Janet Small
Course developer working in higher education in South Africa. Living in the beautiful city of Cape Town.
Location Cape Town
Activity
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Janet Small replied to Thomas J Davids
@AyeshaMohamed There are no deadlines for upgrade or certificate purchases. You can upgrade (or buy a certificate on a free course which doesn't offer upgrades) anytime, even if the course has finished. see more details here - https://futurelearn.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008223287-Purchasing-an-Upgrade-or-paying-for-a-course
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Dear Sandra. I am very sorry to hear that, and I am not sure why you are not seeing the videos on this course. You could: 1) try downloading them (the download button is on the right hand side underneath the video) ; 2) using a different browser to access the course (for instance Chrome or Internet Explorer); 3) logging on with a different device (like a...
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sorry about this - the book isn't available from CUP any longer, but it may be possible to order it on Amazon.
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Janet Small replied to Cameron Blair
Welcome Cameron -- good use of holiday time ; )
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Janet Small replied to John King
Great that you came back, John! Anusuya will be happy to hear your feedback.
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Janet Small replied to Alyson Kelman
welcome back, Alyson!
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It worked for me - can you try it again?
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Janet Small replied to Archie Johnson
agree, it is a fascinating course!
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Thanks for sharing the twitter handle for @artinhospitals. Interesting initiatives! I wonder if there are any other collections about art in hospitals from other countries?
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Janet Small replied to Deborah Harrison
Hi Deborah - thanks for all your contributions. Glad that you have enjoyed the first week. We hope that there will be more discussion with others as you go through.
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Janet Small replied to Gill Sher
Thanks Gill - if you have any links to your reading about the Memory Project in Uganda, I am sure others would love to share them.
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Helmans, Cecil. (2006) Suburban Shaman: Tales from Medicine’s Frontline. Published by Hammersmith Press: London - details are also in the reading list in the last step.
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Janet Small made a comment
Great to see you all joining the course - I am sure you will find many different topics of interest and hopefully enjoy talking to each other.
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Janet Small replied to JABEZ CHIDA
Welcome Jabez, great to have you here from Kenya. We hope you enjoy the course.
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@KenHubbard Thanks for picking up the spelling error - we will get it corrected.
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Janet Small replied to Nicholas Ochanda
wow - that's impressive tree planting, Nicolas. thank you!
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Janet Small replied to Tricia Parray
You can work through the material as quickly as you want, Tricia - there are no restrictions - it is organised into 6-weeks to make it easier for most people to fit it around their other commitments - but it is designed to allow you to go through it at your own pace. Hope you find the course useful.
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Looking forward to your contributions, Sanjukta. I am sure you will be able to respond to many of the discussions and questions as well.
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Janet Small replied to Karen J
Good to have you here, Karen and Teresa - I think you will find a lot of interesting information in the coming weeks.
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Janet Small replied to Angela Rodwell
Welcome Angela - there is lots here.
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Janet Small replied to Jonathan Hopkins
Yes, Jonathan, I think you will find a similar sentiment from Anusuya through this course (she has a special focus on this in week 5).
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Greetings Mary - welcome to the course! Wondering which country has similar ecozones to South Africa - is it one of the South American countries? Hope you will share some info about your region too.
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Janet Small made a comment
Great to hear the positive feedback - if you enjoyed week one, you should find the coming weeks really interesting.
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Janet Small replied to Karen Wells
In step 1.2, we made a document of the key diagrams for downloading which you could use to follow the (rather breathtaking) timescale we are covering across the course!
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Janet Small replied to Julie Rogers
That's great to hear @SueC - thanks for the feedback
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Janet Small replied to Pam Collins
@Pam - if you search on amazon for books by Anusuya you will find a variety from scholarly to popular level. Fossils for Africa was developed as a popular science book suitable for high school learners and teachers - containing rich illustrations and essential information, rather detailed discussions.
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Janet Small replied to Neville van Wyk
Welcome Neville! You're in for a treat as Roger Smith is one of Anusuya's guest lecturers in the course and you'll be revisiting some of the Karoo fossil evidence in week 3 :)
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In week 4, one of the guest speakers deals with early humans and touches on various aspects of human development and the environment.
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Janet Small replied to Julie Rogers
@JulieRogers @AnnSullivan @AstridThompson - yes, we're including the quizzes as a means to recap/ review some of the key material, so it's best to approach them as Astrid suggests as an opportunity for learning. You can also skip them out altogether if you find them frustrating rather than helpful.
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Janet Small replied to Richard Holland
@NatHarrod wow! I think that is a also a tribute to the wonderful participation we get each time the course runs - so many interesting discussions and information sharing.
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yes, Nishen, you're welcome to use the material from this course. Anusuya has licenced it to allow reuse -- as long as you credit where it came from :)
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Janet Small replied to Martin Corfe
welcome Martin - yes, Anusuya has provided a lot of really interesting extra links which are worth looking at (usually at the bottom of the pages/steps). Enjoy the course.
