The Imperial College London offers a number of online courses across various disciplines. Below is a description of 25 of those courses.
Introduction to Android Graphics
Introduction to Android Graphics is course 1 of 4 in Advanced App Development in the Android Specialization program. Prerequisite is a basic knowledge of Android App Development and Java Programming. The intermediate level course lasts for 3 weeks and is taught in English. The course lays a foundation for more advanced courses: OpenGL, and Virtual Reality in Android. Focus is placed on core theories and concepts of 2D and 3D graphics as well as their practical applications. An artefact is also provided for use as professional portfolio to show skills. Skills to be gained include: Android, Android studio, 2D computer graphics and 3D computer graphics.
Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in Public Health
Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in Public Health is course 1 of 4 in the Statistical Analysis with R for Public Health Specialization program. Prerequisite is a knowledge of reading standard data graphs and tables. Taught in English for 4 weeks, the purpose of this course is to learn about the core building blocks of statistical analysis: types of variables, common distribution and sampling; how to run software R with its interface RStudio; selection and application of appropriate methods in R, and interpretation of the data. Skills to be gained include: R Programming, Run basic analyses in R, Formulate a statistical hypothesis, Understand common data distribution.
Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success
Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success is a beginner online course. The class lasts 7 weeks, and instructions are given in English. The course teaches principles, techniques and importance of creative thinking in tackling challenges; selection of appropriate methods e.g. brainstorming approach, based on problem encountered; principles of morphological analysis and use of tools such as SCAMPER, TRIZ and six thinking hats in application. Skills to be gained are: Creative thinking, Creativity, Brain Storming and Problem solving.
Science Matters: Let’s Talk About COVID-19
Science Matters: Let’s Talk About COVID-19 is a public health course offered in conjunction with the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA). Instructions are given in English for 8 weeks and the purpose of the course is to educate the beginner on COVID-19 with up-to-date research and situation reports; theories behind the analyses and spread; interpretation using key principles of public health, medicine, health economics, epidemiology and social economics; and to highlight the importance of communication involvement, multidisciplinary working and global co-operation in outbreak response.
A Guide to Healthcare Innovation: Principles and Practice
A Guide to Healthcare Innovation: Principles and Practice is course 1 of 3 in Global Health Innovation Specialization program. It is a beginner course taught in English for 4 weeks. The course starts from the basics by differentiating innovation from invention, then moves on to the principles and types of innovation used in characterization of fundamental features of new models of care and technologies; role of innovation in addressing global health challenges; and influence of social, economic and political factors on adoption and diffusion of any innovation.
Validity and Bias in Epidemiology
Validity and Bias in Epidemiology is course 2 of 3 in the Epidemiology for Public Health Specialization program. It is an intermediate level course requiring a background in health science or/and quantitative methods, and is taught in English for 4 weeks. The course focuses on validity and types of bias; identification and prevention/reduction of biases and their variations; methods used in detection of confounding, and their applications; distinction between confounding and effect modification; and finally, causality in Epidemiology. Skills to be gained include: Selection bias, Confounding, Validity, Information bias, and Interaction (statistics).
Finance Essentials
Finance Essentials is part of a series of Business and Management courses that together earn the student a professional certificate, Pre-MBA Essentials for Professionals. Prerequisite is secondary/high school Mathematics. The introductory course is taught in English for 6 weeks, and goes straight into basic and key financial concepts and topics which include valuing equity bonds, understanding the variations of diversification, solving problems related to portfolio choices, internal rate of return (IRR), capital budgeting, and implementation of capital asset pricing model (CAPM).
Why Move Towards Cleaner Power
Why Move Towards Cleaner Power is part of a series of courses required to earn the Clean Power professional certificate. The Energy and Earth Sciences intermediate level course is taught in English and is specially recommended for advisors to senior decision makers in government, civil society activists, and others interested in understanding and promoting renewable electricity. The different modules cover Political economy, Climate change, Energy policy, Energy access, and Climate change & health. The main aim of the course is to discuss decarbonization in full, looking at its advantages and disadvantages, motivating factors and politics-related importance; also, to lay the foundation for a more detailed course on policies needed to support a low carbon power sector.
