The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is leading the charge for a twenty-first century education by utilizing DPS as a way to deliver coursework. Through spring and summer 2014, the university’s Center for Teaching and Learning facilitated a pilot program for collaboration between the Webber Energy Group, UT Press, and other stakeholders to create, publish, and distribute Energy 101: Energy Technology & Policy, the first ever DPS course app.
After creating a successful Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for the Energy 101 content, UT Austin wanted to find a way to expand engagement and explore different learning objectives. The decision to leverage DPS technology in the purely educational space allows the Course App to achieve rich interactivity through the integration of video, text, quizzes, maps, and HTML5 content.
In the MOOC environment, more than 44,000 students in 157 countries on all six inhabited continents enrolled in Energy 101. Since theCourse App debuted at the beginning of September, not only the general public but also the academic community is taking notice. Professors at Stanford University and Duke University have adopted the Energy 101 Course App as required reading.
One of the key advantages of the DPS app is the ability for professors to develop their own textbooks or use texts developed by their trusted colleagues. Another is the unique ability to constantly update content, which becomes especially important in rapidly shifting fields such as energy, business, and international relations. A third is the ability of each university to tap into the robustbuilt-in analytics in DPS to improve the Course App to maximize learning engagement.
“Adobe DPS, a platform first designed for publishing digital magazines, is now set to revolutionize education,” says Juan Garcia, producer of Energy 101 and Energy at the Movies. “The University of Texas at Austin – leveraging powerful technology from Adobe – is blurring the lines between MOOCs, eBooks, and interactive apps. Using the same DPS analytics tools publishers use for audience analysis, instructors can now track student learning and assessment via course apps. Energy 101, the world’s first Course App, offers a groundbreaking approach that will change the future of education.”
Energy 101 returns as the world’s first Course App and the first paid app from the University of Texas at Austin. The materials are based on the content of the groundbreaking Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) of the same title and Dr. Michael Webber’s graduate level Energy Technology & Policy course taught at UT Austin. Anyone interested in improving his or her energy literacy can now download and own his or her own copy.
For more information, visit energy101.com, the online destination for Energy 101.
Energy 101 is now available for purchase.