Top 25 online courses in New Zealand – June 2020
Learners in New Zealand are signing up to a diverse range of online courses on FutureLearn, focused on career progression, self-improvement, mindfulness and more.
Learners in New Zealand are turning to online learning for a number of reasons.
Courses focused on preparing for English-language tests feature prominently here, alongside those on topics as diverse as mindfulness, Roman history, nutrition, and plagues!
Read on to find out more about the most popular online courses in New Zealand in June 2020.
1. COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus
New Zealand gained the world’s admiration for its quick and effective response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, coronavirus sadly remains a significant threat in many other parts of the world.
This course, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is designed for those who would like to know more about this tragic viral outbreak. Learners will explore the origins of the disease, as well as the latest insights, delivered by medical and scientific experts.
2. COVID-19 Critical Care: Understanding and Application
This course is aimed at frontline clinical staff responsible for caring for critically-ill patients during the coronavirus pandemic. It doesn’t follow the traditional structure of FutureLearn courses and is instead designed to be used as a collection of resources clinical staff can refer to as needed.
Topics covered include PPE, how to apply ventilation and organ support principles, and protecting staff and patient emotional wellbeing during this difficult time.
3. Data to Insight: An Introduction to Data Analysis and Visualisation
21st-century business decision-making processes are increasingly driven by data.
This course from the University of Auckland will introduce you to key data analysis skills to prepare you for or bring you up to speed with contemporary business practices.
You’ll be introduced to principles of statistical analysis, how to use data analysis tools, and how to present data visually to share key insights.
4. How to Teach Online: Providing Continuity for Students
The coronavirus outbreak has caused serious disruption to the education of millions of students across the world. To ensure that they do not miss out on these key months, many providers have taken classes, lecture, and seminars online.
This course is aimed at educators who find themselves in this situation who want to ensure continuity for their learners, regardless of the disruptive circumstances.
5. Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City
Rome was the centre of an empire that stretched from Portugal to Syria. The city itself was home to a number of legendary landmarks and institutions made to last for centuries, such as the Forum, the Pantheon, and the Colosseum. But, it was also a living, breathing city.
On this course, learners will get an exclusive guided tour around the ancient city with expert historian Dr Matthew Nicholls, using his award-winning 3D digital model of the city.
6. Teaching English Online
Delivering English language online offers considerable advantages. It widens access to education, and offers flexibility and convenience for teacher and student alike. However, teaching online requires a careful approach to ensure that lessons are just as effective as in-person teaching.
This course from English-language teaching experts, Cambridge Assessment English, helps prepares language teachers to teach online, exploring how to impart reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, and how to accurately assess their students’ progression.
7. Understanding IELTS: Reading
The IELTS is the world’s most popular English test for non-native speakers who need to prove their proficiency for work or study in an Anglophone environment.
This course from the British Council, one of the test’s administrators, focuses on the reading element of the IELTS test. You’ll learn what sort of texts and problems you’ll be faced with during the test, and explore general strategies to improve your reading comprehension overall.
8. Food as Medicine
What we eat can have a significant effect on our health and wellbeing.
This course, from Monash University, looks at the role food can play in preventing, mitigating, and even curing some of the various ailments from which we suffer.
As well as the relationship of food with different parts of our bodies, you’ll also look back at the history of food as medicine and to the future of nutritional science.
9. Plagues, Pestilence and Pandemics: Are You Ready?
Until the coronavirus outbreak, you might have been forgiven for thinking plagues and pandemics were a thing of the past. But outbreaks of infectious disease were a common occurrence across the globe, even before COVID-19.
This course explores the outbreak of infectious diseases, looking at how they spread and what they do our bodies. You will also consider what we can do to prevent the outbreak of future pandemics – certainly a topic that belongs high on the agenda given the events of 2020.
10. Human Rights and International Criminal Law: An Introduction
This course from the University of Padua explores the parallel development of human rights laws and international criminal law, looking at the interrelation between the two.
You will explore whether international criminal courts can be said to have safeguarded the most vulnerable members of the global community from human rights violations, and discuss what action needs to be taken in the future to ensure this is the case.
11. Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance
The fast pace and data overload of modern life can be stressful and even anxiety-inducing. While the concept dates back over centuries, in recent years a mindfulness movement has emerged in response to these pressures.
This asks that we focus our attention only on what’s happening around us at that particular moment, reducing distraction and mental overload. This course explores how we can incorporate these practices into our personal and professional lives, so we can live and work in a healthier way.
12. Understanding IELTS: Writing
This course from the British Council, one of the administrators of the IELTS test, explores strategies to prepare for the writing element of the test.
You’ll study the sorts of charts and graphs with which you’ll be faced in the first part of the test, considering what sort of language is needed for a successful response. You’ll also look at example questions for the second part, and discuss how to plan, write, and check essays.
