Renton Technical College will offer its first free Massive Open Online Course on June 17.

The first course offered will be “Hybrid Courses: The Best of Both Worlds” and is designed to give educators tips on organization, planning and tools to be successful in teaching technology.

The course currently has over 600 students who have enrolled. Curriculum and Technology Specialist Liz Falconer, who will be facilitating the MOOC, was the driving force behind bringing MOOCs to RTC.

“The MOOC setup refocuses the student’s energies on learning,” Falconer said. “It is very much a journey rather than the destination; since students are not graded in the traditional sense and sign-up with different goals and with a wide variety of backgrounds. They can select the parts that are meaningful and important for their own purposes. With that being said, some MOOCs come with a certificate of completion, and I am offering that for people who want to do a final project in this course.”

MOOCs are a growing trend in higher education and many schools now offer them. For more information visit www.RTC.edu.