Dr. Giap Van Duong, a research chemist at the University of Liverpool and the National University of Singapore, has initiated the country’s first massive online open course (MOOC), offering free classes in science, communications, and other fields. He says that his program, GiapSchool, and other MOOCs are part of an “unstoppable trend” in education.
The new GiapSchool will allow students to listen to lectures online, take tests, talk to instructors, and participate in group discussions. Anyone with internet access will be able to attend, and the system would potentially allow tens of thousands of students to access courses at the same time.
According to Dr. Duong, he founded the school in order to bring the latest education tools used in developed countries to Vietnam. He has said that the MOOC will be “open to anyone who loves to learn,” and will not provide a degree or certificate program.
The founding of GiapSchool has raised questions about the future of education among stakeholders in Vietnam. Some have suggested that the school should charge tuition in order to continue to fund the project. Several teachers have voiced concerns that the rise of MOOCs would eventually affect their jobs.
Still others have raised the issue of how to assess the quality of the online lectures, and whether the potential for copyright infringement exists.
Responding to questions about copyright, Dr. Duong stated that the instructors who produce the lectures would also own the copyrights. As far as the quality of the lectures, he said that there would be no third party to verify that, and instead students “would make their own assessment.”
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