13. Understanding IELTS
The IELTS English test is split into four different areas, each testing a different element of test-takers’ grasp of the language. These are: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This collection of four courses from the British Council is designed to help you approach the IELTS tests with confidence.
They will familiarise you with the sorts of challenges with you’ll face, what you will be assessed on, and strategies for test preparation.
14. Understanding Anxiety, Depression and CBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CBT for short, is a scientifically proven method for treating anxiety and depression.
On this course, you will first explore the meaning of the terms ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’, and look at what they really mean for those who experience them. You will then consider how CBT techniques can be used to address them, and why these can be effective.
15. Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition
Our brains are connected with our stomachs. What we eat, therefore, has a profound effect on our mental and brain health.
This course explores how and why this is the case from a scientific perspective, considering the role of our immune system and the microbes that live in our guts. You’ll explore how poor diets can have negative consequences for our mental and brain health, and how we can ultimately improve mental health through dietary change.
16. Hadrian’s Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier
Hadrian’s Wall represented the northernmost point of the Roman Empire, stretching from coast-to-coast across the north of (what is now) England. This frontier space offers us a wonderful focal point from which we can study ancient society and the discipline of archaeology.
This Newcastle University course looks at what life looked like before the Romans arrived, through to the development of a surprisingly cosmopolitan culture in their wake.
You’ll learn about the homes, dress, and beliefs of the people who lived around the wall, and discover how we glean all of this through archaeological work.
17. Logical and Critical Thinking
This course from the University of Auckland promises no less than to teach you how to think. That is, not instilling any particular beliefs, but instead thinking about how to order your thoughts in order to reach clear and accurate conclusions, based on sound arguments.
You’ll learn to identify common mistakes in thinking, how to recognise and evaluate arguments, how to use logical tools to build up arguments, and finally, how to bring these tools to bear in addressing both everyday and big, philosophical problems.
18. Introduction to Psychology: Biological Psychology
When we think of psychology, we often think about how our thoughts, motivations, and beliefs are shaped by the external world. But these are also shaped by what goes on inside our bodies too, in the form of various biological functions – particularly those which related to our nervous systems.
This course, from Monash University, explores how our genetics, our nervous systems, and inherited conditions affect how we behave, giving you new insight into psychology.
19. Maintaining a Mindful Life
Mindful behaviour can help improve all aspects of our lives: from communication and relationships to emotional health.
This course, from Monash University, builds upon Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance, for those who would like to discover how they can more deeply embed mindful practice into their lives. This can pave the way for both personal and professional growth.
20. Start Writing Fiction
Have you always dreamed of writing a novel or a collection of short stories?
This course from the Open University is designed to help you make that dream a reality. You’ll learn how famous authors began writing, practical tips to build up character and plot, and the importance of feedback during the writing process.
You’ll learn in a community of other aspiring writers to share advice, tips, and feedback to aid you in your journey, whether that’s to getting published or just writing a story for yourself.
21. Understanding IELTS: Speaking
The speaking element of the IELTS test can be one of the most intimidating for English learners.
This course from the British Council will help you prepare for this element of this test. You’ll explore the three sections of the text and the criteria your spoken English will be examined on, to help you in your preparation.
You can also complete practice exercises to help you build confidence not just for the day of the test, but real-life situations as well.
22. The Many Faces of Dementia
Dementia is estimated to affect 44 million people worldwide. For a sense of scale, that’s nine times the entire population of New Zealand.
This course from UCL explores dementia care and research through the eyes of four people experiencing less-common forms of dementia. You’ll explore the signs, symptom, and causes of these conditions, and how, through understanding these, we come closer to effective treatment.
23. Introduction to Content Design
They say that content is king. Whatever you think about that, there can be no denying the central role that content plays in the dissemination of information.
Content design is the art of making sure that this information is clear, accessible, and effectively conveys the necessary information. This course looks at content design from a government and public sector point of view, exploring the role of content designers as well as the subject itself.
24. Teaching Phonics in Early Childhood
The first few years of a child’s life are key in the development of language. At the centre of this is teaching children the relationship between written letters and sounds, which is called ‘phonics’.
This course explores the importance of code-related literacy – that is, understanding that these shapes are letters and form words. You’ll learn key strategies for teaching phonics to children at this key stage in their development, through the play-based pedagogy scientifically proven to work best.
25. Understanding ADHD: Current Research and Practice
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a condition with which most will be familiar, though our understanding often goes no deeper than the surface level.
Gaining a deeper understanding can help us develop empathy, and support the development of those with ADHD.
This course from King’s University London is designed to aid learners with this aspiration. You’ll explore definitions of ADHD, research around it (and controversies), and practical strategies to aid the personal development of those affected by ADHD.
