Coursera, US Dept of State launch course on India

Online education firm Coursera in partnership with the US Department of State today launched a new course 'The Importance of India' on its platform.
Launched under the Department's Passport to India Initiative, the six-week self-paced course is designed to bring Indians and Americans together to learn about the world's fastest growing major economy, Coursera said in a statement.
The course will starts on June 6 and will be accessible to anyone with Internet access for free, it added.
Each week of the interactive course will explore a major theme related to India's impact on the world, ranging from India's ancient trade relations with the Roman Empire to India's rapidly growing startup ecosystem today.

The course's final week will explore study, internship, and startup business opportunities in India along with references and advice for how to get a start in India, it said.
Over 7,000 students globally have already registered since the US Ambassador to India Richard Verma announced that the course was open for enrollment earlier in the year.

Last year, there were 1,30,000 Indian students in the US - a record number reflecting record growth. However, at the same time, the number of American students in India remained relatively flat - 4,500.
The US Government's Passport to India initiative is designed to encourage more American students to consider studying in India.

"American students of all backgrounds and interests need to learn about, from, with and in India. Our MOOC demonstrates how India's economic and civilisation reemergence has renewed the importance of India," course instructor Nick Booker, Executive Director of Passport to India, said.
The course is taught by The Ohio State University University Professor Brian D Joseph along with Nick Booker, Executive Director of Passport to India and co-founder of IndoGenius.