The Saylor foundation is a non-profit out of D.C. Their mission is to produce freely available high quality education to all levels and demographics of students. Their Space System Engineering Course is in collaboration with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. It is set to start on March 3rd, 2014.
Students will learn about basic system engineering, teamwork, scoping, requirements, trade studies and project life cycles. The content is accessible on the Saylor website in the public domain allowing students to revisit the information as they need it. Live Google+ hangouts, free certification and optional projects will also be included in the course.
The six week course will feature lectures from Jeff Volosin, NASA’s project manager; Mike Menzel, mission system engineer; and Dr. John C. Mather, Nobel Laureate. This impressive list of lecturers has worked on the James Webb Telescope and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite Missions.
This incorporation of live google hangouts will constitute a departure from the typical asynchronous learning seen in other MOOCs. However, it will be an interesting way to discuss NASA missions, course content and astrophysics with those caught up in the real deal.
Perhaps most exciting of all is that those that pass completion in the course will have the chance to tour the Goddard Space Flight Center and participate in extra Google+ hangouts with the instructors.
Students will receive emails about course work for preparation of the interactions with instructors. Which is another step away from the usual MOOC structure.
As far as MOOCs go? I say Saylor “beam me up.”
Sources: Saylor 1, and Saylor 2
Reference: globenewswire.com