Coursera has recognized Illinois with an international award and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), which recognizes excellence in both individual and institutional achievements, has awarded two awards to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. 

 

This year’s recipient of the UPCEA International Leadership Excellence Award is Madhu Viswanathan for his work with subsistence marketplaces. His course, Understanding Subsistence Marketplaces, has had profound transformational effects on learners and the communities where they apply their newfound knowledge. In addition, Madhu received the Outstanding Educator Award for Transformation from Coursera. Madhu is the Diane and Steven N. Miller Professor in the College of Business

Researchers from the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning received the UPCEA Research and Scholarship Award. The work of the team, led by Maryalice Wu, Sara Shrader, Dawn Owens, and Kathleen Santa Ana, has been recognized as an innovative model to measure and evaluate online learning and assessment. Their recent published work, “Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS): Participant Activity, Demographics, and Satisfaction” was published in the Journal of Online Learning Consortium. Also on the research team is Dawn Owens and Kathleen Santa Ana. Their findings suggest that in order for MOOCs to reach their full potential in higher education, they must implement pathways for students that are flexible enough to support the full spectrum of learner intent.