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Janet Small replied to Sue Hayward
Welcome back, Sue! Hope you make it through this time :)
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Welcome Eszter - glad you found the course. You can work through the material at your own pace -- while there are lots of interesting comments left from earlier, you may not get many responses to your comments, as many people have already finished. But that shouldn't stop you enjoying the course. :)
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Thanks for passing on the information to your friends. The course will run again in August :)
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@BarbaraPickering ; @MW& Thank you for this wonderful feedback. So glad that you enjoyed the course - Anusuya will be thrilled :)
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Thank you, Santiago -- corrected!
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That's good news, Hilary. All the small efforts can add up. Glad you enjoyed the course.
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Janet Small replied to Barbara J
It's fine to join late - you can work through the material at your own pace, and you have the benefit of reading all the really interesting comments left by others who have already been through the material. I am sure you will enjoy it.
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Welcome to this course - you will definitely be able to learn more about an amazing array of extinct creatures.
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Janet Small replied to Best Khoza
Hi Best - by the time you read this, you may have already seen Anusuya's article on the topic of dinosaur naming which is posted at the end of step 4.5. https://theconversation.com/unraveling-the-mystery-of-how-dinosaurs-get-their-names-44367
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Janet Small replied to Trish Carter
Sorry, Patricia - there are some people interested in earning a certificate and we're trying to offer flexibility.
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Janet Small replied to Lee Scott
@PhilipWest - Hi Phil. You'll have to argue that point with Anusuya!
So great to get your positive feedback. I am sure that Anusuya will be delighted to hear that you are eager for more ... -
Janet Small replied to Geoffrey Locks
Yes, thanks @JeffJ for pointed out that one can switch the video subtitles to display or to turn off. Also, @GeoffreyLocks & @JeffJ did you notice that each video has a downloadable transcript at the bottom of the page (listed under the heading 'Downloads' - English transcript PDF)?
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Janet Small replied to Lee Scott
You've reached end so quickly, Lee. Thanks for the great review, and so pleased you enjoyed the course :)
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Janet Small replied to Hermes ili
Yes, that's a mistake. Thanks for noticing the errors. They have been corrected.
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Janet Small replied to Mary Hawking
I don't think you will have any trouble catching up, Mary. And I hope once you get started, you will get enticed to keep working through the material. Anusuya is a fantastic science communicator, and there have been some really interesting contributions from other participants in the comments sections. Enjoy.
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Janet Small replied to Best Khoza
Welcome back Best - great to have some UCT home bodies here :)
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Janet Small replied to Ella Shennett
Welcome, Ella - this should be the perfect course for you, and I think you will find Anusuya a wonderful lecturer. Enjoy the course.
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Thank you for that feedback, Philip! So glad you're enjoying the course :)
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Janet Small replied to Thiago Ramos
Welcome Thiago - excellent that this course fits so well with your current studies. I am sure you will enjoy it.
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Janet Small replied to Rachel Field
Great you are here! I am sure you will find it interesting.
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Janet Small replied to Philip West
Welcome, Phil, I am sure you will be able to add a lot to the discussions. Enjoy learning.
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Janet Small replied to Pfano PP
Welcome Pfano - we look forward to your insights from the field of genetics. This course has been developed for people without any specialist scientific training but we hope you will still find it stimulating and interesting.
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Janet Small replied to Dominique C.
I think you will find this course ideal for the kinds of questions you are concerned about. Welcome, Dominque.
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Janet Small replied to Doug Rawlings
Welcome Doug, great to have you on the course - we look forward to your contributions to the discussions.
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There are quite a few people on this course with a geology background who may be able to respond to your question, Daniel.
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Janet Small replied to Dani Werner
Welcome Danielle - wonderful you've joined the course.
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Janet Small replied to Kathy Penney
It sounds like you have a lot of relevant background knowledge, and above all, interest - I am sure you will have a lot to contribute to the discussions.
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Janet Small replied to OMPHILE SIKWANE
Hi Omphile -- you'll be able to find out about a lot of fascinating research being conducted in SA at the moment - and in week four, you may enjoy hearing from one of Anusuya's PhD students discussing his research.
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sorry about the padlet wall Linda -- for my side, the link works. You could try another browser? Or we can wait to see if anyone else has a problem, but there isn't anything absolutely essential on it.
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Janet Small replied to Ethan Townsend
Welcome Ethan - you're definitely in the right place to hear about the extinction events. Enjoy the course.
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Hi David - I will follow up to try and find out why this is the case, because we know that the book is not out of print. Thanks for the heads up.
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Janet Small replied to J P Lynch
Dear JP Lynch - this is part of the upgrade model introduced by FutureLearn last year which allows people to earn a certificate of completion. There are people on the course who asked for this opportunity.
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see my response below, Lorna. Class Central is an independent website which lists MOOCs across all platforms with the aim of helping people find courses.
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@LornaAllen - Class Central is an independent website which lists MOOCs across all platforms with the aim of helping people find courses - not only courses on FutureLearn. It is a great place to browse through available courses if you are looking for something on a specific topic.
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Sorry you are struggling to find this book in the UK - we provided a link to Amazon.com because this course is available to people throughout the world. The book is also available through various book distributors in South Africa.
