(July 24, 2017) -- George Perry, the Semmes Foundation University Chair in Neurobiology and dean of the College of Sciences at The University of Texas at San Antonio, has created a massive open online course (MOOC) focusing on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease from molecular and genetic perspectives.
Perry is one of the most prolific Alzheimer’s disease researchers in the United States and is the 10th most cited Alzheimer’s disease researcher in the world. His new course is one of the first of its kind.
“This is a great opportunity for an undergraduate or graduate student to gain a baseline knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease,” Perry said.
The MOOC was created in collaboration with the UTSA Office of Online Learning and the Video Production Group under the UTSA Office of Information Technology. It allow students to explore the history of Alzheimer’s disease and identify the major scholars who contributed to the advancement of the research in addition to helping them understand the correlation between clinical disease, morphologic changes and molecular pathways. Also, students will learn to identify the contribution of healthy lifestyle habits to prevent or delay the development of the disease.
The top-tier course is free of charge and available online. It consists of a variety of audio-visual lessons to appeal to several different learning styles. Perry will open the lessons through short videos to provide an overview of the knowledge about to be imparted. Students may earn a passing grade by scoring 80% or higher on their quizzes.
“We want to increase literacy on the issue,” said Perry. “To do that, we knew we had to work with a wider audience, and that meant going online.”
The course is crafted to give undergraduate and graduate students a strong understanding of neurodegenerative disease. It also works effectively as an introduction to brain health research, which has a home at UTSA in several institutes including the UTSA Neurosciences Institute, the San Antonio Cellular Therapeutics Institute, the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery and the Institute for Health Disparities Research.
Additionally, Perry designed the course with frequent collaborator Rudy J. Castellani, professor of pathology at the University of Maryland at Baltimore to be useful to the medical community. Medical professionals treating Alzheimer’s patients could benefit greatly from the course by gaining a greater understand of the disease as well as neurodegenerative diseases in general, he said.
The course launches on August 28 through edX, a massive open online course provider created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Online enrollment is open now.
Learn more about brain health research at UTSA.
Learn more about George Perry.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
