Nearly 27,000 people recently took part in the Global Energy Management Program’s first massive, open, online course (MOOC) through Coursera.
Coursera is a learning platform that partners with universities to offer free online courses globally. This opportunity gives the GEM Program worldwide exposure to diverse audiences and raises the program’s visibility in the energy community and across society as a whole.
“The GEM program is providing this introduction to energy course as a contribution to the global energy discussion,” said Jim Marchiori, GEM executive director. “We care about sources and uses of energy in all its forms and about all the people who produce energy and all the people who use it – that’s pretty much everybody. The huge platform and reach that Coursera provides gives us a chance to contribute to the education of not just our students, but the whole world of energy users.”
Of the enrolled students, survey results show that approximately 92 percent graduated from college and 45 percent had a master’s degree. About 25 percent reside in North America, 13 percent in South America, 35 percent in Europe, 23 percent in Asia, and 4 percent in Africa. Nearly 40 percent of the students enrolled work in the energy industry, and the majority of those students worked in oil & gas and renewables.
Delivering quality online courses in energy is not new to the GEM Program. GEM currently offers a Master of Science (MS) degree in Global Energy Management via “hybrid-online” curriculum delivery. Energy professionals from around the world enroll in GEM because of its business focus on energy as well as the accessibility the classroom-online model provides to full-time professionals.
GEM lecturer Dr. Michael Orlando taught the Fundamentals of Global Energy Business course, which provides students with an introduction to the business of primary energy production. The course examines the nature of demand and supply in global energy markets and business considerations for participants in those markets.
Students who successfully completed the class received a Statement of Accomplishment signed by Orlando. They will not receive college credit for the course from the University of Colorado Denver or have a transcript from the course on file with the University’s registrar.
“The Business School is committed to exploring multiple ways to share our special expertise across the globe through varied modalities. This course furthers GEM’s position as a contributor and thought leader in energy education,” said Sueann Ambron, dean of the CU Denver Business School. “Upon successful completion, some students in the open course may want to further their education in the business side of the energy industry and that’s where GEM’s MS degree plays an important role.”
