Mar. 27 – “The New Frontiers of Higher Education in the Digital Environment: The Massive Open Online Courses’ Revolution” is a conference organized in Cape Town by the Italian Embassy within the framework of the EU program “Inspiring Thinkers Series.” The conference took place on Wednesday at the Centre for the Book, with interventions by political scientist and essayist Mauro Calise, a professor at the University of Naples Federico II. “Massive Open Online Courses”, the new format of online courses at university-level, were the main topic of debate. Italy, in particular, is at the forefront in the process of transformation of university teaching online. The “Federica Web Learning” platform, set up by the University Federico II through European Structural Funds, already has more than 300 courses and 5000 lessons online. On April 21, the new www.federica.eu channel will feature 40 neww university courses in MOOC format. Ambassador Vincenzo Schioppa emphasized MOOCs potential, and in particular the Federica platform, as a powerful tool for Italian cultural diplomacy in the world. (Red)
