3-D Fossil Scans, Virtual Visits To Archeological Sites And Simulated Excavations Are Highlights In Wellesley edX Course

Popular edX course, Anthropology 207x: Introduction to Human Evolution, begins second run on May 6

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May 05, 2015, 08:00 ET

WELLESLEY, Mass., May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wellesley College has announced the second run of the popular WellesleyX course Anthropology 207x: Introduction to Human Evolution. The course, which is open and free of cost to anyone with an Internet connection anywhere in the world, will begin on May 6. Through the class, participants go on virtual guided trips to important archeological dig sites, drop in on simulated excavations, and get an interactive primer on how scientists measure skeletal remains. This second offering will include new content, features, and organizational structures, as well, including a virtual library of rotatable 3D scans of important human fossils.

Wellesley biological anthropologist Adam Van Arsdale, who instructs Anthropology 207X, said the virtual fossil library is a new course feature that excites him most. "Students will have access to a library of 3D fossil scans, giving them--and me--greater ability to examine and compare specimens we are discussing in the course of the class, as well as independently explore fossil morphological variability," he said. Van Arsdale, associate professor of anthropology at Wellesley, developed the course and is teaching it for the second time.

Anthropology 207X, which was first offered in September 2013 and has been available in the edX archive since, has welcomed over 22,000 learners. "One of the things that most amazed and surprised me about the course's first run was the extent to which some students organized face-to-face meetings and events with other students in the course," Van Arsdale said. "When people think of online learning they often associate it with one person sitting alone with their computer, but it does not have to be that way."

To facilitate cooperative learning in the course, Van Arsdale is organizing learning cohorts for the class, including a cohort of Wellesley College-affiliated learners. He is also welcoming some of the students from the first class back as teaching assistants. Wellesley students and alumnae who have completed the course will also serve as teaching assistants.

Students interested in taking the course can sign up, and view archives of other WellesleyX courses, on the edX website. The Anthropology 207X second run begins May 6, but online learners can sign up at any point while the class is open.

Wellesley College was the first liberal arts college to join the edX collaborative. EdX, which was founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is the leader in high quality online learning.

About Wellesley College
Since 1875, Wellesley College has been the preeminent liberal arts college for women. Known for its intellectual rigor and its remarkable track record for the cultivation of women leaders in every arena, Wellesley--only 12 miles from Boston--is home to some 2400 undergraduates from every state and 75 countries.

Press Contacts
Anne Yu, Associate Director, Media Relations, 781-283-3201, [email protected]; Sofiya Cabalquinto, Director, Media Relations, 781-283-3321, [email protected]

SOURCE Wellesley College