As part of Duke’s work to expand the reach of courses with climate and sustainability relevance, a staff team from Duke Learning Innovation, the Nicholas School of the Environment, and the Office of Climate and Sustainability are exploring new ways to leverage online learning to provide climate and sustainability educational opportunities to learners anytime, anywhere — including to K-12 students, Duke alumni, and working adult learners globally.
During the summer of 2023, this team issued a call for potential course ideas to be transformed into online, short-form courses (akin to Coursera for Duke courses) that teach learners skills and actionable knowledge relevant to the climate challenges facing those learners’ organizations. 28 course ideas were received from Duke faculty. Seven of these course ideas have been identified for further market research through collaborative surveying being conducted by Duke Learning Innovation and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA). Additionally, three of the 28 course ideas were selected to be piloted during the 2023-24 academic year. These courses are in development; more information will be forthcoming at a later date.