Those countries that have so far accounted for between 100 and 200 openHPI users are: Brazil, Russia and China as well as Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Austria and Switzerland. The countries with up to 100 participants include Micronesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Costa Rica and Kyrgyzstan. The youngest participants who have registered are 13 years old and the oldest participant is 91. The average age is 35, with the age range between 21 and 30 making up the largest group to have registered at the platform.
The first contents have been available there since Monday, September 3rd. Online course number one, offered by founder Prof. Hasso Plattner, co-founder and chairman of the supervisory board of the software company SAP, leads participants for two months through the topic of a revolutionary main memory database technology.
HPI director, Prof. Christoph Meinel, encourages all interested to still become integrated in the course by registering quickly. "There’s still time to collect enough points for a final certificate," Meinel said. In the second course week, beginning on Monday, participants can gain additional insight into the topic area. The material from the first week remains accessible for "latecomers". Participants are offered each a learning video, reading material to deepen acquired knowledge, an automatically scored test with practice questions for self-checking learning progress, homework and a short online intermediate exam.
There are no admission restrictions for the online openHPI courses, which are embedded in a social leaning network and held in English and German.
The courses are conducted by HPI computer science professors. Starting in November openHPI will be offering an introduction to the technology behind the World Wide Web. Gradually, the openHPI online course offering will be expanded.
"For example, we will be offering introductions to the fundamentals of computer science. This involves the design and operation of complex IT systems, the functionality of the Internet and the WWW, security in information technology as well as the protection of privacy in the digital world," explained HPI director Meinel. He also announced courses dealing with the most recent developments and innovations in information technology. These include the subjects: Semantic Web, multicore and cloud computing.
Each of the free openHPI courses is dedicated to a specific topic and lasts approximately two months. The course material is comprised of learning videos, self-tests, weekly homework and a final exam. On Mondays the complete course material for the week will be available on the Web and can then be worked through at any time. The subjects taught are discussed by learners and instructors in discussion forums. The direct communication between participants from all over the world and course teachers is rounded out by weekly video response, focusing on the most important and the most exciting issues talked about. Upon successful course completion, the participant will receive a certificate.
Short Profile Hasso Plattner Institute
The Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Systems Engineering GmbH (HPI) in Potsdam is Germany’s university excellence center for IT Systems Engineering. It is the only university institution in Germany offering bachelor and master programs in "IT Systems Engineering" – a practical and engineering-oriented course of studies in computer science, in which currently 460 students are enrolled. The HPI School of Design Thinking is Europe’s first innovation school and is based on the Stanford model of the d.school. It offers 120 places for a supplementary study. There are a total of ten HPI professors and a further 50 guest professors, lecturers and contract teachers at the Institute. HPI carries out research noted for its standard of excellence in its nine topic areas, as well as at the HPI Research School for PhD candidates, with its further research branches in Cape Town, Haifa and Nanjing. HPI teaching and research focuses on the foundation and application of large-scale, highly complex and interconnected IT systems. The development and exploration of user-driven innovations for all areas of life is an additional area of importance. HPI always earns the highest positions in the CHE university ranking.
