Global University Social Responsibility MOOC

A Global University Social Responsibility MOOC “Introduction to University Social Responsibility” has just launched at the University Social Responsibility Network Summit in Pretoria (and online). The University of Manchester is one of the seven international universities to contribute towards this, alongside The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Kyoto University; Simon Fraser University; The University of Pretoria; Universidade de São Paulo and Tufts University.

The Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) allows users to learn about the general framework of university social responsibility as well as understand effective practices to design, plan, implement and evaluate their own activities. In doing so, the course contributes to the expansion and consolidation of the university social responsibility movement.

The MOOC is an initiative from the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN). The USRN, established in 2015, is a global alliance comprised of 16 universities unified by one mission, which is to steer global discussion and advocacy for broader social responsibility in the higher education. Member universities of the USRN believe that universities have an obligation to work together to find solutions to address economic, social and environmental challenges facing the world today, making the world more just, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable.

The MOOC is a four week edX course, which is now open for registration.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand what USR means, develop an overall framework for action

• Understand broad implications of the concept of USR

• Observe how USR is materialized in a wide range of activities and social engagement depending on individual universities’ priorities and contexts

• Learn to design, plan, implement and evaluate USR activities

• Learn about key challenges in designing and implementing USR activities

• Learn from good practices from member universities in the USR Network

• Learn about networking opportunities and cooperative projects that foster USR

You can see the course trailer and access the course here.