UN Tackles Climate Change Among Skill-Building Courses to Begin in January

Bernau bei Berlin, 4 December 2014 – The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Italian Universitá degli Studii Padova are among new cooperation partners to usher in fresh courses at iversity.org this January. The curriculum targets practical business and job-related skills as well as competencies that can be applied to critical global issues such as human rights and climate change.

Addressing global issues requires the active participation of both international political stakeholders and local communities. In line with the United Nations Climate Conference in Lima that started this week, iversity announces the free online course “Disasters and Ecosystems: Resilience in a Changing Climate”, set to begin 12 January 2015.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Cologne University of Applied Sciences produced this MOOC as a large-scale effort to educate course participants about disaster prevention and risk management in the age of climate change. Italian Università degli Studi di Padova addresses another key global issue with the course Human Rights: Global & Local Protection. Students will be given insights into the international and academic debate on human rights as well as learn actionable measures that can protect them.

Other new partnerships bring courses that cater to professional development. Online learners have access to skills for shaping business opportunities, developing innovative ideas and gamifying complex processes. Procurro Solutions joins the platform to teach fundamental methods for making well-informed business decisions with the course Business Analysis 101.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) targets another side of the business field with Idea Generation Methods for realising new ideas and propelling innovation. The EU funded project SEGAN offers Serious Game Design and Development, going beyond entertainment and applying game strategies to complex, real-world problems.

Homuork offers Public Speaking, one of the most basic skill every professional needs. Students who earn a certificate will be invited to take these skills offline and participate in the exclusive Pitch Contest in Barcelona, Spain. More discipline-specific opportunities are also found in the expanding course catalogue.

The Italian Accademia di Belle Arti (Abadir) will offer the first part of a 3-part series, Architecture 101, as an introduction to space and architecture through 101 exercises. This course will also offer students the possibility to earn university ECTS credits.

Historians, archaeologists and curious minds also have an exclusive opportunity to participate in Stonehenge, a course that allows students to explore one of the most mysterious sites from the history of human civilisation. iversity’s Co-Founder and Managing Director Hannes Klöpper comments on iversity’s January curriculum: “We’re happy to have strong partners on board bringing online courses that offer relevant and practical skills for students and working professionals.

Our academic partnerships network continues to grow. It is exciting to see online learning become an essential element of contemporary higher education.”