Learning together

How to learn on this course

Your learning

You are going to learn by watching videos, reading articles, completing exercises where you apply the BlobToolKit tools for yourself, discussing the content with other learners, and checking your understanding using quizzes and a final test. You should be able to complete most parts of the course using only an internet browser, but you will probably find it easier to use the tools if you have access to a laptop or computer with a large monitor, rather than a mobile phone or tablet.

Comments

During almost every step of the process, you will be able to use the comments area to discuss the course material with other learners. We encourage you to try social learning by sharing your thoughts and ideas. Some of the course’s steps are Discussion Steps. Please take a look at FutureLearn’s Social Learning Tips and FutureLearn’s Learning Guide for more details.

Use these ideas to help you to make comments and to join in the Discussion Steps:

• Write what you would also say to someone face-to-face
• Make constructive comments – critique the idea, not the person
• Remember that other learners vary in culture, age and experience
• Read your comments and responses through before posting
• Some learners do not have English as their first language, so always try to write clearly
• Explain any acronyms you use and avoid jargon if you can

If you read a comment that you think might break FutureLearn’s Code of Conduct, report it to FutureLearn’s moderators for review by clicking the flag button beneath it.

On average, the course should take you about 3 hours a week to do. It may take you more or less time depending on several factors, including your learning preferences, your prior knowledge and experience, and how much time you have available. We encourage you to:

• Learn when it is best for you, and at a pace that suits you
• Use the quizzes to help you track your learning, recall and apply key concepts, and reflect upon what you have learnt
• Remember to press the ‘Mark as complete’ tab as you complete each step

At the end of each week we will share a summary of your key discussion points and give you feedback.

Completing the course

In the third week of the course you will have an opportunity to carry out a short project where you will use BlobToolKit to interpret a genome assembly for yourself, and you will be able to receive feedback on your analysis. The project is not required for successfully completing the course but it will help you to apply what you have learned.

Free Certificate of Achievement

If you are interested in obtaining a free digital Certificate of Achievement, you will need to score 70% or above on the final test, and complete 90% of the steps in the course (not including submitting your project). You should try to answer all the final assessment questions. You have three attempts for each question.