Revised autophagy MOOC released on edX

Comments from Tokyo Tech TAs who worked as course content creators

Nguyen Thanh Hoa

I have previously studied some online courses on my own, but to be a part of the course team to make this autophagy course was a life changing experience. I was fascinated by the fact that all videos are made not only based on the fundamental knowledge delivered to learners, but also video editing techniques that maintain learner video engagement. The quiz question analysis based on correct and incorrect answers submitted was amazing. The course team gained a clearer view of why and what learners had difficulties understanding based on the quiz response analysis.

Nguyen is a 1st-year doctoral student at the Department of Life Science and Technology. She is currently carrying out research on pathogenic yeast in the human gut.

Anie Day

Revising the course highlighted the need for more guidance to learners in areas like course quizzes, and explaining figures and other data used in slides that are important components for learning about autophagy. The revision also allowed me to learn what questions are appropriate for Student Q&A, the new video segment in Week 3, based on actual discussion board questions posted by learners during the first release. Furthermore, by monitoring the discussion board, I learned that many learners have more detailed questions about the autophagy mechanism and that discussion between learners themselves is very significant for understanding course content.

Day is a doctoral student at the Laboratory for Advanced Nuclear Energy. She is carrying out research on DNA repair and radiation biology under the guidance of Associate Professor Yoshihisa Matsumoto.

Autophagy planning meeting with TAs and OEDO staff on Suzukakedai Campus

Autophagy video recording session with the instructor and TA

The autophagy MOOC has attracted approximately 1,000 learners in the first two weeks since its release. It targets the general public and covers the following topics:

Week 1:

Basic Mechanisms and Roles of Autophagy

Week 2:

Dr. Ohsumi's Nobel Prize Winning Research

Week 3:

The Role of Autophagy in Our Bodies, Links to Human Diseases, Autophagy in Mammals and the Future of Autophagy Research

To learn more about autophagy, see the course website

¹ edX

A non-profit educational organization comprised of the world's top universities, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University. edX provides an environment where anyone in the world with internet access can study university-level courses grounded in the latest teaching and learning-based research.

² MOOC

Massive Open Online Course. An online course that is open to anyone with internet access and free of charge. Like a regular course, it has a scheduled time frame and learners can enjoy two-way communication with instructors and other learners in an interactive learning environment.