing its partnership, initiated in 2023, with Coursera, the world’s largest learning platform, where lectures are delivered by faculty from leading universities such as Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge, as well as representatives of the world’s most renowned companies. VMU is the only higher education institution in Lithuania to develop this partnership.
“VMU studies employ student-engaging methods, utilising a variety of real and digital environments, innovative tools, and approaches previously considered unconventional, such as Coursera courses,” explains Dr. Simona Pilkienė, VMU Vice-Rector for Studies, providing several examples: “For instance, students enrolled in the university study course ‘Theory and History of Photography’ enrich their experience and expand their competencies by independently studying the ‘Seeing Through Photographs’ course offered by New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Likewise, students and future teachers at the Education Academy tackle ‘The Science of Wellbeing’ course, taught by a Yale University professor during their ‘Emotional Intelligence Development’ study course,” lists the Vice-Rector. According to her, these opportunities significantly enhance students’ abilities to solve complex problems by applying theoretical knowledge in real-life situations, broaden the context of their knowledge, and increase their engagement in the study process.
The Coursera platform offers a flexible self-learning model and a wide range of learning and professional development opportunities. It allows users to explore new areas, enhance existing skills, and gives students an advantage when planning their future careers in the labour market. Anyone interested in learning can join the Coursera platform and schedule courses according to their own availability, choosing the duration and timing that best suits them. The platform offers learners access to a wide range of topics, such as coding, language learning, public speaking, psychology, career planning, and many others.
“Since the spring of 2023, 1,160 students from all VMU faculties and academies have been awarded Coursera licences. Some students had the opportunity to independently choose courses that interested them, while others enrolled in courses recommended by teachers and integrated into their university studies. These courses were recognised as part of the courses taught in the VMU study programmes,” says Dr. Pilkienė.
Students are offered a variety of courses and training, ranging from 5 to 10-minute video clips or several-hour-long projects that develop new skills that can later be put into practice, to longer courses leading to certificates that are easily applicable in the labour market and highly valued by major international companies.
According to the VMU Vice-Rector for Studies, this presents an excellent opportunity to engage with highly regarded courses and gain both theoretical and practical skills that could be beneficial for future careers. All this can be learned remotely, without leaving home.
“Business, information technology and innovation, data science, arts, language learning, health and personal development, physical sciences and engineering are the dominant areas that have attracted the most student interest. Meanwhile, more than 300 university staff members, also opting for professional development on the Coursera platform, have enhanced their knowledge and skills in courses on programming, graphic design, project management, and applying artificial intelligence tools in their professional areas,” Dr. Pilkienė outlines the main areas of interest.
According to evaluations by members of the VMU community who took part in courses, the opportunity to engage in courses offered by the Coursera platform not only allows for independent learning and a deeper exploration of areas of interest but also enables individuals to control their own learning pace and schedule, develop technical skills using various software and programming languages, become acquainted with different teaching methodologies, ideas, and perspectives, and analyse emerging problems and challenges in business, economics, and digitalisation in the ever-changing world.
In the autumn semester of 2024, VMU students and staff will continue to use the opportunities offered by the Coursera platform to gain new knowledge from top-level professional lecturers and experts from around the world.