FutureLearn

Behind the Scenes at the 21st Century Museum (FutureLearn)

Offered by University of Leicester,

Get an introduction to museum studies with this free online course. Learn about the people and ideas that shape museums today. How can we understand museums today? Who makes the decisions about what to put in them and whose stories they tell? Who are museums for and why are they working to engage new audiences? How do we respond emotionally to museum objects and spaces? And how can museums play a role in the pursuit of social justice, human rights, or health and wellbeing?

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

On this course you will explore these questions through a range of inspirational case studies and thought-provoking ideas. Discover how modern museums seek to impact our contemporary world, learning with National Museums Liverpool, one of the UK’s leading museum services, and the University of Leicester, pioneers of museum studies for over 50 years.

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

FutureLearn

University of Bristol

Unleash Your Potential: Innovation and Enterprise (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership Business

Get an introduction to innovation and enterprise, and learn to generate and evaluate your own ideas. In the ever-changing and highly competitive world we live in, the ability to think creatively has never been more important. Get an introduction to innovation and enterprise, and gain the confidence to generate ideas so that you can make a difference, with this online course from the University of Bristol.

Self Paced

4 Weeks

Innovation Enterprise Creativity

FutureLearn

University of Leeds

Innovation: the Fashion Industry (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership

Understand how big fashion retailers innovate and discover the story behind a favourite piece of your clothing. The course introduces a case study showing how Marks & Spencer has been a key innovator in fashion, introducing new fabrics that make our lives easier and more comfortable.

Self Paced

2 Weeks

Innovation Industry Fashion

Managing Museums in the 21st Century, a My Armenia Program series (edX)

EdX

Smithsonian,SmithsonianX

Managing Museums in the 21st Century, a My Armenia Program series (edX)

Management & Leadership Humanities

This course provides a broad introduction to various aspects of operating a museum. This course is not intended to serve as a primer for managing a museum, but rather as a resource for thinking about different approaches to museum operations and activities as shared by a number of diverse Smithsonian professionals. Parts of this course were developed for the My Armenia Program, a collaborative program of the people of Armenia, USAID, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Self Paced

Self-Paced

Social Media Fundraising Museums

Interdisciplinary Teaching with Museum Objects (edX)

EdX

Smithsonian,SmithsonianX

Interdisciplinary Teaching with Museum Objects (edX)

Education Humanities

Educators from four Smithsonian museums will explore connections among their collections and model teaching strategies that participants can implement with their students, whether online or in the classroom. Teachers, don't miss this special opportunity to learn with four Smithsonian museums from home!

Self Paced

Self-Paced

Education Teaching Museums

Coursera

The Museum of Modern Art

What Is Contemporary Art? (Coursera)

Art and Culture

What is contemporary art? In this course, you’ll consider this question through more than 70 works of art made between 1980 and the present, with a focus on art from the past decade. You’ll hear directly from artists, architects, and designers from around the globe about their creative processes, materials, and inspiration.

Nov 9th 2026

5-12 Weeks

History Art Creativity

Coursera

The Museum of Modern Art

Seeing Through Photographs (Coursera)

Film & Audio

Although taking, sharing, and viewing photographs has become second nature for many of us, our regular engagement with images does not necessarily make us visually literate. This course aims to address the gap between seeing and truly understanding photographs by introducing a diversity of ideas, approaches, and technologies that inform their making. In this course you will look closely at 100 photographs from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, going behind the scenes of the Museum and into artist studios through original films and audio interviews.

Nov 16th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Image History Photography

FutureLearn

University of Leeds

Starting a Business 3: Customers and Competitors (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership

Find out how understanding and targeting your market can help your business stand out from the crowd. To run a successful business you need to understand who your customers are and importantly, how you are going to reach them.

Self Paced

2 Weeks

Business Markets Startup

FutureLearn

University of Southampton

Contract Management: Building Relationships in Business (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership

Learn to build relationships and manage contracts successfully with this free online course backed by UK government and IACCM. Contracts are fundamental to all business activities and relationships are fundamental to all contracts. This free online course will help you understand contract management processes; give you the confidence to develop new contracts; and help you build successful relationships to implement contracts effectively.

Self Paced

3 Weeks

Business Relationships Contracts Contract Management

FutureLearn

Grenoble Ecole de Management

New Energy Technologies: Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership Sci: Energy & Earth Sciences

Explore the development of new energy technologies and discover key energy challenges with this online course. In a world facing pressing energy challenges, the need for alternative energy and new energy technologies has never been more pressing. This course explores the new and upcoming technologies that may help solve some of the world’s biggest energy challenges - examining them from both a business and technological perspective.

Self Paced

4 Weeks

Energy Solar Energy Sustainable Development

FutureLearn

Queensland University of Technology

Social Media Analytics: Using Data to Understand Public Conversations (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership Statistics & Data Analysis

How can you discover what’s being said about the things that matter to you on social media platforms, including Twitter? What are tweets and the cultural politics of Twitter? Learn to use TAGS and discuss the implications of accessing social media data. What are the pros and cons of analysing social media data in real time? Learn how to use Tableau to analyse data, identify trends and patterns and explore how social media have been used in times of crisis and during political campaigns.

Self Paced

3 Weeks

Gephi Social Media Tableau

FutureLearn

University of Bath

Modern Building Design (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership Sci: Environment

Learn how climate change, technology and regulation are changing modern building design and professional practice in construction. Climate change, technology and regulation are changing modern building design, and the professional practices of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry.

Self Paced

3 Weeks

Sustainability Architecture Technology

FutureLearn

Deakin University,Coventry University

Investigating Innovation (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership Business

What is innovation and why is being innovative important in your personal and professional life? Find out with this online course. Discover different types, processes, and outcomes of innovation. Innovation is a key element of entrepreneurial success and growth for any organisation. Being innovative gives a business a competitive advantage and helps shape a positive future.

Self Paced

2 Weeks

Business Innovation Entrepreneurship