The first mass open online course of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University- Methods of molecular biology was published on January 2, 2021 on the international educational platform Coursera – the world leader in the field of online education.

The online course was developed by the Institute of New Educational Technologies (INET) together with the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology in collaboration with Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

The online course Methods of molecular biology is developed in English and consists of five modules:

1. Molecular biology of viruses,
2. Molecular biology of bacteria,
3. Molecular plant biology,
4. Molecular biology of animals,
5. Molecular biology and medicine.

Video lectures are accompanied by notes, a glossary, a list of used and recommended literature. To consolidate the passed material, non-evaluated tests are developed. For control-assessment tests and a final essay for mutual verification of each other's work by students of the course (peer review). Subtitles in Kazakh and Russian will be added in the near future.

The authors and developers of the course are employees of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology: senior lecturer, PhD Aizhan Zhussupova, Head of the Department, Candidate of Biological Sciences Zhazira Zhunusbayeva, Senior lecturer, PhD Izat Smekenov.

According to INET Director Assel Mussinova, the launch of the online course was the result of three years of painstaking work to find a partner university to enter Coursera, negotiations, selection of the course for development and direct work on the content.

Al-Farabi KazNU and Peter the Great SPbPU have new plans for cooperation in the field of distance education ahead of them.

www.kaznu.kz