Image courtesy: Coursera.org

University of Michigan students from the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses have free access for a limited time to more than 4,000 learning experiences from top universities and industries through the new Coursera for Campus initiative.

With more than 70% of the world’s students impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Coursera worked with its partners, including U-M, to provide free access to its entire catalog of learning experiences.

Current U-M undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to enroll in courses and specialization and professional certificates for free until July 31. Those that enroll will have free access to complete their courses through Sept. 30, 2020.

Providing increased access to U-M students, and bringing U-M learning experiences to students all over the world is part of the university’s mission, said James DeVaney, associate vice provost for academic innovation and founding executive director of the Center for Academic Innovation.

“The University of Michigan was the first public university to partner with Coursera and through more than eight years of collaboration we have consistently removed barriers to learning in order to transform access for as many people as possible,” he said. “This summer as we continue to confront the pandemic, we are providing additional support to U-M undergraduate and graduate students pursuing their academic and career goals by providing them with free access to the entire Coursera catalog, which includes thousands of courses from excellent institutions around the world.”

While all students and graduates of U-M already had free access to U-M-based learning experiences, this initiative expands free access to hundreds of additional participating university and industry partners.

Coursera’s catalog includes online courses and other opportunities from U-M, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Google, the Museum of Modern Art and more to allow learners to enhance their education and build professional skills as they enter the job market or look to make a career change.

All that is needed to enroll is a valid U-M email address. Students can access the Coursera catalogue through Michigan Online. While the initial deadline for students and recent graduates to complete courses is Sept. 30, Coursera will monitor the need for month-to-month extensions over time to account for the continued impact of COVID-19 on student learning.

“The global Michigan community is bound together by a commitment to learning and discovery. Through Michigan Online we provide lifetime access to a growing catalogue of hundreds of online learning opportunities,” DeVaney said.

To enroll, students can log into the Coursera for Campus initiative website with their existing U-M IDs and passwords.