Singapore, April 22, 2020 – Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and its partner organisations will be offering 14 free online courses on SUSS’s UniLEARN[1] platform, an e-learning initiative by SUSS for the community.
SUSS UniLEARN is an open access platform where online courses with an emphasis on social concerns and skill needs of the society are co-developed with external partners and offered to the general public, so as to empower them to make a difference, whether in their personal or professional capacity.
Until 31 May 2020, the public will have free access to courses specially curated in the areas of lifestyle wellness, digitalisation and business management.
These courses are in addition to the previously announced Intellectual Property (IP) Essentials for Businesses, designed for business owners and entrepreneurs, and a slew of ongoing Webinars and lunch-time talks organised by the University.
Amidst the health, economic and societal disruptions, the COVID-19 outbreak has forced many to physically isolate. Along with extensive news coverage on the pandemic, the unknown future of potential job losses and adaptation to new ways of managing work from home, including home-based learning for schools, it is foreseeable that anxiety levels will rise.
These curated courses were chosen as they are the most relevant skills to address some of the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and for one to thrive in this hyper-connected world. For example, cybersecurity, and the essentials of supply chain management.
There are also some wellness programmes such as marital first responder in both English and Chinese languages; as well as lifestyle management courses.
Additionally, SUSS has also included a course to create awareness of diversity in our society, especially in this uncertain time, namely understanding autism; and another course to provide basic skills guide to caregivers on Nasogastric Tube (NGT) feeding. The other complimentary courses are related to technology disruptions and big data – the buzz words of the new economy.
Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, President of SUSS, said, “SUSS is privileged to have supportive partners, who are aligned with the University’s mission of delivering lifelong learning and at the same time have the heart to impact lives in the community. This initiative comes naturally for SUSS, and underscores our commitment in giving back to the society.”
Associate Professor Lee Wee Leong, Director, SUSS Online Learning, said, “We are happy to contribute our expertise in e-learning and relevant pedagogy which can be applied in the real-world. We invite everyone to take this opportunity to upskill themselves and hopefully this can benefit Singapore economically and socially, after we get through this challenging period.”
List of the 14 complimentary online courses offered on SUSS UniLEARN platform:
S/N | Course titles / Modules | Provider |
1 | Appreciation to Data Visualisation | SUSS |
2 | Basic Data Mining for Decision Making | SUSS |
3 | Cybersecurity - What Have We Missed? | SUSS |
4 | Essential of Supply Chain Management | SUSS |
5 | Introduction to Project Management | SUSS |
6 | Supply Chain Management Concept | SUSS |
7 | Tech. Disruptions and Skills Transformation | SUSS |
8 | Tech Giants: Economic, Political and Social Impact | SUSS |
9 | Marital First Responder (English Version) | SUSS |
10 | Marital First Responder (Chinese Version) | SUSS |
11 | Understanding Autism | ARC |
12 | Nasogastric Tube Feeding | HMI Institute |
13 | Lifestyle Management I | NMSC |
14 | Lifestyle Management II | NMSC |
Interested participants may sign up for any of the courses any time within the complimentary access period via this link https://free.unilearn.edu.sg/
Besides providing these complimentary online courses on SUSS’s UniLEARN platform, below are some of the University’s initiatives in line with its mission to serve society during this challenging period:
- Zoom training by SUSS students – A group of SUSS students are volunteering their time as Zoom mentors to conduct free 1-on-1 hands-on training sessions for financial practitioners of the Insurance and Financial Practitioners Association of Singapore (IFPAS). The aim is to educate about 1,000 financial practitioners.
- SUSS Student Care Fund – SUSS has set up a Student Care Fund to help our students during this challenging period. SUSS students facing sudden or immediate financial hardship, arising from unexpected family and life situations can apply for contingency financial grant from SUSS.
- Corporate Social Responsibility – SUSS is fundraising for AWWA Senior Community Home, which is operational during this period, with 134 seniors. The stressors faced by these beneficiaries include psycho-social factors, such as severe disruption of routines, shortage of food and medicine, separation from loved ones, social isolation and loss of income.
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About the Singapore University of Social Sciences
SUSS is a university with a rich heritage in providing lifelong, learner-centric and industry-relevant education. Our mission is to champion lifelong education to develop future thinkers and leaders to their fullest potential through our 3H’s education philosophy – ‘Head’ for professional competency with applied knowledge, ‘Heart’ for social awareness of the needs of the society, and ‘Habit’ for passion towards lifelong learning.
