Germany’s Leuphana University Lüneburg is venturing into global online learning with the launch of the Leuphana Digital School, a “cost-and-barrier-free” academic platform that offers collaborative web-based learning led by distinguished scholars and experts.
So-called social learning systems are radically changing the field of academic education and setting new standards for the communication of knowledge. Internationally distinguished scientists from the Columbia University New York, the Arizona State University, the London School of Economics, the Goldsmiths University of London, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the ETH Zurich, the Collegium Helveticum and the University of Zurich, the Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou and the City University Hong Kong, as well as leading experts from politics, media and economy will be advising students participating in Leuphana’s online-University, starting with the prototype course: “ThinkTank – Ideal City of the 21st Century”.
Understanding that more than 3 billion people will be moving into cities over the next 40 years, participants enrolled in “Ideal City of the 21st Century” will collaborate to design models for future living in urban centers under the direction of architect Daniel Libeskind. Organized in five international teams, they will solve theoretical and practical assignments, critique the work of the other groups through commentary and evaluation, and translate their ideas of the city of the future into 2D and 3D models.
Participation is open to all, regardless of your global locale. And, depending on the students home university, credits may be countable towards their degree, as the ThinkTank is organized by Leuphana University.
Registration for the inaugural “ThinkTank – Ideal City of the 21st Century” ends January 7. The course will begin January 9 and last through April 28, 2013. Sign up and find more information on the official Leuphana Digital School website.
