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Do you have an idea for a short course, or a piece of research that could work well for a wider audience? FutureLearn gives ¹û¶³´«Ã½ academics a way to share their knowledge and expertise with learners around the world through short, accessible online courses.

¹û¶³´«Ã½ has a long-standing relationship with FutureLearn and was one of the platform’s founding university partners when it launched in 2012. The University remains a current FutureLearn partner, alongside universities and educational organisations from across the world. FutureLearn now works with more than 200 universities and education partners and has attracted millions of learners globally.

What does a FutureLearn course look like?

FutureLearn is designed specifically for online learning. Courses are broken down into weeks, activities and individual steps, rather than following the structure of a traditional university module. These steps can include video, articles, audio, practical activities, discussions and assessment, giving course teams plenty of flexibility in how they present their subject.

Conversation is also an important part of the platform. Learners can comment and discuss ideas throughout a course, allowing academics to build opportunities for people from different countries and backgrounds to share their perspectives.

For ¹û¶³´«Ã½ academics, this could be a chance to do something a little different with an existing area of teaching or research. You might want to introduce people to a particular subject, explore an emerging research area, respond to a global challenge, support professional development or experiment with an idea that does not naturally fit within a traditional degree programme.

What is ¹û¶³´«Ã½ already doing?

¹û¶³´«Ã½ currently has short courses on FutureLearn covering a range of subjects, including Preparing for a PGCE, Reducing Carbon Footprints: Taking Action for a Sustainable Future, Global Inequalities and the Just Transition, and A Beginner's Guide to Corporate Social Responsibility.

A new course, Implementing Global Health: Challenges and Solutions, is also being developed for release on FutureLearn. The course brings together colleagues and partners involved in EUTOPIA, showing how the platform can also be used to support collaborative projects and bring expertise from different institutions together in one online learning experience.

Have an idea you would like to explore?

You do not need to have a complete course mapped out before getting in touch. If you have a research area, teaching idea or topic that you think could work as a short online course, the Digital Learning team can help you explore the possibilities. We can talk through your intended audience, course structure, activities and multimedia, and help you think about what would work well on FutureLearn. To have a look at the platform, you can register on and take a look at the courses on offer.

If you have an idea, or simply want an initial conversation about what might be possible, and we can help you take it from there.