7 Free Online Courses in May

The weather is getting more and more enjoyable, and the evenings are simply made to go out, breathe in the scent of spring flowers and listen to the birds clearly enjoying their human-free time. Unfortunately I can’t enjoy a nice evening walk… but I can still enjoy a May evening, with a great online course.
And this May brings some really interesting courses you can also enjoy.

How To Teach Online: Providing Continuity for Students by FutureLearn

Start: open
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: educators, teachers, lecturers, and trainers who have to rapidly move from face-to-face to online teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
You will learn:

• how to adapt your practice to the online context
• how to manage the personal impact of teaching online
• how to create and share approaches and techniques for maintaining continuity while moving teaching and learning online
• how to collect, review and evaluate student feedback on your new approaches

COVID-19: Helping Young People Manage Low Mood and Depression by the University of Reading

Start: 04/05/2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: people who have contact with young people during COVID-19
You will learn:

• how to engage in strategies for managing your  thoughts  and your feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic
• how to use this time as an opportunity for developing resilience
• how to apply helpful communication techniques to ensure conflict is kept to a minimum

Inside IELTS: Preparing for the Test with the Experts by the British Council, IDP, IELTS and Cambridge Assessment English

Start: 11/05/2020
Duration: 5 weeks
Recommended for: people who want to take IELTS Academic or improve their IELTS score
You will learn:

• how preparing for IELTS can also help you develop skills that are useful in Higher Education
• how to identify your own strengths and needs in relation to IELTS Academic
• how to assess your specific abilities in order to find ways to improve

Business Fundamentals: Effective Networking by the Open University

Start: 11/05/2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: people who want enhance and develop their professional network
You will learn:

• how to identify, select and use online tools to enhance your digital presence
• how to apply the principles of effective networking
• how to develop interpersonal skills including giving and receiving feedback, listening and using appropriate body language

Foundations of Project Management by the University of Coventry

Start: 18/05/2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: people who want to explore project management
You will learn:

• how to assess the importance of project management
• how to describe the typical project management process, its documentation and deliverables that are produced in each project phase
• project phases and processes, such as traditional project life cycles

Building a Future with Robots by the University of Sheffield

Start: 25/05/2020
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: people with an interest in robotics
You will learn:

• some basic principles of robotic design
• existing and potential real-life robotic applications
• what a robot needs to be able to sense the world using drones, youBots and autonomous cars as examples

Leaders of Learning by Harvard University

Start: open
Duration: 10 weeks
Recommended for: people with an interest in learning and its future
You will learn:

• how to define your personal theory of learning
• what leadership looks like in different learning environments
• how an organization’s structure reflects its theories of learning
• how neuroscience will affect the future of learning

And for now – stay safe!

I hope you’ll find the courses interesting and enjoyable. Hopefully it’s the last month of self-isolation – I do realise life won’t be the same for a while, but I would love to switch offline for a week or so…