Maths Essentials
Maths Essentials is a part of a series of courses required to earn a PreMBA Essentials for Professionals certificate. Prerequisite is high school maths, and the course is taught in English for 6 weeks using online videos and readings. Basic and fundamental maths skills needed to see an MBA through are taught, so as to aid application of greater analytical skills to decision making. The modules cover evaluation and manipulation of formulae, calculus and it’s use in solving optimization problems in Economics, and application of geometric series concept to finance-related problems.
Healthcare Entrepreneurship: Taking Ideas To Market
Healthcare Entrepreneurship: Taking Ideas To Market is course 2 of 3 in Global Health Innovations Specialization program. The intermediate level course is taught via readings and online videos in English for 4 weeks. The course helps the learner compare and contrast systems and processes supporting investment and protection of healthcare innovation; innovation landscape within the UK and how it compares to others; translational research and its controversies; intellectual property: processes and problems; innovation funding and pitching. Skills to be gained are: Pitching, Market, Innovation, Public Health, and Entrepreneurship.
Climate Change: Financial Risks and Opportunities
Climate Change: Financial Risks and Opportunities is an introductory Economics and Finance course into financial risks and opportunities arising from man-made climate change. Taught in English for 4 weeks, the course is specially recommended for professionals working in the financial market. The course covers financial risks related to climate change; investment policies and risk management strategies; emerging trends in the transition towards climate-resilient investing; and emerging sources of financing for new investments within the private sector. Overall, the course acts as a primer on how global capital markets are responding to the world’s greatest environmental risk.
Data Analysis Essentials
Data Essentials is part of a series of courses required to earn a PreMBA professional certificate. Prerequisite for this certificate is high/secondary school maths. Taught in English via online videos, readings and quizzes for 6 weeks, the course focuses on basic and fundamental data analysis skills. The course is built around understanding fundamentals of collecting, presenting, describing and making inferences from data sets; decision making under uncertainty; data-based decision making; and modelling for decision making.
Measuring Disease in Epidemiology
Measuring Disease in Epidemiology is course 1 of 3 in the Epidemiology for Public Health Specialization program. It is a beginner course taught in English for 4 weeks using online videos and readings. The course focuses on calculation and interpretation of appropriate measures so as to describe disease frequency, association and attributable risk for given scenarios; calculation of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values to interpret in the context of detection and screening; learning fundamental tools of epidemiology essential in conducting studies; quantification of strength of an association, and differentiation between association and causation. Skills to be gained include Association, Incidence, Prevalence, and Epidemiology.
Accounting Essentials
Accounting Essentials is part of a series of courses required to get the PreMBA Essentials for Professionals certificate. Prerequisite is secondary/high school maths. The introductory course is taught in English for 6 weeks and focuses on foundational accounting skills. The purpose of the course is to help the learner understand creation and interpretation of basic financial statements: income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement; distinguish between management accounting and financial accounting; and also learn the use of financial information.
Foundations of Public Health Practice: Health Protection
Foundations of Public Health Practice: Health Protection is course 4 of 4 in the Foundation of Public Health Practice Specialization program. The beginner course is taught in English for 3 weeks using short videos, practitioner interviews, and interactive activities. The course brings the student closer to the scope, principles and nuances of health protection beginning with basics of water, sanitation and health (WASH) based interactions; science and principles of practical microbiology; examination of vaccines; Incident management; and core health protection principles and approaches.
Creating A Pro-Renewables Environment
Creating A Pro-Renewables Environment is part of a series of Energy and Earth Science courses required to earn the Clean Power professional certificate. Instructions for the intermediate level course are given in English for 6 weeks. The class is suited to help decision makers across electricity supply chain know and understand incentives needed to create a pro-renewables environment by analyzing policy and regulatory mechanisms and approaches; and exploring the implementation of these policies and approaches via case studies.
CARE: Nutrition In Ageing
CARE: Nutrition in Ageing is an introductory Food & Nutrition course taught in English for 4 weeks, with about 2-4 hours weekly. The course is designed for health professionals and care providers. The course helps the student know and understand tips and tools useful in creating a balanced meal-plan for the elderly which plays a part in disease prevention; access local resources so as to create a social setting that supports the elderly; and learn nutrition requirements which can be applied to CARE practices.
