PolyU Launches a Mass Open Online Course in Industry 4.0

HONG KONG, February 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) will launch a free MOOC (Mass Open Online Course) entitled "Industry 4.0: How to Revolutionize your Business" on the edX platform, a non-profit online learning destination founded by Harvard and MIT, starting from 27^th February 2018 (Tuesday). As of today, this is still the only comprehensive course on Industry 4.0 conducted in English that is offered by an academic institution. Other Industry 4.0 courses are offered by companies and are in German. The course is now open for enrollment.

Led by Professor Eric Tsui from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering of PolyU, this course aims to equip organisations and individuals from all disciplines to be better prepared for Industry 4.0 in terms of their readiness, skill sets, and competencies so as to reap the success of Industry 4.0. This 8-week course will be co-instructed by professors from multiple universities including University of Potsdam, Germany, University of Cincinnati, USA and Harbin Institute of Technology, China.

The term "Industry 4.0", originates in Germany and becomes popular since 2011, commonly refers to the fourth industrial revolution. It is underpinned by the exhibition of "smartness", typically manifested in the form of automation, artificial intelligence, data exchange technologies and predictive capabilities. The course will introduce what the fourth industrial revolution is about, its major systems and technologies, and how smart products and services will impact business and society.

Learners will also appreciate how enabling tools such as Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, Cyber Physical Systems play crucial roles in the journey to Industry 4.0. Intelligent automation, machine intelligence and human-machine collaborations are also discussed with particular references to smart manufacturing, smart products/services and smart cities for future living, and their opportunities and challenges.

Throughout the course, interviews, showcases of applications, product demonstrations and case studies, together with research prototypes developed by PolyU staff and students and more will be featured. The diverse learning experiences so gained will inspire and equip learners with the knowledge and mindset to derive new value by re-defining business models, create and exchange knowledge, develop and deploy smart applications in a networked economy.

For more details of the course and enrollment, please visit the below links

https://www.edx.org/course/industry-4-0-how-revolutionize-business-hkpolyux-i4-0x
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtA17gHLWqw

Press Contact :
Professor Eric Tsui,
Professor of Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and
Director of Knowledge Management and Innovation Research Centre, PolyU
Telephone : (+852)-2766-6609
Email : eric.tsui@polyu.edu.hk