Friday 22 February 2013

The ScHARR MOOC Diaries: Part I - What are we up to?



The School of Health And Related Research (ScHARR) will this summer (2013) run 3 experimental MOOCs. The purpose of this project is to ascertain the feasibility of such a venture, assess the resource and workloads required and to see if students can be encouraged to sign-up for paid courses at the University upon completion of free MOOCs.

ScHARR already has significant experience and expertise in running distance learning postgraduate courses including the following established courses:

The School has provided funding to develop, resource and support these short MOOCs and it aims to address these themes over 4-week period this summer (exact start and end dates to be confirmed)
  1. MOOC 1: Health Inequalities This course explores the issue of health inequalities. It provides an opportunity to examine contemporary interpretations of health inequalities and related concepts like justice, fairness and equity. We discuss how different approaches to measuring, defining and monitoring health inequalities are influenced by social and political factors and how this, in turn, shapes strategies for addressing such inequalities.
  2. MOOC 2: Sustainable Healthy Diets This course introduces you to Sustainable diets as a concept (what might a sustainable diet look like, what does it not look like?) and then takes you through some of the challenges involved in choosing food which is both healthy and sustainable.
  3. MOOC 3: Health Technology Assessment
    This course introduces you to Health Technology Assessment (HTA) as a concept (what it is, what it involves) and then takes you through the key stages in the HTA and decision-making process.
Next week: Part II - choosing a platform...


    Luke Miller and Dan Smith