USR MOOC Introduction to University Social Responsibility

USR MOOC “Introduction to University Social Responsibility” – A New Online Course to Share USR Experience and Strategies

The USR MOOC “Introduction to University Social Responsibility” is an initiative from the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN). Co-developed by Kyoto University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2021, this pilot massive open online course (MOOC) on edX describes the theoretical underpinnings of University Social Responsibility and showcases effective practices and activities carried out in seven USRN member institutions around the world including Kyoto University, Simon Fraser University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The University of Manchester, University of New South Wales, University of Pretoria and University of São Paulo. 

The course promotes understanding of the USR concept, its implications, impacts, evaluation, implementation methods, and replicability. It also provides a knowledge base for designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating programs from the fundamentals of USR and some existing good practices.

The course contributes to the expansion and consolidation of the USR movement.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand what USR means, develop an overall framework for action
  • Understand broad implications of the concept of USR
  • Observe how USR is materialized in a wide range of activities and social engagement depending on individual universities’ priorities and contexts
  • Learn to design, plan, implement and evaluate USR activities 
  • Learn about key challenges in designing and implementing USR activities
  • Learn from good practices from member universities in the USR Network
  • Learn about networking opportunities and cooperative projects that foster USR