As previously reported in Duke Today, Duke’s Denise Comer (Assistant Professor of the Practice in Writing and Director of First-Year Writing in the Thompson Writing Program) was awarded a grant by the Gates Foundation to develop a massive open online course (MOOC) in English Composition.

Comer’s course – English Composition I: Achieving Expertise – opened for enrollment in late December 2012, and has already seen over 8000 students sign up. Visit the course’s information page on Coursera’s website for more information.  In addition to Comer’s introductory video (see below), the info page on Coursera’s site also includes a link to an open survey where enrolling students can share why they want to improve their writing. The course is currently being developed and won’t officially open until March 18.

For more information on Duke’s online courses, click here: http://onlineduke-wpengine-com.onlineduke.wpengine.com/.