What would it be like to teach in a truly global classroom - one that stretches around the world?

Just ask University of Michigan School of Information Clinical Associate Professor Charles (Chuck) Severance.

He's one of the first professors at U-M to teach on Coursera, the free online course network that serves a true college-level curriculum (complete with tests and assignments). Severance's class on the origins and technology of the Internet saw more than 50,000 registrants, which slimmed down to more than 4,000 receiving final completion certificates.

What's stunning is the map of where those students are located, based on rough survey data:

For a larger version, visit the original map here.

Read Chuck Severance's blog entry on the map here.

You can see a video introduction to the class here: