The World Bank and Coursera signed a partnership agreement aiming at establishing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for practical solution-orientated learning on development issues. The partnership between the World Bank, as the largest international development institution, providing financial and technical assistance to developing countries, and Coursera, as a leading educational technology company specialised in MOOCs, involves spreading knowledge, learning and innovation. The World Bank’s overall objective is to end extreme poverty in developing countries by 2030.

Two years ago, the World Bank launched its e-Institute, an e-learning platform offering courses on development specific matters such as health economics, energy sector strategies, emissions trading systems, urban development, and gender equality promotion. At the current stage, the World Bank is seeking to further strengthen its offer through the establishment of a new Open Learning Campus within which MOOCs on development issues will be offered. Through Coursera, the World Bank plans to reach a higher number of course participants and to raise awareness and knowledge on development specific issues. The first World Bank MOOCs course will deal with the effects of global warming and is planned to be launched in January 2014. The partnership agreement is not exclusive, as the World Bank plans to scale up its efforts in promoting MOOCs with regional and country-based institutions for the benefit of development through education.

The World Bank press release

Coursera news