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More free online courses as British Museum and universities join Futurelearn

Futurelearn image
The first free, open, online platform for courses from multiple UK universities and other leading organisations has announced a further five partners today, including the British Museum, Loughborough University, University of Sheffield, University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde.

The new partners are joining FutureLearn, which was launched in December 2012 and includes several universities as well as the British Library and the British Council. Each is committed to providing engaging and entertaining courses through the online site.

FutureLearn was founded in December 2012 and now has 24 partners including those announced today.
FutureLearn CEO, Simon Nelson, said:

“We are delighted that more of the UK’s leading universities, along with one of its most popular cultural institutions, have agreed to work with FutureLearn and will join the growing ranks of institutions that will offer high quality, entertaining and enjoyable courses to people across the world. We are committed to removing the barriers to education by making learning more accessible, inspiring and useful to people, no matter what stage of life they are at. These partnerships will enable us to open up access to the best academics from world-class universities and cultural institutions and deliver new forms of social learning at large scale.”

Professor Frank Coton, Vice-Principal for Learning and Teaching at the University of Glasgow said:
“We are delighted to be joining the strong grouping of other leading UK universities that have already joined with FutureLearn. Our partnership with FutureLearn will allow us to reach out to a whole new group of learners and underlines the commitment of this University to widening access to education. The prospect of doing this through the innovative delivery platform that FutureLearn has developed is a very exciting one that we hope will inspire and engage those who choose to study with us.”

Professor Colin Grant, Associate Deputy Principal at the University of Strathclyde, said:
“As a leading international university with students from more than 120 countries, we have great pleasure in joining a programme which opens access to our learning to students around the world. Our Centre for Forensic Science is internationally renowned in its field and is an ideal starting point for our participation in FutureLearn.
“Teaching is one of the key pillars of Strathclyde’s strategy and FutureLearn also offers an ideal opportunity for us to explore innovation in learning. We look forward to a successful programme alongside our partners around the UK.”

Professor Morag Bell, Pro Vice Chancellor for Teaching at Loughborough University, said:
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with FutureLearn. Loughborough has a well-established reputation for providing its students with a first-class education. Through these online courses, we will be able to make these outstanding learning opportunities available to even greater numbers of students.”

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at the University of Sheffield, Professor Paul White, said:
"The digital world is the future. Online education provides a means for the University of Sheffield to engage with learners from around the world and in circumstances we would otherwise never be able to reach out too. The courses are an important way for more people to access the high quality education that the University of Sheffield delivers."

More on Futurelearn
FutureLearn will make it possible to learn for life, offering unique access to some of the most inspiring learning opportunities from the world’s greatest learning centres.

FutureLearn.com will offer free, accessible courses to people wherever they are in the world. Courses will be created by the Universities of Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Glasgow, Leicester, Loughborough, Kings College London, Lancaster, Leeds, Nottingham, The Open University, Queen’s Belfast, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, St Andrews, Strathclyde and Warwick. In addition, the British Museum, British Library and British Council have all signed MoUs to share content and their expertise and collaborate in the development of courses through FutureLearn.com.

 

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The first free, open, online platform for courses from multiple UK universities and other leading organisations has announced a further five partners today, including the British Museum, Loughborough University, University of Sheffield, University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde. The new partners are joining FutureLearn, which was launched in December 2012 and ...

Being digital wins prestigious award

The Credo Reference Digital Award for Information Literacy
OU Library Services has won a prestigious award for the best new digital resource for promoting information literacy. The award was presented to Library Services for Being digital, a collection of short, easy-to-follow activities on finding, using and sharing information online.

Being digital and the accompanying Digital Information Literacy (DIL) framework won the award at LILAC (Librarians’ Information Literacy Annual Conference), one of the library sector’s biggest conferences. The Credo Reference Digital Award for Information Literacy recognises innovation in digital resources for information literacy.

Take a look at the award-winning Being digital material now and brush up your online skills. Whether it’s searching effectively or managing your online identity, you will find something here to whet your appetite. Library Services would be delighted to hear your comments or feedback on Being digital.

Pictured: Natasha Huckle (second from left), Information Literacy Specialist, Library Services being presented with the award. 

Posted 11 April 2013
 

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OU Library Services has won a prestigious award for the best new digital resource for promoting information literacy. The award was presented to Library Services for Being digital, a collection of short, easy-to-follow activities on finding, using and sharing information online. Being digital and the accompanying Digital Information Literacy (DIL) framework won the award at ...

Leadership Masterclass: Leadership in tough times - confronting complexity and inspiring hope

Location: Hotel Russell, London 

Date: 25 April 2013

You can now book on our third event in the Business Perspectives series, which focuses on Leadership. The event will explore leadership in the current climate, how best to lead for growth in challenging times and manage a team through cutbacks, loss and stress. We’ll discuss how leaders can inspire a sense of direction and moving forwards in difficult contexts, drawing on the insights and experience of our speakers and participants.

The event will be led by Jean Hartley, newly appointed Professor in Public Leadership at The Open University Business School, who together with leading practising managers will explore leadership in both the public and private  sector.

We’re delighted to announce that joining Professor Jean Hartley at this event will beCaspar de Bono, Managing Director B2B at the Financial Times, and Sue McAllister, Director General of the Prison Service, Northern Ireland. Both of whom are leading complex teams in challenging times and will share their contrasting experience and insights, alongside other leading field experts.

During the daytime masterclass, participants will be able to explore leadership best practice through action learning and workshops with peers. You will be able to take practical tools, techniques and ideas back to your organisation. The focus will be to explore the best and worst of leadership in the harsh current environment – is there a silver cloud amongst the gloom?

The stand-alone but complementary evening event will be hosted by the Dean of the Business School, Professor Rebecca Taylor and will include key notes from industry leaders.

Further details can be found on our website together with full details of costs and alumni Early Bird discounts. The full programme will be announced in the coming weeks, however, to register your interest or to book a place please contact Janet Barker.

We’re waiting to hear from you…

Visit our Business Perspectives blog for the latest insights and let us know your thoughts and comments on this topic. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

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Location: Hotel Russell, London  Date: 25 April 2013 You can now book on our third event in the Business Perspectives series, which focuses on Leadership. The event will explore leadership in the current climate, how best to lead for growth in challenging times and manage a team through cutbacks, loss and stress. We’ll discuss how leaders can inspire a sense of ...

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