Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)

As per the decision of the University Senate, starting from the 2019–2020 academic year, all students enrolled at our university are required to complete at least one course using MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) platforms during their undergraduate education. This course must carry a minimum of 4 ECTS credits and not exceed 30 ECTS credits. This policy aims to ensure that all students gain experience with MOOC platforms, which offer a great opportunity to develop self-directed and lifelong learning skills.

Students are expected to propose a set of courses as part of a personalized learning experience, provided that they complete them successfully. They can choose from a wide variety of subjects according to their interests, take courses at their own pace, and transfer the earned credit(s) by successfully completing one or more courses that will count toward their elective course requirements (course completion is evaluated based on the certificate of completion, and additionally, at least 70% content interaction is required). Students may take MOOC courses during the Fall, Spring, or Summer terms.

MOOC courses may be used to fulfill at least one of the following elective categories in our department: HUM/SOC electives or Free Electives.

Important Guidelines When Preparing Your MOOC Package:

• The courses you combine must be related under one or two common themes.

• 1 ECTS credit corresponds to 20–25 hours of course activity. To meet a 5 ECTS requirement, the total workload of your package should be between 100–125 hours. (Different applications may be accepted with departmental approval.)

• The courses must offer a certificate of completion through an evaluation/assessment process. Courses without any form of assessment will not be accepted.

• Courses on topics already covered in the departmental curriculum (e.g., Probability, Statistics, Technical Drawing, etc.) cannot be taken as MOOCs.

• The courses must match the elective category you aim to fulfill. For example, technical courses like “Data Science” or “AI and Machine Learning” cannot be used for HUM/SOC electives. However, there are no content restrictions for Free Electives.

MOOC Transcript Transfer Process Summary:

• At the beginning of the semester in which you plan to take a MOOC course, you do not need to register for a course slot on SIS.

• For Coursera courses, students must submit a request to CELT (Center for Research and Best Practices in Learning and Teaching) as per the announcement made at the beginning of each semester. Seat (license) allocations will be announced based on prioritization by CELT.
  (See: Coursera-MOOC Flowchart)

• For other MOOC platforms (e.g., EdX, LinkedIn Learning, CEPHEI), or if you are paying for a certificate yourself, you do not need to request through CELT, but you must get approval from the departmental MOOC coordinator. You can contact bbsupport@mef.edu.tr for technical details on how to enroll in these platforms.

• You must submit your MOOC package to the department through the link on the MOOC web page before the announced deadlines. Even if completed successfully, any course package not approved in advance will not be eligible for elective credit transfer.

• Once enrolled, you are required to complete the courses within the timeframe granted by the university or the MOOC platform. For Coursera, licenses will expire at the end of the semester, so all courses must be completed before the university’s final grade submission deadline.

• You must submit all certificates for the courses in your package at once via the link provided on the web page.

• After successful completion of the package (with certificates uploaded and at least 70% content interaction verified), the corresponding Personalized Learning Experience (PLE) course will be manually added to your transcript by the Registrar’s Office, upon approval by the MOOC program coordinator. The course will be marked as Pass/Fail.

Free MOOC Opportunities for MEF Students:

MEF University has signed a three-year agreement with Coursera, one of the world’s largest MOOC platforms, effective as of September.

MEF students have access to three types of Coursera offerings:

1. Coursera Career Academy Courses

   • Professional certificate programs designed by companies like Google, Meta, and IBM, offering skill-based, experiential learning paths to prepare students for in-demand careers. Students may select courses from within a certificate package.

2. Coursera Courses Selected by MEF

   • Under the current MEF–Coursera agreement, 400 courses are made available to students (200 in the Fall, 200 in the Spring).

3. Guided Projects

   • More than 2,300 projects designed to give students hands-on experience and practical job skills. These can supplement existing coursework.

Each Coursera license holder at MEF will have access to all three offerings.

Note:
Information about other platforms (e.g., free EdX courses — 134 approved courses with departmental consent), and free courses can be found on the Blackboard Institution Page or by contacting the support team at bbsupport@mef.edu.tr.