By Kate Rauch
UCSF pharmacy student Qin Gao was eager to take a course in research ethics, but heading to Uganda for a malaria medication study and juggling a busy schedule, she assumed she would have to wait.
“If it had been a year or two ago, that would’ve been the case,” said Chris Garrett, director of online education for UC San Francisco’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). “Now we can keep students on track with their course plans no matter where they are, as long as they have an Internet connection.”
Higher education is experiencing explosive growth in online education and 2013 promises to continue this trend, especially among top-tier universities through Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCS. And UCSF is expanding its online learning programs to reach students around the world.
“As a public university committed to reaching underserved populations throughout the world, it makes perfect sense for UCSF to offer classes online,” said Joe Castro, PhD, vice chancellor of Student Academic Affairs at UCSF.