Thursday, August 22, 2013

Marquette to launch first MOOC with Intro to Applied Investing

Enrollment is now open for a short, pilot course; open online class begins Sept. 23
 MILWAUKEE – Marquette University today announced it is moving into the area of open online education with an introductory course in investing. Dr. David Krause, director of the Applied Investment Management program in the College of Business Administration, will teach “Introduction to Applied Investing,” a short, self-paced course intended for individuals who want to be more informed and savvier about investing.
Krause noted that the course will be delivered online through the open source learning management system on Instructure’s Canvas Network, another outlet for the growing popularity of Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs. Other institutions with MOOCs on the Canvas Network include Brown University, Michigan State University, University of South Florida, Clemson University and Santa Clara University.
According to Krause, Marquette is believed to be the first institution to offer a MOOC on the topic of applied investing.
“I look forward to launching this course,” Krause said. “It has been developed and will be delivered with the same quality that Marquette brings to all its business courses and programs.”
Dr. Mark Eppli, interim Keyes Dean of Business Administration, agreed.
“This is an exciting first step for the college and the university,” he said. “MOOCs have great potential to showcase a university’s intellectual capital and expand knowledge in an important and relevant topic, like investment management.”
The Marquette course will cover major investment vehicles, including common stock, bonds, real estate, and alternative investments, as well as discuss the various methods of investing. Students will also develop insights into the financial markets and learn how to establish a long-term investment strategy, according to Krause.
“If you are new to investing, this course can give you the confidence to begin building your own investment plan,” Krause said. “It can also help you better understand the recommendations of more experienced investors and financial advisors – and hopefully protect you from poor advice and bad decisions.”
Enrollment in the pilot course is now open and will be initially limited to 1,000 students. The course begins Monday, Sept. 23 – it is self-paced but designed to be completed in four weeks.