PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Build up your management skills through free courses from world-renowned universities through the Coursera platform.

The following are some programmes which will be commencing soon:

Internet History, Technology and Security – University of Michigan. Self-paced online course.

The impact of technology and networks on our lives, culture, and society continues to increase. The very fact that you can take this course from anywhere in the world requires a technological infrastructure that was designed, engineered, and built over the past sixty years. To function in an information-centric world, we need to understand the workings of network technology. This course will open up the Internet and show you how it was created, who created it and how it works. Along the way we will meet many of the innovators who developed the Internet and Web technologies that we use today.

This course consists of 12 hours of videos and quizzes.

New Models of Business in Society –University of Virginia. Self-paced online course.
This course discusses the emergence of a new story about business. This new story locates business within a societal framework. Almost every business creates or destroys value for customers, suppliers, employees, communities and society, in addition to shareholders and other financiers. A number of new models of business can be built on this idea such as corporate responsibility, philanthropy, shared value and sustainability. Profits and stakeholder value go together, and this course explains how. The final session explores the idea of how to become a stakeholder entrepreneur and create a business that makes money and makes the world a better place.

This course consists of 4 hours of videos and quizzes.

Introduction to Public Speaking – University of Washington. Self-paced online course.
Unlike many oral communication courses and textbooks, this class spends a fair bit of time working through the unique traits of oral versus written communication in order to help students prepare speeches that are easier to deliver orally and understand aurally. The class’s focus on understanding the key parts of an argument and drafting clear and concise arguments translates directly to other academic assignments. The class will study the principles of argumentation and arrangement; critically examine our own speeches and the speeches of others.
This course consists of 18 hours of videos, quizzes and peer assessments.

Better Leader, Richer Life – University of Pennsylvania. Commencing on 8 February 2015.
In this course, you learn how to articulate your values and personal leadership vision, cultivate supportive relationships with people who matter most in all parts of your life, and continually experiment with how you get things done to better align your actions with your values — and so produce positive sustainable change. This step-by-step method for pursuing what professor Stew Friedman calls “four-way wins” has enabled people all over the world to become more successful and satisfied leaders in all parts of life: work (or school), home, community, and the private self (mind, body, and spirit).

This 10-week course will require 3-8 hours of work per week. If you take up the Verified Certificate (US$49.00) version, you will usually have to complete some required work and receive a certificate upon completion of all the
conditions.

Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence – Case Western Reserve University. Commencing on 2 February 2015.

Based on decades of research into emotional intelligence competencies and longitudinal studies of their development, the course will examine resonance and developing “resonant leadership” capability, emotional intelligence, and the experiences of mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Using the latest in neuroscience, behavioral, organizational and psychological research, participants will understand the theory, research, and experience of the Positive Emotional Attractor that is an essential beginning to sustained, desired change for individuals, teams, organizations and communities.

This 8-week course will require 3-4 hours of work per week. If you take up the Verified Certificate (US$49.00) version, you will usually have to complete some required work and receive a certificate upon completion of all the
conditions.

Ignite Your Everday Creativity – State University of New York. Commencing on 16 February 2015.
The goal of this course is to help you recognize, develop and act upon the creativity that you already possess. The course is taught by weaving together three different strands: Aware focuses on the theories and principles of
creativity; Inspired shows interesting examples of people using their creativity in their lives; and Creative teaches you how to ignite your own creativity.

This 6-week course will require 3-4 hours of work per week. If you take up the Verified Certificate (US$49.00) version, you will usually have to complete some required work and receive a certificate upon completion of all the
conditions

Cloud Computing Concepts – University of Illinois. Commencing on 2
February 2015.

Cloud computing systems today, whether open-source or used inside companies, are built using a common set of core techniques, algorithms, and design philosophies—all centered around distributed systems. Learn about such fundamental distributed computing “concepts” for cloud computing.

This 5-week course will require 4-8 hours of work per week.

Metaliteracy: Empowering Yourself in a Connected World – State University of New York. Commencing on 2 February 2015.
This course prepares learners to empower themselves through metaliteracy in a connected world. Metaliteracy promotes critical thinking and self-reflection to consume, create, and share information with others. Participants will learn how to critically navigate, evaluate and produce information in open, online, and social media settings through videos, readings, discussions, and learning activities that promote metaliteracy competencies.

This 10-week course will require 2-4 hours of work per week.

Logic: Language and Information 1 – The University of Melbourne. Commencing on 24 February 2015.
This is an introduction to formal logic and how it is applied in computer science, electronic engineering, linguistics and philosophy. You will learn propositional logic—its language, interpretations and proofs, and apply it to solve problems in a wide range of disciplines. You will learn how to use the core tools in logic: the idea of a formal language, which gives us a way to talk about logical structure; and we’ll introduce and explain the central logical concepts such as consistency and validity; models; and proofs. We will also explore how these techniques connect with issues in linguistics, computer science, electronic engineering, and philosophy.

This 5-week course will require 6-8 hours of work per week. If you take up the Verified Certificate (US$49.00) version, you will usually have to complete some required work and receive a certificate upon completion of all the
conditions