The University has launched a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to introduce people to research project skills.The ‘Developing your research project’ MOOC will enable anyone to study online, for free, wherever they are in the world – guiding them through every step of the research process, from developing a hypothesis and finding sources, to writing up and presenting findings.
Academic lead on the project Chris Fuller comments: “Curiosity is one of humanity’s most important characteristics, enabling us to make the unknown known, to break barriers and to shine a light on all aspects of life, from our day-to- day hobbies to the exploration of the stars.
“This course will help people to harness their curiosity and use it to undertake whatever research project they choose in a scholarly manner. It will guide people through all the different stages – drawing on the wealth of experience held by academics at Southampton, one of the top research universities in the UK.”
The MOOC requires no previous experience, there is no admission interview and no need to have ever studied online or even in higher education. It is intended for anyone who is currently undertaking or planning to undertake a piece of academic research, be that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), International Baccalaureate Extended Essay, coursework, or a piece of independent scholarship.
The course will last eight weeks, each requiring one hour of study per week. There will be recorded lectures, carefully selected readings and planned learning activities. A discussion forum will promote lively debate around weekly topics.
The MOOC opened for registration on Monday 12 May and will start on Monday 7 July. The course will be repeated, with a second start date of Monday 15 September.
If you would like to know more, or to register for the ‘Developing your research project’ MOOC visit these pages:
September start: www.futurelearn.com/courses/research-project-sep-2014