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Janet Small replied to Heather Baker
welcome Heather - you will find lots of interesting discussions from the other course participants as you work through the steps - with extra links and resources offering all kinds of interesting side angles and elaborations. The human evolution topic only appears in week 4 but I am sure you will enjoy the weeks on the emergence of early life forms as well.
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Janet Small made a comment
Thanks for all the feedback everyone who has finished the course -- so glad that you enjoyed the course! You can keep up with Anusuya through her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Extinctions-Past-and-Present-1483416298367396/) which she set up after someone from the course asked for a way to keep hearing about new research on these topics.
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Thank you for your very positive feedback, Matthew. Glad you enjoyed all the marvelous interviews! I will also pass on your appreciation to the video team (whom as you say, do an enormous amount of work in helping Anusuya create her wonderful course). In regards to your question about upgrading - you can upgrade at any stage and go and take the tests, but...
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That's so good to hear, Matthew :)
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Janet Small replied to Amanda Thomas
Welcome Amanda. Anusuya has produced some very useful simplified charts (they are introduced in the first week) which could be helpful teaching tools. The scale of time is so mind boggling...
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Janet Small replied to Polly Fenn
Excellent choice, Polly - I am sure you will enjoy Anusuya's course :)
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Janet Small made a comment
Welcome to those joining this week - we hope that you enjoy the material. You're in for a treat, because those who started earlier have left a lot of really interesting posts with questions and further links to related materials.
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Janet Small replied to Peter Lees
Thanks, Peter - great to get that feedback :) Anusuya will be delighted.
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Janet Small replied to Liz Galton
Hi Liz - Yes, if you go back to week 1 (step 1.2) and look under 'course resources' you can download the three charts Anusuya uses in the course and in step 1.6, you can download this particular chart.
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Janet Small made a comment
thanks for doing the survey everyone!
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Hi Dorothee - those references at the end of the video are related to the sources of the images and graphics in the videos, not to further reading. Links to further reading are found at the bottom of the page.
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Thank you for the feedback, Martin - hope you do make it to Cape Town one day!
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hope so too, Judith - curiosity is also a good reason to join :)
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Janet Small replied to Kathleen Anne B
Hi Kathleen, you may submit as many answers as you like per question. Once you have completed the quiz, you can go back and take it again, but it will retain your last answer until you select a new one.
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Janet Small made a comment
Anusuya has just added a new link below this interview to a short article which reports on a new study about the emergence of land based plants.
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Catriona - we have added some of the diagrams to the transcript which you can download as a PDF at the bottom of the page. But it does not include all the visual material. Thanks Mike for your suggestions.
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Janet Small replied to Antonio W. Salas
That's good to hear, Kathleen - we would love to hear whether your students respond well to them.
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Janet Small replied to Carol N
Glad you could persist despite the technology challenges, Carol. Hope to see you around during the coming weeks.
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Janet Small replied to Liz Parker
yes, there have been such amazing contributions, with lots of generous sharing of knowledge - it really adds to the course experience :)
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Janet Small replied to Alex Grant
So pleased to hear that, Alex - and thanks for your participation and knowledge contributions!
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Thank you for that feedback, Gill - Anusuya will be thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed it.
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Janet Small replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
Great you found the course, Kleo :) Welcome!
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Janet Small replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
Anusuya responded to this question in step 2.6, Mike, if you go look through the comments.
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Janet Small replied to Peter Lees
@LindaCooke Glad you liked one of our other courses, What is a Mind? It should be running again in May, so you can tell your friends to look out for it : )
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Janet Small made a comment
Welcome to people joining this week - you shouldn't have any trouble catching up, and you get to read the really interesting comments which have been left by participants on the first week. We hope you enjoy the course.
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Janet Small replied to Antonio W. Salas
Welcome Antonio - hope you find this course inspiring for your own course design. Many of Anusuya's materials have been openly licenced to allow for reuse - especially for teaching.
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Janet Small replied to Colette Linehan
@ColetteLinehan - so pleased to hear that!
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Janet Small replied to Liz Galton
Hi Liz, glad you enjoyed the first week - On your comment about the number of women, you will be pleased to know that Anusuya herself is a huge promoter of women in science initiatives.
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Janet Small replied to Rebecca Brown
that is incredible, Rebecca- what a wonderful way to socialise and learn. Hope you will all thoroughly enjoy this one!
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Janet Small replied to Colette Linehan
Hello Colette - the video seems to be playing okay on our side. Is this the only one you have had trouble with? You can download the video and then watch it offline - there is a button underneath the video on the right hand side. There are also full transcripts at the bottom of the page which include some of the important visual from the lecture. Let us...
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Janet Small replied to Linda Cooke
Hi Linda - you can look at Ed's blog for more material - http://rybicki.wordpress.com
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Janet Small replied to Jonathan Hopkins
Great you came back, Jonathan.
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Janet Small replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
@MikeRaven - thanks for that lovely Sagan quote - so true but often people forget that ...
