Launch Event for GRÓ GEST Online Courses
GRÓ GEST was the first organization to develop Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on gender studies on the edX® platform. Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX LLC is a leading MOOC provider. The edX platform is an online learning destination offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere.
Joining edX was a natural step for GRÓ GEST in its efforts to improve the quality and outreach of transnational knowledge transmission and exchange, and to adapt to rapidly changing technological environments in higher education.
The goal of GRÓ GEST’s Free Online Courses in International Gender Studies is to provide aspiring development workers, young gender equality professionals, and policymakers around the world with a knowledge base they can use to change the world for the better. Since 2020, more than 15.000 people from 170 countries have enrolled in one of GRÓ GEST’s MOOCs, and more than 600 people have finished one or more of the courses and received a signed edX certificate.
The event on November 17 was opened by Dr Irma Erlingsdóttir, Director of GRÓ GEST, and Svandís Ósk Símonardóttir, Senior Adviser in the Education and Culture Division at ERASMUS+. The event featured live interviews and discussions with some of GRÓ GEST’s international online course instructors: Marsha Henry, Robert Morrell, Torunn Tryggestad, and Giti Chandra. The expert group reflected on the importance of online learning in the context of international development and the women, peace, and security agenda. The discussions were recorded in 4K by the Department of Digital Learning and Media under the Division of Academic Affairs. Edited versions of the presentations and discussions from the event will be made available via GRÓ GEST’s website and courses on edX.
GEST already has three courses available online, and two more courses are in the pipelines: Men, Boys & Masculinities launches in February 2024 and will provide a good introduction to masculinity studies and address gendered issues relating to men and boys across a variety of fields, such as media, education and innovation. A trailer for this course will be released in early 2024. Gender & Climate Change is in pre-production and launches sometime in early 2025.