Piloting an online course
31st Mar 2012
I have just started as a ‘test-pilot’ for Edinburgh University’s exciting new online course entitled ‘Global Environmental Challenges’. Already I’m learning a lot about how to set up a small online community and make it vibrant (encourage people to connect with one another quickly using blogs and online mind-mapping); how to provide course material in an interesting way (use videos, downloadable documents, audio materials and links to interesting websites); and how to help people connect the learning to their work and life (require everyone to choose an ‘area of interest’ to which they apply the learning directly) – and all that is before we get into the content of the course! I’m hoping that the issues raised will have a direct bearing on my work as a consultant; my involvement in a local environment project in my home town; and my life more generally.
