An Experience Of Online Learning

There are courses available to enhance your CV. I first became aware of these courses from an email sent out by one of the Psychology lecturers. As I’m interested in doing anything I can to better my CV and learn more about Psychology, I looked into the course. The one they were offering was Forensic Science and Criminal Justice, it was a 6-week course with the University of Leicester and the best part was that it was free!

The topics it covered included: the history of Forensic Science, current debates about DNA databases, the CSI effect, Forensic Science in the courtroom and the future of Forensic Science. The course was really straightforward and easy to follow, the course was set out that each week you would learn a different topic.

The topics were taught using a variety of audio clips, video clips, and different research activities. Before I started the course I was sceptical about it because I was worried that I would be taking too much work on and that my Psychology degree could possibly suffer but once I started it I realised that I could easily complete it without it threatening my degree or social life.

On average it took me between 1-2 hours a week to complete that weeks activities, at the end of each week there was a test to see what you had learnt, the test included 4 multiple choice questions, you got 3 attempts at each question with a point deducted for each wrong answer, so the highest score you could achieve for each question was 3 points. You could check your progress at anytime during the course as it tells you your overall percentage on the tests.

The course has no time limit so you can complete the activities at your own pace, you can also leave the course at anytime if you aren’t enjoying it without any consequences. If you do complete the course you automatically get a digital certificate, which states what course you completed, how many weeks it was for and which university led it.

If you’re interested in looking at the variety of courses Future Learn have to offer, it’s really simple, all you have to do is this:

  • Google ‘Future Learn’ or type ‘www.futurelearn.com’.
  • Click on the button that says ‘Register’ it should be at the top right of the screen.
  • Then type in your first name, last name, email address and create a password.
  • You should then be able to access the whole website.
  • To search for upcoming courses, click on the link that says ‘courses’ it should be at the top of the page next to ‘about’ and ‘partners’.
  • Here you will be able to see all of the various courses the website has to offer.
  • If you want to narrow down the courses, click on the magnifying glass icon, which should be at the top right of the screen next to the box with a cartoon person on it.
  • To join a course you’re interested in just simply click on the ‘more’ button next to the course information.
  • From here click on ‘join now’ or if it is a course that hasn’t been given a start date yet click ‘register interest’.
  • You will then receive and email closer to the start of the course to remind you that you signed up for it, you will also get an email each week telling you about that week’s topic.
  • And that’s how easy it is!

You can sign up to as many courses as you desire but I wouldn’t try and do too much at once! I’m currently taking part in the Forensic Psychology course, which is 8 weeks long and is held by The Open University, I’m finding it really interesting and it’s helping me understand more of what Forensic Psychology is like in the real world.

I’ve also signed up for a few courses that take place over summer, 5 months off is a long time and with a brain like mine I need to keep busy especially with Psychology so I don’t forget it all! Plus it’s a perfect way to add more things to your CV and help you stand out from other Psychologists.

Here is a list of upcoming Psychology courses that you might be interested in:

  • Good brain, bad brain: basics
  • Caring for people with Psychosis and Schizophrenia
  • Mindfulness for wellbeing and peak performance
  • Supporting people living with long-term conditions
  • Obesity: causes and consequences
  • Nutrition and well-being
  • Babies in mind: why the parent’s mind matters
  • The many faces of Dementia
  • Improving the health of women, children and adolescents: from evidence to action

I hope I’ve managed to inspire you to try one of these courses! If you have any questions about Future Learn please feel free to email me.

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