Wawasan Open University Wins Coursera 2024 Maximizing Impact Award in Asia Pacific Region

University Recognised for Empowering Students and Fostering Innovation

Wawasan Open University’s (WOU) unwavering commitment to empowering its students has been validated by a prestigious international recognition. The university is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded the Coursera 2024 Maximizing Impact Award in the Asia Pacific region. This accolade underscores WOU’s exceptional efforts in fostering employability, expanding learner capabilities, and cultivating collaborative partnerships through its innovative online learning initiatives.

WOU’s Chief Executive and Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Lily Chan, accepted the award in Bangkok on 16 October 2024 during Coursera Connect, an event that brings together leaders from academia, business, and government across Asia to explore education innovation and career development.

Prof. Dr Lily Chan (centre) receives the award from Coursera’s Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, Raghav Gupta, (left) alongside Coursera’s Head of Asia, Eklavya Bhave (right).

“This award signifies our relentless dedication to empowering learners with world-class education. Through our collaboration with Coursera, we are not just offering degrees; we are equipping students with industry-recognised credentials that significantly boost their employability in a competitive job market. We have expanded our course offerings to ensure students can access top-tier content and skills that directly align with today’s industry needs,” said Prof Chan.

To further enhance students’ career prospects, WOU provides pathways to obtain professional certifications, including the IBM Machine Learning Professional Certificate and the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, upon completion of selected modules.

Lifelong learning evolves in the digital age.

“Graduates from WOU will not only leave with an accredited degree but also gain valuable micro-credentials from leading industry giants like IBM, Google, and Meta. This positions them as strong contenders in the evolving workforce,” Prof Chan added.

By strategically leveraging the Coursera platform, WOU has successfully delivered over 10,000 hours of learning and achieved more than 5,000 enrolments across its courses. Its most sought-after offerings specialise in data science, digital marketing, and artificial intelligence (AI), all boasting impressive ratings of 4.9 out of 5.

The award further reflects WOU’s commitment to leading in AI education as the university accelerates efforts to equip students with critical AI skills in digital transformation, business, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.

For more information about WOU as one of Malaysia’s pioneering flexible open distance learning universities and its diverse portfolio of degree, diploma and micro-credential programmes go to www.wou.edu.my.