Cambridge Advance Online courses are now available as part of a digital learning expansion

The University of Cambridge’s world-class teaching and research are now available to professionals all over the world through a new online course program.

Cambridge Advance Online combines the University’s academic strength with the publishing strengths of Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment to create a portfolio of 50 short courses over the next five years that will allow learners to develop their skills and specialize in emerging areas that address global challenges. Cambridge University Press is designing and developing the cross-disciplinary courses, which will be led by University of Cambridge academics, to meet the needs of today’s professional learners.

Changes in societal attitudes toward online working and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic have galvanized the University’s digital ambitions, and Cambridge Advance Online aims to reach people all over the world who want to upskill, gain more education, and stand out in the post-pandemic job market.

The creation of a new overarching ‘University of Cambridge Online’ brand, under which Cambridge Advance Online, among others, will fall, signals the expansion of the University’s online provision for learners all over the world while maintaining and improving its exceptional in-person education for degree students in Cambridge. With low student-to-tutor ratios and academically rigorous standards, the certificated courses will reflect the Cambridge experience and values. They will allow students to interact directly with Cambridge academics and will focus on rich interaction between students and subject experts as well as enhanced peer-to-peer networking.

Each course will provide participants with the opportunity to participate in live sessions with academics and interact in collaborative exercises with learners from all over the world.

Enrollment in the first four Cambridge Advance Online courses will begin in July. These are:

• Product Technology Roadmapping
• Bionanotechnology from Theory to Practice
• Business from Bioscience
• and Research Commercialisation and Technology Transfer

Professor Stephen Toope, the Vice-Chancellor, said: “Cambridge Advance Online is opening up academic talent across the University to professional learners around the world. With a hugely successful record in product development and supporting business start-ups, and a thriving university ecosystem contributing to society through research, Cambridge will bring vibrant new perspectives to business through these courses, enhance professional development, and meet the needs of organizations and individuals.

“Although in-person teaching remains at the heart of a Cambridge education, the experience of the past year has further highlighted opportunities to enhance teaching with digital technology and has only accelerated work already underway to expand our education offer through online learning. Across the University – in Departments and Faculties – the flexibility digital tools can offer has been embraced, as it has across the world.”

Anna Wood, Managing Director of Cambridge Online Education at the Press, said: “It’s been fantastic to work with the University and to build this new program of professional courses, which will allow forward-thinking professionals to harness the latest ideas, discussions, research, and innovations from Cambridge to change society for the better.”

More information is available at this link: advanceonline.cam.ac.uk