The Online Educator: People and Pedagogy (FutureLearn)

Offered by The Open University,
The Online Educator: People and Pedagogy (FutureLearn)

Design engaging courses, make your teaching more inclusive, navigate online research ethics and shape your digital identity. Enhance your online teaching with strategies from educational technology experts. As e-learning becomes ever-more widespread, online educators are being required to design learning experiences that engage and meet the needs of very diverse learners.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This course, developed by The Open University’s Institute of Educational Technology, explores four myths: that learning design is about technology and content; that innovation and accessibility are incompatible; that researching online learning is an ethics-free zone, and that educators’ online identities are irrelevant.
Studying the course will help you enhance your practice through videos, quizzes and discussion with peers.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 - Disruption and design

  • Current developments in online teaching
  • Navigating the hype about disruptive innovation
  • The relationship between content, technology, people and pedagogy in learning design
  • The challenges of meeting diverse students’ needs
  • The use of personas in creating relevant online courses

Week 2 - Innovation and accessibility

  • Myths about accessibility and digital innovation
  • Types of digital exclusion
  • Finding and evaluating accessibility guidelines
  • Applying accessibility guidelines to your teaching

Week 3 - Ethical evaluation of online teaching

  • Myths about researching and evaluating online teaching
  • Evidence and ethics
  • Navigating the hype around educational technology innovation
  • Evaluating research reports
  • Evaluating your own teaching innovations
  • Ethical considerations when researching online teaching

Week 4 - Who am I online?

  • Myths about online identity
  • The value to educators of a carefully constructed online identity
  • Evaluating your own online identity
  • Using Twitter to build an identity online

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Develop personas to inform the online learning design process
  • Identify the ethics considerations involved in researching online teaching
  • Apply accessibility guidelines to online teaching contexts
  • Identify key accessibility issues related to online learning
  • Reflect on your exisiting digital identity and plan for its future development
  • Explore ways of shaping a digital identity as an online educator
  • Discuss the relationship between technology, content, people and pedagogy in online courses.
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Genomics for Educators (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Wellcome Connecting Science

Genomics for Educators (FutureLearn)

Learn strategies and techniques for teaching genomics in and outside of the classroom to create enriching learning opportunities. Discover the importance of incorporating genomics into your curriculum. This three-week course from Wellcome Connecting Science will help you understand the benefits of teaching genomics and gain confidence in genomics education.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Dyslexia and Foreign Language Teaching (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Lancaster University

Dyslexia and Foreign Language Teaching (FutureLearn)

Learn more about dyslexia, and gain practical teaching tools and insights to help dyslexic students learn foreign languages. Discover teaching strategies to help dyslexic students learn a foreign language. Dyslexia affects 10-15% of the population. Dyslexic students are often either exempted from the study of additional languages or they underperform in foreign language classes.

Apr 17th 2023
4 Weeks
How to Create an Online Course (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Edinburgh

How to Create an Online Course (FutureLearn)

Discover key skills to create engaging online learning experiences. Learn how to design and develop online learning materials. Digital education is expanding faster than ever before, and learning online has become an essential part of how we teach and learn. On this two-week course, you’ll learn how to create online learning materials that are open, accessible, and engaging.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Using Film to Teach Literacy Online and in the Classroom (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The British Film Institute - BFI,INTO FILM

Using Film to Teach Literacy Online and in the Classroom (FutureLearn)

Explore the inspiring ways in which film can be used to deliver literacy learning for school students. Discover how to improve literacy using film. On this online course, you’ll identify how you can use film as a key tool to deliver literacy lessons, whether online or in the classroom, with your pupils.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Teaching Climate and Sustainability in Primary Schools: An Outdoor Learning Approach (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Teaching Climate and Sustainability in Primary Schools: An Outdoor Learning Approach (FutureLearn)

Build your confidence teaching climate and sustainability outdoors and develop ideas to implement in your school. Discover the importance of climate education and outdoor learning. Children around the world are demanding comprehensive and up-to-date education on climate and sustainability. Most teachers agree climate change education should be compulsory in schools, yet many feel ill-equipped to teach it.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Supporting Successful Learning in Primary School (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Supporting Successful Learning in Primary School (FutureLearn)

Build your understanding of learning and teaching to gain confidence in supporting children in school as a teaching assistant. Improve the support you provide for children's learning in primary school. Giving children in primary school the right support is vital. On this course you’ll hear from education experts, school staff and school children who provide insight into how children learn, the learning environment, and communicating in school.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Preparing for a PGCE (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The University of Warwick

Preparing for a PGCE (FutureLearn)

Introduce yourself to the PGCE programme and learn what the rewarding life of a teacher looks like. Get a headstart in the world of teaching with this introductory course. The PGCE is a postgraduate certificate in education that proves your credentials as a teacher in England, and can also allow you to teach abroad.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Preparing for Teaching (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Manchester Metropolitan University

Preparing for Teaching (FutureLearn)

Prepare for a career in teaching by learning the qualities of a good teacher and reflecting on your own experiences of education. Discover the world of teaching and learn how to be a good teacher. A great teacher can totally transform a subject and inspire a classroom of students to succeed. But, learning the most effective teaching strategies doesn’t happen overnight. This course is an ideal starting point before beginning a formal teacher training course. It will give you a sense of the most important teaching skills and help you explore your own preconceptions of teaching.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Professional Development for Early Career Teachers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Professional Development for Early Career Teachers (FutureLearn)

Find out how to develop and improve your teaching abilities as you start your career as a teacher. Improve your teaching practice and learn to manage your workload. The early stages of a career in teaching can be daunting. You’re regularly faced with new responsibilities and challenges. On this course you will get advice and support on improving your teaching skills as well as juggling your workload so you’re able to handle these challenges.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Global Education for Teachers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London

Global Education for Teachers (FutureLearn)

Discover key issues in global citizenship education and learn how to prepare your students for the global challenges of tomorrow. Incorporate global learning and global citizenship education into your teaching. Teachers today must prepare their students for a global future. Young people will need to learn how to positively engage with people from all over the world and build the skills and knowledge to become a global citizen.On this course, you’ll increase your confidence and ability to introduce global issues into your teaching. You’ll get CPD training in how to address global issues in your teaching and support global citizenship in your school.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Promoting Democracy in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Teachers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Manchester Metropolitan University

Promoting Democracy in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Teachers (FutureLearn)

Discover how teachers can promote a culture of democracy in the classroom. Improve the democratic competences in your teaching practice. Teachers can play a vital role in guiding and inspiring their students, especially when it comes to instilling democratic values in young citizens. On this course, you’ll learn how to educate your pupils in the values of democracy, exploring what democratic education means and how you can put it into practice in your classroom.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Blended and Online Learning Design (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London

Blended and Online Learning Design (FutureLearn)

Learn to develop the best pedagogy for your students using blended and online learning methods. Develop the skills you need to teach blended and online learning. Online learning is the future of teaching. This three-week teaching course aims to support teachers’ own innovations in teaching and learning online, whether you teach in a school, college or university.

Self Paced
3 Weeks