Thousands fight a virtual pandemic in 'Epidemics' MOOC

"Moocdemic" is an online game in which users fight a virtual pandemic using their mobile devices. The game is running in tandem with Penn State's MOOC "Epidemics: the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases."
More than 29,000 people are signed up for a massive open online course (MOOC) titled "Epidemics: the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases" that opened this week. During part of this course, thousands of participants will be simultaneously fighting a virtual epidemic on their cellphones and tablets.
The course, offered by Penn State University's Eberly College of Science, "is different from all the other massive open online courses out there in a number of ways," said Marcel Salathe, the assistant professor of biology and of computer science and engineering who leads the team of eight Penn State faculty members teaching the eight-week course. "This is a multi-faculty course, meaning learners are exposed to the material from a leading expert in the field. On a weekly basis, we will release a video discussing questions that the learners have posted in the forums, making the course much more interactive than traditional MOOCs. Finally, a virtual epidemic will be unfolding during the course, and the learners will be able to determine the fate of the epidemic with their mobile device."
The location-based game "Moocdemic" simulates the spread of an infectious disease, and lets players spread it and attempt to control the outbreak. It is playable from any mobile device with a Web browser. More...