Displayed on the Coursera platform, the MOOC on Chemical Biology was created in 2020 by the University of Geneva and a passionate team of scientists, targeting students in science, scientists and science educators. The MOOC introduces concepts and techniques in chemical biology. As of January 2023, the online course attracted more than 17’300 learners.
Content
The three main themes of chemical biology – chemistry, biology, and biophysics – are covered and blended together. The online course links them together in a logical manner to lead the student to modern chemical biology concepts in terms of how to think at the interface, apply concepts from different areas to problems that are not solvable by traditional means and understand better biological phenomena in a quantitative way.
A particular effort was made to create an engaging course: participants design their own experiments, their own proteins or do very tactile things, unlikely what can be done in a traditional course. Overall, the MOOC provides a diverse and divergent experience, which gives the student an exciting and stimulating background. The student will come out of the MOOC with the feeling to have achieved something. His/Her ability to communicate will be developed, which is an important aspect in today’s research as more and more scientists want to get involved in cross-disciplinary and applied science.
Target audience
This course has been created for students in science, scientists and science educators. A minimum background in chemistry is necessary although chemistry applied in chemical biology is not as complicated as people think. Scientists who have worked in a particular field for a long time, but want to diversify their portfolio, their way of thinking or get into a new field, can also benefit from this MOOC. This is a good course to learn how to communicate with people who speak a different scientific language and bridge those differences.
Practical information
- Place: 100% online on the Coursera platform
- Flexible deadlines
- Duration: Approx. 21 hours to complete
- Level: Intermediate. Basic training in chemistry biology and physics.
- Language: English