We offer more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programmes, available in full- and part-time study modes which are flexible, modular and multi-faceted in learning experience to cater to both fresh school leavers and adult learners. We also launched a broad range of continuing education and training modular courses for the professional skills and knowledge upgrading of our workforce.
Our programmes and courses are made available through our five schools:
- S R Nathan School of Human Development
- School of Business
- School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences
- School of Law
- School of Science and Technology
To date, over 30,000 graduates have chosen SUSS as their university of choice. Each year, about 15,000 students are pursuing their full- and part-time studies with us.
From 1 April 2019, the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) became an autonomous institute of SUSS. Both entities enable a synergistic collaboration as IAL brings to SUSS its expertise and experience in adult learning and Continuing Education and Training (CET), while SUSS provides an ecosystem of resources and experts rooted in academic rigour.
For more information on SUSS, please visit www.suss.edu.sg.
[1]About SUSS UniLEARN
SUSS UniLEARN is an e-learning initiative by SUSS for the community, with an emphasis on social concerns in our society.
In-line with SUSS’ mission to provide lifelong education that equips learners to serve society, UniLEARN’s mission is to build a vibrant online learning community that delivers social impact.
Through this online platform, SUSS aims to promote deeper understanding of the various social issues confronting our society today, and evoke in the hearts of our learners, greater empathy for the disadvantaged and a desire to bring about positive change.
For more information on SUSS UniLEARN, please visit www.unilearn.edu.sg.
About our Partners
SUSS UniLEARN's partners are primarily organisations that want to educate the community in various areas of social concern and want to provide customised short online courses for their target learners.
Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)
The Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) or ARC(S), is a not-for-profit social service agency based in Singapore and was officially set up in 2000 serving the needs of the autism community. It was started by professional and parent volunteers dedicated to serving children and adults on the Autism Spectrum, to help these individuals lead meaningful and independent lives in society. Our mission is to help persons on the autism spectrum to maximise their potential through advocacy, service provision and equipping of caregivers, professionals and the wider community.
ARC(S) is one of the largest autism bodies in Asia. It offers a wide range of programmes and services:
- Early Intervention (WeCAN Early Intervention Programme)
- Special Education (Pathlight School)
- Employment and Job Support (Employability and Employment Centre)
- Social enterprises (Professor Brawn Café and Bistro and The Art Faculty)
- Autism Intervention Training and Consultancy
- Social Leisure Club for Youths and Adults on the autism spectrum
For more information, please visit https://www.autism.org.sg/
About HMI Institute of Health Sciences
HMI Institute of Health Sciences (“HMI Institute”) is a Social Enterprise owned by Health Management International Ltd. The first dedicated private provider of healthcare training and education in Singapore, HMI Institute of Health Sciences (“HMI Institute”) has trained more than 5,000 graduates for Singapore’s healthcare sector since its establishment in 2002. The Institute provides nationally accredited healthcare training, career advisory and job placement services for students.
For more information, visit www.hmi-ihs.com
About Mind Science Centre
The Mind Science Centre takes an upstream and evidence-based approach to optimise cognitive performance, build emotional resilience and promote mental wellbeing through translational research and community-based interventions. Its mission is to nurture an undefeated mind and build resilience across all ages. The Centre focuses on academic research in neuroscience and mental health, translation of the research into community interventions through strategic partnerships, programme evaluation and capability building of healthcare professionals and volunteers, with the intention to create a network of shared knowledge to benefit the local community. The Mind Science Centre is a centre of excellence under the National University Health System (NUHS) and academic research centre, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Psychological Medicine.
For more information, visit facebook.com/mindsciencecentre or medicine.nus.edu.sg/nmsc.
About the National University Health System (NUHS)
The National University Health System (NUHS) aims to transform how illness is prevented and managed by discovering causes of disease, development of more effective treatments through collaborative multidisciplinary research and clinical trials, and creation of better technologies and care delivery systems in partnership with others who share the same values and vision.
Institutions in the NUHS Group include the National University Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Jurong Community Hospital and Alexandra Hospital; three National Specialty Centres - National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) and National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore (NUCOHS); the National University Polyclinics (NUP); Jurong Medical Centre; and three NUS health sciences schools – NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (including the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies), NUS Faculty of Dentistry and NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
With member institutions under a common governance structure, NUHS creates synergies for the advancement of health by integrating patient care, health science education and biomedical research.
As a Regional Health System, NUHS works closely with health and social care partners across Singapore to develop and implement programmes that contribute to a healthy and engaged population in the Western part of Singapore.
For more information, please visit http://www.nuhs.edu.sg.