FutureLearn

The Online Educator: People and Pedagogy (FutureLearn)

Offered by The Open University,

Design engaging courses, make your teaching more inclusive, navigate online research ethics and shape your digital identity. Enhance your online teaching with strategies from educational technology experts. As e-learning becomes ever-more widespread, online educators are being required to design learning experiences that engage and meet the needs of very diverse learners.

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

This course, developed by The Open University’s Institute of Educational Technology, explores four myths: that learning design is about technology and content; that innovation and accessibility are incompatible; that researching online learning is an ethics-free zone, and that educators’ online identities are irrelevant.
Studying the course will help you enhance your practice through videos, quizzes and discussion with peers.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 - Disruption and design

Current developments in online teaching
Navigating the hype about disruptive innovation
The relationship between content, technology, people and pedagogy in learning design
The challenges of meeting diverse students’ needs
The use of personas in creating relevant online courses

Week 2 - Innovation and accessibility

Myths about accessibility and digital innovation
Types of digital exclusion
Finding and evaluating accessibility guidelines
Applying accessibility guidelines to your teaching

Week 3 - Ethical evaluation of online teaching

Myths about researching and evaluating online teaching
Evidence and ethics
Navigating the hype around educational technology innovation
Evaluating research reports
Evaluating your own teaching innovations
Ethical considerations when researching online teaching

Week 4 - Who am I online?

Myths about online identity
The value to educators of a carefully constructed online identity
Evaluating your own online identity
Using Twitter to build an identity online

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

Develop personas to inform the online learning design process
Identify the ethics considerations involved in researching online teaching
Apply accessibility guidelines to online teaching contexts
Identify key accessibility issues related to online learning
Reflect on your exisiting digital identity and plan for its future development
Explore ways of shaping a digital identity as an online educator
Discuss the relationship between technology, content, people and pedagogy in online courses.

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

Study Melbourne

Best Practice for Education: Professional Development Showcase (FutureLearn)

Education Teacher Professional Development

Explore the wealth of expertise in teaching available from world leading institutions within the Australian State of Victoria. Discover practical ways of teaching to support your students. Are you a teacher looking to learn how to embed exciting and emerging teaching practices successfully but are under time-constraints? If so, you’ve come to the right place. This 4 week course will teach you, through a series of bite-sized modules, how to adapt your teaching to create better outcomes.

Self Paced

4 Weeks

Education Learning Teaching

FutureLearn

Queensland University of Technology

Child Protection for Teachers (FutureLearn)

Education Law

Feel empowered to protect your students by identifying and reporting signs of child abuse and neglect. Learn to identify the warning signs and indicators of child abuse and neglect. This course will enable you to recognise the signs of child abuse and neglect, and learn how maltreatment impacts on children’s learning and development. It will also help you to understand your role as a reporter.

Self Paced

2 Weeks

Teaching Child Protection Child Abuse

FutureLearn

Manchester Metropolitan University

How to Succeed as a Newly Qualified Teacher (FutureLearn)

Education Teacher Professional Development

Learn management strategies and skills to support yourself as a newly qualified teacher in your first teaching post and beyond. Prepare yourself for the challenges and opportunities of life as a new teacher. Designed by educational experts at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Education, this course will support you in the transition from teacher training to being a newly qualified teacher.

Self Paced

3 Weeks

Teaching Teacher Teacher Development

FutureLearn

University of Leeds

Learning Online: Managing Your Identity (FutureLearn)

CS: Information & Technology

Reflect on how you want to present yourself online and take positive steps towards these goals. Many of us now have an online identity running alongside our everyday lives. In this course you’ll consider your online presence; you’ll discover how what we say and do online can have major implications for our real lives, and those of others.

Jun 29th 2026

2 Weeks

Online Learning Social Media Identity

FutureLearn

British Council

Exploring Instructional Leadership in Education (FutureLearn)

Management & Leadership Education

Learn how instructional leadership can motivate staff, transform teaching and learning, and help students to succeed. Discover the link between effective leadership and improved student outcomes. Instructional leaders in schools create supportive and collaborative learning environments for staff and students. On this three-week course, you’ll explore the role of instructional leadership techniques in affecting student outcomes and how to embed them into your school’s practices.

Jan 6th 2025

3 Weeks

Education Learning Teaching

FutureLearn

The LEGO Foundation

Learning through Play with LEGO® Braille Bricks (FutureLearn)

Teacher Professional Development

Discover the benefits of using a play-based approach to teaching children braille – and life skills – using LEGO Braille Bricks. Experience the benefits of play to engage children with learning braille. Children are engaged in learning from birth – tackling problem solving, communication, collaboration, and exploration from their earliest weeks.

Self Paced

5-12 Weeks

Learning Teaching Inclusive Education

FutureLearn

The University of Warwick

Preparing for a PGCE (FutureLearn)

Education

Introduce yourself to the PGCE programme and learn what the rewarding life of a teacher looks like. Get a headstart in the world of teaching with this introductory course. The PGCE is a postgraduate certificate in education that proves your credentials as a teacher in England, and can also allow you to teach abroad.

Self Paced

4 Weeks

Education Teaching Mental Health

FutureLearn

University of Edinburgh

How to Create an Online Course (FutureLearn)

Education

Discover key skills to create engaging online learning experiences. Learn how to design and develop online learning materials. Digital education is expanding faster than ever before, and learning online has become an essential part of how we teach and learn. On this two-week course, you’ll learn how to create online learning materials that are open, accessible, and engaging.

Self Paced

2 Weeks

Online Learning Digital Tools Active Learning

FutureLearn

University of Reading

Supporting Successful Learning in Primary School (FutureLearn)

Education

Build your understanding of learning and teaching to gain confidence in supporting children in school as a teaching assistant. Improve the support you provide for children's learning in primary school. Giving children in primary school the right support is vital. On this course you’ll hear from education experts, school staff and school children who provide insight into how children learn, the learning environment, and communicating in school.

Self Paced

4 Weeks

Education Learning Teaching

FutureLearn

University of Reading

Supporting Successful Learning in Secondary School (FutureLearn)

Education

Develop your understanding of learning and teaching and build your confidence in supporting students in secondary school. Improve the support you provide to students' learning in secondary school. Engaging young people in the classroom can be a challenge for teachers and teaching assistants. Secondary school students often learn differently to younger students. This can require a different teaching approach.

Self Paced

4 Weeks

Education Learning Teaching

FutureLearn

Manchester Metropolitan University

Preparing for Teaching (FutureLearn)

Education Teacher Professional Development

Prepare for a career in teaching by learning the qualities of a good teacher and reflecting on your own experiences of education. Discover the world of teaching and learn how to be a good teacher. A great teacher can totally transform a subject and inspire a classroom of students to succeed. But, learning the most effective teaching strategies doesn’t happen overnight. This course is an ideal starting point before beginning a formal teacher training course. It will give you a sense of the most important teaching skills and help you explore your own preconceptions of teaching.

Self Paced

3 Weeks

Education Career Teaching

FutureLearn

University of East Anglia

Professional Development for Early Career Teachers (FutureLearn)

Education Teacher Professional Development

Find out how to develop and improve your teaching abilities as you start your career as a teacher. Improve your teaching practice and learn to manage your workload. The early stages of a career in teaching can be daunting. You’re regularly faced with new responsibilities and challenges. On this course you will get advice and support on improving your teaching skills as well as juggling your workload so you’re able to handle these challenges.

Self Paced

5-12 Weeks

Teaching Teacher Teacher Development