Learning online with Deakin

Deakin’s online courses are based on a few, but important, learning principles. To get the most out of this course, we encourage you to keep in mind the following.

Our learning philosophy

Deakin University is a pioneer in innovative digital learning. Several key principles underpin all our online courses, which are designed to:

• challenge you with new and interesting ideas
• prompt you to connect and engage with other learners and Deakin educators
• test your knowledge and understanding against clearly defined learning outcomes.

Get involved

Getting the most out of your online learning experience with Deakin begins by getting involved.

Our courses are designed for adult learners from around the globe who, like you, have diverse work, life and study experiences.

One of the key ways to optimise your learning is to participate in the tasks set by your educators and engage in topic-related conversations with other learners.

Learning through conversation

In this course, you’re invited to comment on topics, discuss issues and ask and/or answer questions.

Some of the ways you can do this include:

• adding a post to start or continue a conversation by building on what others are saying
• using reply to ask a question or make a comment that indicates you’re interested in what someone else has said and encourages them (or others) to expand on their ideas
• making a comment that links, compares or contrasts different themes in the conversation
• disagreeing with a comment in a curious, constructive and compassionate manner
• using like to indicate which comments most resonate with you.

Your task

Watch the video from Marcus O’Donnell, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Teaching and Learning at Deakin University, and practise getting involved by reflecting on the following and using the comments to join the conversation:

• Why do you think getting involved is an important part of online study?
• How will you get involved?
• What barriers might you encounter to getting involved and what are your tips for overcoming these?

You may also want to take a few minutes to find out how to make the most of your Deakin FutureLearn experience by reading this short guide.