The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe.
Understand epilepsy from a biopsychosocial perspectiveEpilepsy is a common condition, but how much do you know about the neuropsychology of the disorder? On this course, you will learn about the cognitive and psychosocial deficits that epilepsy sufferers can experience.You will begin with an overview of epilepsy and the techniques used for its medical diagnosis. You will learn what a neuropsychological evaluation involves and the abilities that are assessed. You will also learn how to give first aid to someone suffering from a seizure.This course is designed for healthcare professionals, postgraduate students with an interest in the topic, people who have been diagnosed with epilepsy as well as anyone who lives or works with them and is interested in the neuropsychology of epilepsy.
Explore how music affects human psychologyIt’s long been thought that music has the power to affect cognition – but can music really improve intelligence?On this course, you’ll explore the truth behind the connection between music and intelligence, learning whether music treatment (such as music training or music-related activity) can actually improve cognition.Get to grips with the key principles of intelligenceIn order to truly understand how music relates to intelligence, it’s important to get to grips with what we mean by intelligence and how it is measured and impacted.You’ll be introduced to the fundamentals of human intelligence, examining its complexity and delving into the things that can change it.You’ll separate facts from myth as you evaluate ideas on the benefits of music playing to our cognition and learn how to differentiate between false claims and evidence-based facts.Explore the psychology of music and if music makes you smarterAlongside expert psychology educators, you’ll explore concepts and ideas which highlight the connection between music and intelligence, including examining the famous ‘Mozart effect’ under the microscope.The final section of the course is dedicated to the idea that we can improve our intelligence by listening to music.You’ll explore if and how music affects learning, and whether playing an instrument can make you smarter, coming away able to conclusively answer if music affects learning or not.This course would benefit musicians, music therapists, educators, and music and psychology students. There is no need for a specific background, as it is easy to follow for those interested and curious in music.
Discover how human rights and criminal law connect or challenge each otherAre you a master’s student or a professional new to international law and relations? On this4-week course, you will build your understanding of human rights law (HRL), international criminal law (ICL), and how the two concepts relate to each other.Understand the history of human rights law and international criminal lawIn week one, you’ll explore how international law instruments and institutions deal with human rights protection. You’ll also examine the history of the international criminal court (ICC) and how it was established to hold serious criminals responsible for their crimes.Explore how ICL addresses sexual and gender violenceYou’ll analyse the progress and challenges of ICL in addressing sexual and gender violence, focusing on the international legal framework for these sorts of crimes.There is a very poor conviction rate for sexual assault and rape cases, so you’ll evaluate how the international community can ensure accountability for sexual crimes.Analyse the interconnection between ICL and children’s rightsNext, you’ll analyse how ICL has made progress in reducing crimes against children. You’ll evaluate the way humanitarian law has developed to protect children involved in armed conflicts, such as child soldiers.Discover the international human rights courtsIn the final week, we’ll look at the international human rights courts and how they address international crime cases.You’ll explore whether states should be held accountable for human rights violations, armed conflicts and organised violence committed internationally, and consider what human rights courts can do when faced with these threats.This course is for master’s students in international law and international relations, professionals, human rights activists and NGO officers looking to explore this area of international law studies.
Get an introduction to precalculus fundamentalsThis course is the first of two precalculus courses from the University of Padova that will provide you with an introduction to the fundamental mathematical skills required to complete your first course in calculus.You will learn the basic precalculus required for college or undergraduate-level studies, including factoring and division, sets and set operations, reasoning and proofs, functions and graphs, and equations and inequalities.On this online precalculus course, you will gain the foundation to support further mathematical studies and improve your use of maths in everyday life.This course is for anyone who wants to brush up on their basic mathematical skills, particularly students in the last year of high school, or at the beginning of undergraduate studies, who intend to take a first course in calculus.
Explore the power of teaching and how interactive learning can aid the classroomActive learning is the leading innovative teaching approach in education today. It encourages teachers to foster a more student-centred, interactive and participatory approach to learning.On this course, you’ll develop a deep understanding of active learning – effectively promoting learning by engaging learners interactively and encouraging teamwork and collaboration among students.You’ll challenge assumptions about teaching, learning with a community of educators to freely discuss the challenges of teaching and share successful practices, plans, and effective teaching strategies.This course is for a variety of audiences who teach adults in either formal (higher education, training in business and industry) or nonformal educational settings and have an interest in innovating and improving their teaching practice.This would include faculty in higher education, trainers/directors of training working in business and industry, public and private school teachers working with high school students, and educators that teach in cultural institutions (eg., libraries, museums, parks, zoos).
