This free online Harvard course on family engagement in education has enrolled more than 100,000 people as millions of students turn to remote learning

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• "Introduction to Family Engagement in Education" has become one of the top 10 courses on edX as millions of students — and many of their caregivers and community members — tackle remote learning.
• The course covers family engagement, including how to do it and why it's so important for supporting children's learning and development.
• It's taught by Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D, whose past two decades of work have focused on cultivating partnerships among families, community members, and educators to support students.
• You can audit the course for free, or pay $70 for a certificate of completion.

As the coronavirus pandemic impacts 70% of the world's student population — an estimated 1.2 billion learners — and millions turn to remote learning overnight, parents, caretakers, and educators around the world appear to be investing in community-based educational strategies.

As such, "Introduction to Family Engagement in Education," an edX course from Harvard University, has bubbled up into the e-learning giant's top 10 courses with an enrollment of over 100,000 students.

What you learn about family engagement and education

"Introduction to Family Engagement in Education" describes the actions that caregivers can take at home and in their community to support children's learning and development, as well as the importance of a partnership between home and school. Students learn from research linking family engagement to better educational outcomes and hear directly from researchers, educators, students, and families about best practices.

Who teaches it

The course is taught by Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D, a Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) whose research and practice over the last twenty years focused on the cultivation of partnerships among families, community members, and educators to support student success.

How much it costs

The course is currently offered in English and should take students six weeks to complete if they commit two to four hours to the class per week. Like all edX courses, it's free to audit, though students can pay an optional $70 for a verified certificate of completion.

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