7 Free Online Courses in April (and not one about teaching online!)

Self-isolation, week 3.
Do you also have the feeling that you’d like the good, old times back? And only a month ago I was travelling, having fun and definitely not thinking about expressions like covid, self-isolation, quarantine, social distancing. What I need at the moment is an illusion that nothing has changed – and I know that my favourite online courses will help. Just learning something new will help me feel better.
If you also want to escape into the world of education, feel free to join me. I know you must be pretty tired, so I carefully left out all the courses on teaching online.

Project Management: Beyond the Basics by The Open University

Start: 6/04/2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: people who want to explore project management
You will learn:

• how to go beyond the basics of project management in your own professional practice
• how to improve your awareness of the professional skills required to be a project manager
• how to identify the appropriate methods and techniques for specific project management scenarios
• how to manage project teams with success

Getting Started with Agile and Design Thinking by Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Start: 13/04/2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: people interested in developing digital products, who are using agile methods and have some experience working in the digital space
You will learn:

• key concepts and practices from the agile product development methodology
• how to create a strong shared perspective and drive to value using personas and problem scenarios
• how to introduce agile product development and design thinking so you can build better digital products

Managing Behaviour for Learning by National STEM Learning Centre

Start: 20/04/2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: teachers (primarily STEM) interested in their CPD
You will learn:

• how your own behaviour influences the behaviour of your students
• how to apply recognition intelligently to motivate students
• how to apply rules and routines to achieve consistency

Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work by the University of Leeds and the Institute of Coding

Start: 30/03/2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: people who have digital skills but would like to build confidence in using digital technology in the workplace
You will learn:

• how to identify your personal communications style
• how to engage in challenging conversations with positive outcomes
• how to reflect on your personal style and technique
• how to apply your communication style in the workplace

Teaching for Success: Lessons and Teaching by the British Council

Start: now
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: teachers of English as a foreign language at all levels
You will learn:

• how to compare teaching approaches and experience with others from around the world
• how to identify the benefits of resources and the role of technology
• how to reflect on professional development needs and practices
• how to explore classroom management and factors that influence learning

Good Practice in Autism Education by the University of Bath

Start: 30/03/2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: people who work with autistic children in schools, such as teachers and teaching assistants
You will learn:

• how to identify the educational requirements of children on the autism spectrum with and without intellectual (learning) difficulties
• how to explain the concept of inclusion to promote inclusive culture, policies and practices within mainstream schools
• what constitutes good practice for autism within educational settings

Introduction to Cybersecurity for Teachers by The Raspberry Pi Foundation

Start: 06/04/2020
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: teachers delivering cybersecurity lessons in the classroom
You will learn:

• how to explain the meanings of terms describing common cyberattacks, such as phishing, pharming, shoulder surfing and blagging
• about the protections offered to users by the Misuse of Computer Act
• how “anti-virus” software works

I hope you’ll like the courses I found for you – they are all quite short and easy to take up, so I’m sure they’ll give your brain the time to relax and focus on something new, rather than, well, quite grim reality.
Stay safe, and stay home!