Bermudians complete MIT Entrepreneurship Course

U.S. Consul General Bob Settje hosted a reception on June 3 to recognize ten Bermudians for their successful completion of the free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?” offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) this spring.  

The program was made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and online education provider Coursera and is designed to expand learning opportunities worldwide through online courses incorporating discussions facilitated by alumni of U.S. government exchange programs.

State Department exchange alumnus Erica Smith, Acting Executive Director of the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), facilitated the MIT course.  Facilitated MOOCs, like the one in Bermuda, include weekly discussions about the course content.  In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for students, professors, and facilitators from around the world.

Consul General Settje thanked Ms. Smith for her dedication and enthusiasm in facilitating the entrepreneurship course.  “All eight students present told me Erica did an excellent job leading discussions about course content.  She and her team are working hard to foster the growth of small- and medium-sized businesses in Bermuda, which is essential to the health of the island’s economy.  This MOOC is just one example of the tools available through BEDC.”  The BEDC will likely facilitate another entrepreneurship course in the fall.

Consul General Settje and Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy presented certificates of course completion to the following Bermudians:

• Calvin Blankendal
• Noreco Burgess
• Courtney Bushner
• Matthew Carr
• Tammy Clarke
• Desmond Crockwell
• Karmeta Hendrickson
• Douglas Outerbridge

Clyde Bassett and Tomika Smith were unable to attend the reception but did earn certificates.