Microsoft Unveils 5 MOOCs on K–12 Digital Pedagogy and Leadership

• By Richard Chang
• 10/12/16

Microsoft’s education team is sponsoring five new online courses designed to help guide K–12 principals, headmasters, superintendents and school leaders through the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation.

The courses have been developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan and the University of Queensland, offered in partnership with edX, the nonprofit online learning hub founded by Harvard and MIT.

The massive open online courses (MOOCs) start in January. They are designed to include the latest research, current technologies and proven approaches to learning design from three top universities. The content is geared toward empowering school leaders to help their institutions achieve more.

Here are the five courses and some descriptions:

• Launching Innovation in School: This course is designed to help attendees become change leaders and take the first step in launching instructional improvement in K–12 education. MIT is leading this six-week course, which starts Jan. 17, 2017. The faculty are Justin Reich, executive director of MIT Teaching Systems Lab, and Peter Senge, senior lecturer in leadership and sustainability, MIT Sloan School of Management.
• Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning: This course is designed to help attendees learn why ambitious teaching and learning may be the key to global education improvement and how to put it into practice. The University of Michigan is leading this four-week course, which starts Jan. 24. Faculty include Elizabeth Moje, dean of the School of Education; Deborah Ball and Neil Duke, professors at the School of Education; Liz Kolb, clinical assistant professor at the School of Education; Donald J. Peurach, associate professor at the School of Education; and Gretchen Spreitzer, professor at the Ross School of Business.
• Deep Learning Through Transformative Pedagogy: Attendees will learn powerful teaching strategies and effective learning activities to enhance deep learning. The University of Queensland is leading this five-week course, which starts Feb. 27. Faculty include Merrilyn Goos, head of the School of Education; Pankaj Sah, director of the Queensland Brain Institute; Robyn Gillies and Annemaree Carroll, professors of education; and Melissa Cain and Katherine McLay of the School of Education.  
• Leading Change: Go Beyond Gamification with Gameful Learning. This course is designed to teach attendees the tools to support gameful learning environments that foster personalized, engaged learning. The University of Michigan is leading this 6-8 week course, which starts March 6. Faculty include Barry Fishman, professor of information and education, and Rachel Niemer, director of the Gameful Learning Lab at the Office of Academic Innovation.
• Design Thinking for Leading and Learning in K–12 Education: A hands-on course for education leaders to learn about design thinking and explore how it can transform classroom learning and school communities. MIT is leading this six-week course, which starts March 21. Faculty includes Reich, executive director at the MIT Teaching Systems Lab.

For more information, visit edX’s site on Microsoft’s K–12 education courses.