Mathematics For Machine Learning: Multivariate Calculus
Mathematics For Machine Learning: Multivariate Calculus is course 2 of 3 in Mathematics For Machine Learning Specialization program. The beginner level is taught in English with video subtitles in English, Spanish and Greek. Interactive games are used in this introductory course to multivariate calculus which is required to build many common machine learning techniques. The modules cover calculus; multivariate calculus; Multivariate chain rule and applications; and Taylor series and linearisations. Skills: Vector calculus, Gradient descent, Linear regression, and Multivariable calculus.
Mathematics For Machine Learning: PCA
Mathematics For Machine Learning: PCA is course 3 of 3 in Mathematics For Machine Learning Specialization program. Taught in English for 4 weeks, this intermediate level course acts as an introduction to mathematical foundations used in derivation of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The modules cover Statistics of data-sets e.g. mean values and variances; Use of inner products to compute distances and angle between vectors; Derivation of orthogonal projections of data onto lower dimensional sub-spaces; and PCA. Skills: Python programming, Projection matrix, Mathematical optimization, and PCA.
Global Disease Masterclass: Non-Communicable Diseases
Global Disease Masterclass: Non-Communicable Diseases is course 3 of 3 in the Global Disease Masterclass Specialization program. Taught in English for 4 weeks, this beginner class focuses on 4 non-communicable diseases: Colo-rectal cancer, Dementia, Cardiovascular disease, and Diabetes. These 4 diseases which have a range of types of disease process were selected for that reason, and the aim of the course is to discuss their aetiology, epidemiology and interventions such that the learner is able and confident enough to critique policy positions, and public health approaches for them.
Introduction To Corporate Sustainability, Social Innovation And Ethics
Introduction To Corporate Sustainability, Social Innovation And Ethics is a 6 weeks introductory course taught in English. This MBA primer course utilizes several case studies, as well as a range of speakers from academia and industry for its teaching. Sustainability is introduced from three viewpoints: Corporate, Social Innovation and Ethics. The student learns an appreciation for these viewpoints, and basic understanding of sustainability thinking and triple bottom line approaches. The student is also put through sustainability issues and its relevance for policy makers, role of corporations in them, and implications for decision making.
Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance: A Social Science Approach
Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance: A Social Science Approach is designed for health professionals, junior researchers and doctoral students new to social science. Taught in English for 3 weeks, 2 hours weekly, the course employs an interdisciplinary approach and is offered in conjunction with the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. The course offers the student a basic understanding of social science, and exploration of different social science research methods for tackling antimicrobial resistance, application of realist review in informing recommendations for improving or developing antimicrobial stewardship and identification of potential research questions or improvement markers ideal for practice.
Android Graphics With OpenGL ES
Android Graphics With OpenGL ES is course 2 of 4 in Advanced App Development in Android Specialization program. Taught in English, the course requires basic knowledge of Android app development and Java programming. The course covers fundamentals and mechanisms of open GL ES; its practical application to draw 2D and 3D objects; complex 3D objects, and creation of 3D logo. The course also acts as a backbone for more complex courses on VR and AR within android. Skills: 2D computer graphics, opengl++, Android studio, 3D computer graphics, and opengl for embedded sustems (openGL ES).
3D Graphics In Android: Sensors And VR
3D Graphics In Android: Sensors and VR is course 3 of 4 in the Advanced App Development in Android Specialization program. Prerequisite is a basic knowledge of Android app development and open GL. Instructions are given in English for 4 weeks. Utilizing practical exercises, this course acts as an introduction into creation of virtual environments in android. The modules cover animation, lighting and reflection, textures and handling multiple 3D objects, housing all within binocular view to create VR experience. Skills: VR, Sensors, Textures, Android studio, opengl++.
Advanced App Development in Android Capstone
Advanced App Development in Android Capstone is course 4 of 4 in the Advanced App Development in Android Specialization program. Taught in English, this course is the practical side of the program and would take about 10 hours, spread across 4weeks. The projects utilize knowledge and skills gained in each of the other courses in the program, this means the student must have taken all the other courses in the program. First assignment requires the student to develop a virtual art gallery using android canvas drawing functions (~course 1). Second assignment is to design and develop a virtual 3D gallery using Open GL ES (~course 2). Third assignment is to create a virtual reality app using the 3D art gallery (~course 3). Fourth and final assignment gives the student freedom to exhibit their creative side by combining all the lessons. Skills: VR, Mobile app, Mobile App device 3D computer graphics, and Android software development.
All the courses described above are free to audit. They only require a small fee for certificate of completion, and financial aid is available to those who qualify.
