hanghai International Studies University (SISU)’s first massive open online course (MOOC), Intercultural Communication, is ready to go live next Monday on FutureLearn, the UK-based social learning platform.

SISU has partnered with Future Learn in November 2014 and started developing online courses. It’s undertaken by faculty and students and teachers from the Department of Educational Technology at SISU’s School of Journalism and Communication.

The course will focus on the basic but important concepts of intercultural communication, adopting multimedia resources as well as discussion parts. The learners will see how cultures have influenced our perceptions, thinking, communication styles, values and beliefs.

Liu Di, the student director of SISU’s MOOCs Center, reckoned that MOOCs would combine internet resources and traditional teaching, diversifying teaching ways.

It is also admitted by the deputy student director Zhu Qinghuan as “a communication platform for universities”. He added that schools could share their courses and learn from each other.

However, Zhu thought some problems may exist in MOOCs. He said, “Students’ initiative of learning is possible to decrease as the lack of surveillance.” A sophomore student Tao Yirong, majoring in Arabic studies, also worried about the interaction effects of MOOCs - without instant feedback and guidance.

Guo Yingjian, a scholar in educational studies once indicated that MOOCs will have a big impact on current teaching system. If MOOCs’ suppliers could grant students not only credits but qualified diploma, it isn’t hard to imagine the effect MOOCs would brought.

“It’s a revolution of teaching and learning, having a huge influence, beyond universities, on promoting continuing education development and helping build a learning society,” said Zhang Jie, the President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The press conference of SISU MOOCs is going to be held on November 9. SISU’s President Cao Deming will be in attendance.

Click here to join the course: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/intercultural-communication