Guide To The Best MOOC Courses in Business

They’re a great way to learn what it’s like to sit in an MBA classroom. Increasingly, business schools are bringing some of their courses online for free to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection. These so-called MOOC courses (massively open online course) are a part of a revolution in higher education. Unlike a simple lecture or an online degree program, they’re complete courses with homework, exams and grades.

These free courses cover a wide variety of business subjects, from a six-week-long introduction to operations management to a series of 26 video lectures on the financial markets. And they’re taught by professors at Wharton, Stanford, Darden and other prominent business schools.

Our guide to some of the best:

Gamification

Gamification is the application of digital game design techniques to non-game problems, such as business and social impact challenges. Video games are the dominant entertainment form of our time because they are powerful tools for motivating behavior. Effective games leverage both psychology and technology, in ways that can be applied outside the immersive environments of games themselves. Gamification as a business practice has exploded over the past two years. Organizations are applying it in areas such as marketing, human resources, productivity enhancement, sustainability, training, health and wellness, innovation, and customer engagement. Game thinking means more than just dropping in badges and leaderboards; it requires a thoughtful understanding of motivation and design techniques. This course examines the mechanisms of gamification and provides an understanding of its effective use.

Instructor:

Kevin Werbach is a leading expert on the legal, business, and public policy aspects of the Network Age. He is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and the founder of Supernova Group, a technology consulting firm.

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