Recent KU graduate Michael Hilleary is always on the lookout for new opportunities to find himself back in a classroom. And he’s found that opportunity in Health and Wellness 101, the first-ever online class facilitated through the Lawrence Public Library.

The massive open online course (MOOC) is offered free of charge through Kansas State University, but the library is volunteering its facilities and additional information to help increase the class completion rate, said Ransom Jabara, the library’s information services coordinator.

Students who participate in online classes at home are less likely to pass a course than those who attend the same class in a group setting, he said.

“We thought we would create a group that could work together and support each other and collaborate,” he said. “It would have a bit of that classroom feel while still being online and free.”

Through a partnership with Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the library will invite guest speakers to attend each class and provide students with further information to strengthen their understanding of the course material, Jabara said.

Currently working through AmeriCorps as a health and wellness coordinator for the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, Hilleary said he tries to keep himself as educated as he can on recent developments within the field, and he’s hopeful the MOOC will help him stay ahead of the curve.

“The nutrition and healthcare field is so fatty and esoteric that you’ve got to stay on top of it or you’ll get lost in the shuffle,” he said.

Kathleen Morgan, the library’s director of development and strategic partnerships, said the library is fulfilling two of its goals through the MOOC.

The library’s mission is to promote lifelong learning. Offering an online course is simply another way to provide information, Morgan said.

“I think libraries are in the process of changing,” she said. “And they’ve done a great job of evolving through the years. The forms information takes just keep changing.”

The class also promotes a health-conscious lifestyle, which is another of the library’s goals, Morgan said. That goal also coincides with the beginning of a new year, when many people are committing to health-oriented resolutions.

The seven-week course begins Jan. 14, Jabara said. Classes are held each Wednesday afternoon and homework will be assigned, he said.

Although the course is open to enrollment through Kansas State University, there are only 20 seats available through the library, Jabara said.

Patti Sergent, another AmeriCorps employee and wellness assistant with Healthcare Access, said she has already signed up for the MOOC and is planning to recruit several of her patients to enroll as well.

“I thought I would take the class and have them take it with me,” she said. “That way I could learn more to help my patients and they could benefit as well.”

Jabara said early feedback on the MOOC has been positive and if the first course goes well there is a strong possibility the library will offer more in the future.