EdX course: Batteries, Fuel Cells and their Role in Modern Society
Together, the two editions of this course reached more than 20,000 learners worldwide, including over 1,500 in a single edX cohort. It began around 2012 as part of my university lectures. The English version, Batteries, Fuel Cells and their Role in Modern Society (Ural Federal University), ran on edX from 2017 to 2022; the Russian version, Introduction to Chemical Power Sources, ran on openedu.ru.
The edX course closed in 2022, after sanctions cut Russian universities off from the platform. But the messages learners left from five continents are part of why this book exists. Here are some of them.
“I think this is the best source/resource I have found… I hope you always keep it going!”
USA/Poland — edX course participant
“I’m mechanical engineer and I worked for eleven years in Oil & gas drilling… I leave my job because I want to start working at renewable energy.”
Colombia — edX course participant
“I am highly inspired and motivated to see a huge shift in the automotive industry in coming years.”
India — edX course participant
“It was a little out of your so-called ‘comfort zone’… please allow us to access other papers of yours.”
Brazil — edX course participant
“I’m not a scientist, just a middle-age woman with two teenage boys… I am learning a LOT in this course.”
USA — edX course participant
“I live in Barcelona… I am not an engineer or scientist, I can follow all the lectures.”
Spain — edX course participant
“I am a chemistry graduate… I found the quality of the course worth to be certified.”
Philippines — edX course participant
“Your last words in lecture 6.6 were very motivating… I really liked the history part of this course.”
Dominican Republic — edX course participant
“I have been googling the latest news on batteries for a number of years… I now have much greater knowledge, and hope to take a future course should you present one — perhaps including flow batteries.”
Australia — edX course participant
“I have been enjoying the classes. I have learnt a lot.”
Nigeria — edX course participant