A University of Queensland fictional crime drama that prompts students to explore the effectiveness of the law and justice system from a psychological perspective is one of 10 finalists for the annual edX Prize.
UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Joanne Wright said the massive open online course (MOOC) CRIME101x: The Psychology of Criminal Justice was a compelling example of the type of engaging teaching that could change the lives of learners worldwide.
“The course, developed and taught by UQ School of Psychology Professors Blake McKimmie, Barbara Masser and Mark Horswill, uses an innovative mix of drama and interactive learning to identify ways the criminal justice system can be improved,” Professor Wright said.
EdX is a not-for-profit online education venture founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). UQ has been an edX member since 2013.
Professor Wright said the edX Prize recognised the contributions and innovations of MOOC teachers in the edX community, and amplified the powerful role that MOOCs played in the transformation of education.
She said the course demonstrated the potential of online and blended learning approaches.
“UQ is focused on developing similar blended courses – where students have high-quality online and high-value on-campus active learning experiences– as part of our Student Strategy,” she said.
The CRIME101x team won a social sciences category bronze award at the 2018 Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Awards.
The MOOC follows a fictional murder, investigation and trial, played out as a drama written and produced for the course, supported by video lectures and other resources designed to challenge common misconceptions in criminal justice systems.
Professor Wright said UQx-developed courses for the edX platform under Creative Commons licences, meaning educators worldwide were able to use the free courses as teaching resources.
Media: Professor Blake McKimmie, b.mckimmie@psy.uq.edu.au; Zarese Kisielewski, Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, +61 7 3365 6211.
