Springer cooperates with MOOC organizers around the globe
Registered MOOC students benefit from special rates for Springer content | MOOC course in robotics available at Queensland University of Technology
New York | Heidelberg, 11 February 2015
Effective immediately, the organizers of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can negotiate special rates regarding the purchase of Springer print and eBooks. Students who have registered for a free online course can order these books through a special URL. Additional types of content, for example journal articles, can also be provided for use as course material at a reduced rate.
“As an innovative ePublisher, Springer is constantly working to improve and expand its services in terms of delivering quality academic content. By providing this offer for the increasingly popular online course format, which is open to an unlimited number of students, we are actively supporting all those who make MOOCs possible, including universities, academic institutions, scientific societies, students and last but not least our authors,” said Francesca Bonadei, Executive Editor Mathematics, at Springer.
Once the organizer – as a rule, a university – has negotiated the usage conditions, Springer provides it with an access-controlled URL that leads to the selected book. For the duration of the MOOC, all registered students can purchase the book at a discount.
MOOC instructors can request course material which is specially tailored to their MOOC students. Furthermore, Springer authors can publish a new edition or an adapted version of their own books which meet the specific requirements of their courses.
“Springer is proud to be among the pioneers in supporting this exciting new learning and teaching environment by offering an approach which is customized for a larger audience. We warmly invite MOOC instructors and authors to get in touch with Springer to discuss their needs,” said Ralf Gerstner, Executive Editor Computer Science, at Springer.
In early February, Springer author Peter Corke from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, will be offering a MOOC Introduction to Robotics, followed by a Robotic Vision MOOC in April. Corke, an internationally respected researcher in the field of robotics, will use his Springer book Robotics, Vision and Control as course material. So far, over 11,000 students have signed up for the course.
Last year Springer conducted a number of pilot projects offering textbooks for selected MOOCs in the computer sciences, statistics, medicine and the social sciences. One particularly impressive example was demonstrated by the MOOC organized by the TU Eindhoven, which used the textbook Process Mining. A total of 41,000 students registered for the course and 5,500 wrote the corresponding assignments.
Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) is a leading global scientific, technical and medical publisher, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R&D departments with quality content via innovative information products and services. Springer is also a trusted local-language publisher in Europe – especially in Germany and the Netherlands – primarily for physicians and professionals working in healthcare and road safety education. Springer published roughly 2,200 English-language journals and more than 8,400 new books in 2013, and the group is home to the world’s largest STM eBook collection, as well as the most comprehensive portfolio of open access journals. In 2013, Springer Science+Business Media generated sales of approximately EUR 943 million. The group employs more than 8,000 individuals across the globe.
Springer’s approach to MOOCs
Robotics, Vision and Control published in series: Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics
Course enrollment: www.qut.edu.au
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Renate Bayaz | Springer | Corporate Communications
Tel. +49 6221 487 8531 | renate.bayaz@springer.com
