ERIBA MOOC rerun starts November 2

“That was a superb course – sufficiently far outside my biology comfort zone to be pleasantly challenging.” One of the many positive reactions by participants of the first run of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “Why do we age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing”. If you regret that you missed the opportunity to experience this course yourself, no worries. The second run of the MOOC starts on November 2 and is now open for registration.

After a very successful first run (over 9000 registrations!) in June, the MOOC “Why do we age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing” will have an encore starting November 2. The course, set up by ERIBA researchers is free and can be followed by anyone with a basic knowledge of cell biology and genetics.

In six weeks, participants will get an insight in the fundamentals of the biology of ageing. After introducing the main theories and mechanisms of ageing in the first week, the course proceeds with a series of in-depth lectures from ERIBA group leaders. They present a selection of their current research and explain the fundamental questions they try to answer. They further elaborate on the experimental approaches they use for their studies. Since ageing is an intrinsic quality of most species, including single cell organisms, model organisms can be used to study this intriguing phenomenon. Therefore, several model organisms and cell systems that are used at ERIBA are discussed during the course. In this way, the MOOC provides a snapshot of the research that is conducted at ERIBA on a day to day basis, including the theoretical concepts behind it.

The course’s duration is six weeks with a workload of 4 hours a week. However, the course material stays available for a longer period. This allows participants to reread, review and even rediscover the information. So, if you would like to learn about the the biology of ageing – register now at www.futurelearn.com/courses/ageing.