When and why have human rights become effectively central? The course will answer such questions, stressing the multi-level dimensions of the work for human rights.Course SummaryHuman rights are a complex issue. Their protection and promotion involve a number of actors: from international organisations to local communities, from governments to civil society. Human rights affect all aspects of our life, as individuals (as women, men, children, refugees, workers…) and as members of a community. This MOOC provides students with critical knowledge concerning the norms, institutions and procedures tasked to promote and protect human rights. Students will acquire the knowledge needed to actively join the global debate on fundamental rights and to avail themselves of the existing legal and institutional tools set up for their implementation. The MOOC introduces to the human rights legal framework in a multi-disciplinary and multi-level perspective, helping students to approach real-life scenarios with competence and cultural and ethical awareness.What do I learn?Students are expected to acquire a sound knowledge of the international system of human rights protection, and of the opportunities for human rights promotion and protection that are practically available at the national and local levels. The skills acquired can be preparatory for further specialisation on this subject. Finally, students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge and skills to real scenarios, including in relation to their everyday life.What do I need to know?The MOOC is mainly addressed to people from all over the world who have a background in political science, international relations and/or international law. The course, however, includes a general introductory chapter explaining the main issues, concepts and scenarios at stake. For this reason the MOOC is also open to people actively engaged on the ground that do not have a specific academic or educational background.
Develop your pre-existing accounting skills and knowledgeOn this course, you will discover how the decisions and operations of an organisation are translated into numbers. You will cover fundamental financial accounting concepts to help you develop in your accounting career or prepare yourself for more advanced study.This course features a range of conceptual and practical activities. You will understand the different purposes of accounting information, the role of accruals, and learn how to read financial statements. You will also address myths of accounting and separate fact from fiction.The course is designed for those who have already completed an introductory course in financial accounting and need to refresh their understanding. It will suit those looking to take an intermediate or advanced financial accounting course in the future, dealing with business groups, M&A, and consolidation.Junior professionals (e.g. Chartered Accountants and Certified Financial Accountants) can also familiarise with recent changes in International Financial Reporting Standards.
Use social innovation to improve conditions in disadvantaged rural areasOn this course, you’ll learn what social innovation is, how it can best be supported and where innovation efforts should be concentrated. You’ll specifically focus on the challenges facing rural areas.You’ll be introduced to a range of approaches for actioning social innovation initiatives as you explore the role of communities and society in innovation development.Using global case-studies, you’ll analyse new approaches proposed by 26 partners involved in the EU H2020 research project, SIMRA. You’ll explore the findings of the project, led by the project partners themselves.The course is designed for anyone interested in innovation in rural development.This may include decision-makers, public, private and third sector development agents, evaluators, facilitators, technical advisors, researchers or students involved in social innovation projects in rural areas.
Take your precalculus knowledge to the next levelThis course is the second of two precalculus courses from the University of Padova, providing you with the advanced mathematical skills required to complete a first course in calculus.You’ll get to grips with more challenging precalculus topics: plane and solid geometry; logarithms and exponentials; equalities and inequalities; and trigonometric functions and identities.By the end of this course you’ll have gained the skills to support further mathematical studies.This course is for anyone who wants to brush up on their basic mathematical skills, particularly students in the last year of high school, or at the beginning of undergraduate studies, who intend to take a first course in calculus.Ideally, you’ll have already taken the first course - Precalculus: the Mathematics of Numbers, Functions and Equations or be familiar with the topics covered in it, and have a basic knowledge of high school mathematics.
This MOOC aims to provide students with a critical knowledge concerning the phenomenon of youth bullying. The course focuses on both traditional bullying that usually takes place on school premises and cyberbullying, which occurs via information and communication technologies. With a social-ecological perspective, the first part of the MOOC explores the boundaries of these phenomena, and analyzes the characteristics of youth involved and the social-psychological processes that underlie the different roles youth play in bully-victim-bystander dynamics. The second part of this MOOC covers the prevention and intervention strategies available at the international level.
Discovering the cultural heritage of Medieval Europe through archaeologyOn this archaeology course, you will explore what we can learn about the past through material culture. It focuses on the history of Medieval Europe, from the end of the Roman Empire in the West. This was a time of huge cultural, social, and environmental change.The course covers a wide range of topics. You’ll explore the significance of changes in medieval food and health, the spread of Christianity in Europe, and migration patterns and social structures.You will gain a sensibility for cultural heritage, focused on artefacts of material culture discovered on archaeological sites. These objects can help us understand the complexities of the late Roman Empire, by now under regular attack from Barbarian tribes.Through material culture, we can understand how people lived, worshipped, and worked, as the new Germanic kingdoms and culture of Medieval Europe emerged.You will also learn about the technical side of historical archaeology, covering the latest archaeological tools and techniques.Explore the history of climate change in the early Middle AgesThis historical archaeology course also considers the history of climate change. We are clearly coming closer to the brink of climate catastrophe in the 21st century. What can we learn about how people in the Early Middle Ages reacted to climate change during their times? More broadly, you’ll consider what the history of Europe can tell us about the present.This medieval archaeology course is delivered by the University of Padova, a research leader in the field. The University of Padova team has dug some of the most culturally significant Italian archaeological sites.This course is suitable for anyone interested in historical archaeology, Medieval Europe, cultural heritage, or the history of climate change.It would benefit those preparing to study archaeology or who want to explore new archaeological methodologies.
