How to use the FutureLearn platform

Congratulations! By committing to this course, you’ve taken the first big step towards investing in yourself and changing your future for the better. And the great news is, you’re not alone!

Despite learning remotely, as you’ll soon discover, you’re part of a self-selecting and like-minded community, who have chosen to explore more about the opportunities that exist within this exciting and dynamic industry. And, as such, you all have a valuable role to play.

Like most things in life, the more you put into this course, the more you’ll get out of it, and that includes sharing ideas, reflecting on your current understanding, and engaging in social learning.

With that in mind, before we get going, we wanted to share our top tips for navigating this course in the most effective and rewarding way possible.

Finding Your Way Around

If you’re new to FutureLearn, you may want to familiarise yourself with how FutureLearn courses work before getting started.

You may also be interested in learning more about FutureLearn’s Terms & Conditions and how they apply to you.

You can also view our Code of Conduct.

Steer your course

FutureLearn courses are designed to be worked through in a particular order, but sometimes you might find it helpful to replay videos and audio, skip back and forwards to different parts in the course, or revisit the conversations happening. And don’t worry if you didn’t get everything done in one week – you can catch up later, and organise your learning time in a way that suits you and your life.

Sharing Your Thoughts

We can learn so much more through collaboration and communication, so don’t be afraid to get talking.

Throughout this course, you’ll see prompts from us asking for your ideas and thoughts based on course content. These provide an excellent opportunity for you to connect with your fellow learners from all over the world and, of course, learn from each other. In addition to commenting, don’t forget that you can reply to others’ comments, as well as showing your appreciation by liking or following other learners and educators.

Keep an open mind

Remember, your fellow learners will come from all over the world, from diverse backgrounds, and with different goals or expectations. This means you’ll probably approach problems and ideas in different ways, and hold different opinions.

We encourage you to be understanding and considerate when it comes to individual viewpoints or experiences. Keeping an open mind and being considerate in discussions with others is a great way to deepen your understanding by exploring other perspectives.

Take time to reflect

Spending time thinking about what you have achieved, reflecting on how you might apply your learning, and setting goals for the future can help you get even more out of this course.

We recommend keeping a learning journal either in a notebook or on a device, to record your achievements, note down key takeaways, and set realistic actions. This will help to keep you accountable and motivated throughout and after the course.

What do you think?

What are you hoping to get out of this course? Use the Comments section below to introduce yourself and tell your peers a little about your interests and background. Don’t forget to ask questions and respond to comments!