Discover how animal research has helped us understand how we perceive and learn.Did you know that we can learn a lot about humans through animal research?Animal models derived from invertebrates have helped us to understand the neurobiology of learning and memory. From cats, we have learned how visual experience informs the human visual system, and recent research has identified fish as a promising model to understand the genetic bases of learning disabilities such as dyscalculia!On this course from the University of Padova, you’ll explore the use of animal models in psychology, neuroscience, and other biomedical research strands. This will be achieved through videos, papers, and interviews with some of the most important scientists in this field, such as Michael J Beran, Caroline Brennan, Cinzia Chiandetti, Giorgio Vallortigara and Anna Wilkinson.Use animal models to answer age-old neurocognitive questionsBy researching animal models, we are able to develop a deeper understanding of human neurocognitive systems.The course will help you assess how animal studies are relevant in helping us understand the human mind, and see why animal research can sometimes provide more useful insights than human research.As you investigate the role of animal research in helping us understand the age-old nature versus nurture debate, you’ll also tackle key questions around the topic of animal models, like ethical issues.The final steps of the course will invite you to design an experiment yourself, using some of the most common animal models in the field.This course is aimed at students and researchers in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, animal cognition, and animal care.It will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the use of animal models in research related to humans.
Discover how electricity is produced and exchanged and the reasons behind itThis innovative, three-week course from the University of Padova is designed to illustrate how electricity is produced, and exchanged, and why.Understand how electrical systems have evolved over timeFirstly, you’ll gain insight into what electricity is, what it is used throughout society for and how the electricity system has been evolving steadily over time.You’ll then assess the importance of electricity within the modern world and will understand how it is generated and exchanged among the different players active in the entire electricity supply chain.Discover the need to move towards a decarbonised economyYou’ll then explore the new challenges and perspectives of electricity in the 21st century posed by climate change, such as increases in temperature increasing our energy demand, changing our ability to produce electricity and deliver it reliably. You’ll then identify the need to move towards a decarbonised economy going forward, and will discover the ways in which this can be achieved.Ultimately, the course will tell you how to understand all the components of your own electricity bill, with the end result being that you’ll be able to make the best economic and money-saving choice when choosing an electricity supplier.Learn from an environmental and energy economics expert at the University of PadovaYou’ll be guided throughout this course by an expert of environmental and energy economics at the University of Padova, who has written the worldwide reference textbook on this specific topic.Hear from our courses teamYou cansign up at any time. However, if you’d like to take advantage of feedback from the educators and your mentors, you can do so within this period:April 5 - May 14, 2021This course is designed for all those interested in learning how electricity is produced, exchanged and used worldwide.This can include students of management, engineering, social sciences and environmental studies, as well as practitioners, consultants and people working within the energy sector.
Discover why psychology in healthcare matters to both caregivers and patientsPsychology plays a vital role in healthcare services. From a patient learning to cope with a medical condition to a doctor delivering significant diagnostic news – the psychological impact and toll of healthcare are often overlooked.On this free online course from the University of Padova, you’ll get to grips with the essentials of healthcare psychology – what psychology is and how it influences areas from policymaking to illness management.You’ll learn about how to improve positive psychological behaviour, and how health psychology impacts healthcare in developing countries.This course would be valuable for psychology students looking for an introduction to health psychology, as well as policymakers interested in improving healthcare at the state level. Patients or carers themselves could also find it beneficial to study psychological reactions to physical illness.
Learn how a circular bioeconomy could aid sustainabilityThe European economy faces multiple simultaneous challenges related to environmental sustainability. Alongside the threat of climate change, nations are also grappling with resource depletion, population growth, and overconsumption.On this course, you’ll learn how a circular bioeconomy could solve these issues, and come away able to identify the latest developments in European bioeconomic policy.Explore the importance of bioeconomy for sustainabilityA bioeconomy is an economy where the basic building blocks for energy and materials come from renewable biological sources.Alongside experts from the University of Padova and seven other renowned European Universities, you’ll explore how recent wood-based innovations could help nations move to a fossil-free future.Examine different national forest sectorsYou’ll describe the different ways the bioeconomy is interpreted across Europe, and understand what these different national approaches mean for Europe’s forest-based sectors.You’ll summarise and interpret the perception held among citizens towards the bioeconomy, and learn how the concept itself emerged.Discover the latest innovations in sustainabilityExamining real-world examples, you’ll understand the most recent innovations in the European bioeconomy, and the challenges forest-based sectors face going forward.Ultimately, you’ll grasp how the introduction of bioeconomy policy could jumpstart the sustainable transformation of society in Europe.This course is for students at all levels and professionals (e.g. consultants, public servants) active in natural resource management sectors (e.g. forestry and agriculture)It would also benefit communication specialists and policymakers looking to better understand the emerging bioeconomy discourse and the latest bioeconomy-related policy developments at European level impacting the forest-based sector.