#statement of participation

[learner-stories]

“Initially my motive for signing up to FutureLearn was for my own personal interest but once I started the Forensic Psychology course I took what I learnt into the classroom with my students”.

Lynda, a teacher from Dagenham has been teaching at an Ilford secondary school for 12  years. She became PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) and careers co-ordinator 3 years ago. “I really enjoy my job and feel very proud of the students achievements . Seeing the change in the students as they grow into young adults and the progress they make, it makes it all worthwhile” Lynda discovered FutureLearn through the deputy Head teacher who had introduced the website to the year 12 students.  Lynda was captivated immediately and signed up to the Forensic Science and Criminal Justice course from the University of Leicester. She stated  ‘I have always been very interested in Criminology subjects so I found it fascinating and informative. I just loved the course! I found I could learn on the go, I could read the lecture transcripts if I wasn’t able to watch the video in a public place, in waiting rooms, whenever I had a spare minute! It fits in with my lifestyle. I just love learning and once I completed the first course and received my certificate it motivated me to increase my knowledge further. Once Lynda completed this course she signed up to the Forensic Psychology course from the Open University and found she could use online learning for professional purposes as well as personal. “Initially my motive for signing up to FutureLearn was for my own personal interest but once I started the Forensic Psychology course I took what I learnt into the classroom with my students. I’m passionate about my job and it’s important for me to keep up to date with current affairs.  I feel it’s important for young people to also keep up to date and learn valuable life skills. What I was learning was so engaging; subjects from domestic violence, DNA findings to witness crime scenes. With my year 9 students I taught whole lessons inspired by what I had learnt through FutureLearn involving issues relating to knife crime law, witness investigation and shared a video clip from the course” Lynda has grown in confidence by improving her skills and gaining tools to use in her career which has inspired her to challenge herself more

“I have more interesting things to add to conversations related to courses, Myself and my colleague the Head of Psychology frequently have interesting conversations. She feeds my enthusiasm and sends me interesting articles.  I feel positively encouraged and that she is proud of my progress.

I feel inspired to try new things in the classroom. Next term I will start a tutor programme with year 10 and 11 students helping them with CV’s writing, interview prep and job applications using some Business and Management FutureLearn courses I also plan on sharing the healthcare courses with students with interests in those areas. After I finish my current course I will be shifting my focus more towards career development for myself and University preparation for my students”

Lynda also discussed the positives of using the course comments pages.

“At times when you may be questioning your understanding of a complex subject it’s encouraging to receive positive feedback from the course lecturer or your peers.  I feel proud and spurred on and find it beneficial ” I cannot recommend FutureLearn enough. I tell as many friends, colleagues and students about it as possible. It makes learning accessible to more people. Some degrees and diplomas are too expensive for a lot of people or they don’t have enough time to commit.  With these courses you can work them around you. I purchase a certificate for every course I complete. I feel a real sense of achievement and accomplishment when I receive them. The course is free so to me  the cost for a statement of participation or a certificate is nothing in comparison, it supports what I do and is a treat to myself.  

[learner-stories]

“73% of the people that took the course wanted to remain in the EU, it helped us to understand the advantages of remaining.”

Vanessa, 75, born in Scotland, she came down to London after WW11 but moved to South Oxhey near Watford Hertfordshire when she was ten years old and now lives in Bushey Hertfordshire. Vanessa is the embodiment of a true FutureLearner - she has taken five FutureLearn courses and continues to crave more learning. She graduated from the Open University more than 30 years ago and worked as a career advisor.

With FutureLearn courses, she said, all the “learning is coming back” to her. Taking courses on FutureLearn is “something to keep my mind alive. I think all the different universities make it very interesting, and all the different English accents make it very attractive!”

Vanessa took the course ‘Why The European Union? A Brief History of European Integration’ from Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona. She took this course in advance of the June 2016 EU referendum vote in the UK, and was interested in understanding more about the implications of the vote, in addition to learning about the history of the EU.

She vividly remembers the first time she voted in the 1975 EEC (common market) referendum*, where she felt uninformed and undecided, so voted “against” the UK’s participation in the European Union. But this time around, after taking this FutureLearn course, Vanessa learned about the history and significance of the European Union and choose to vote “remain”.

When asked about the outcome of the referendum, Vanessa expressed deep disappointment with the result, since she wanted the UK to still be part of the EU.

“I really enjoyed the course and I was very disappointed with the result of the EU referendum. My interest and disappointment was mainly because the course helped me to understand the history of the European Union. 73% of the people that took the course wanted to remain in the EU, it helped us to understand the advantages of remaining.”

“I recommended the course to lots of people. To learn about the history of the EU and all the treaties that came. I also really liked the calmness of Fernando’s voice.”

When we asked her why she bought the Statement of Participation, she said “I was very keen on this particular course and the Statement of Participation documented my own personal achievement.”

*On 5 June 1975 there was a referendum in the United Kingdom, to define Britain’s membership to stay in the European Communities (EC), also known as the Common Market. This referendum was the first one to be held throughout the entire UK, and it is known as the United Kingdom EC referendum of 1975, the Common Market referendum or the EEC membership referendum. The result of this election was 67% in favour of remaining in the EC, with a 65% turnout.

[learner-stories]

“The statement was proof that I had done the Caring for Vulnerable Children course and was more equipped for adopting or fostering.”

Alison is a DTC administrative assistant at the University of Edinburgh and currently works with Phd students in Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics Research. She was first introduced to FutureLearn through Barnado’s, the adoption and fostering agency, as her and her husband are looking to adopt.

“One of the things that was suggested by Barnado’s was to do the 6 week course called Caring for Vulnerable Children on FutureLearn.”

“Whilst doing the Caring for Vulnerable Children course, it was fascinating to hear what was happening in people’s daily lives; people who actually work in social work and have that experience of dealing with vulnerable children.”

“Some of the things we were asked to do on the discussion forum meant we had to put in writing our own ideas, which isn’t always that easy, so it was good practice. We had a mockup of a young boy in a difficult home situation, we had to talk about in discussion forum what we would do in that situation and what made that child vulnerable.”

Alison also went on to purchase a Statement of Participation, in order to better demonstrate her commitment to adopting. “The statement was proof that I had done the Caring for Vulnerable Children course and was more equipped for adopting or fostering”.  

As part of the next phase in the adoption process, Alison and her husband have to commit to 12 months of volunteering with vulnerable children. To be approved to do this requires the completion of a very comprehensive befriending application. Alison therefore went on to do the How to Succeed at: Writing Applications course.

“We will be volunteering with children who are struggling or in a vulnerable situation at home. You get to spend time with a child every week. So doing the application course has helped me express myself better and hopefully improves our chances of being approved”.

“My husband and myself already volunteer with the Bethany Lunch-Time Care van in Edinburgh that goes out and gives free food and hot drinks to homeless people. We are already used to dealing with people who can be little aggressive or upset about things, and learned how you deal with that.”

When asked about some advice she might give to others looking to adopt, Alison says:

“Be honest about what you are able to give and also what you are looking for in terms of support from the adoption agency.  A child who has adults going in and out of their lives doesn’t want someone else coming in and out of it.”  

“We thought initially about volunteering with Barnado’s and we looked honestly at the setup they had. I didn’t feel comfortable with it because I couldn’t commit to their schedule.  We decided to instead do something with another organisation run by the Church of Scotland.  I felt more supported as the training suited my schedule better.”  

“Through the Church of Scotland, we’d be responsible for having input in a young person’s life whose parents have drug and alcohol abuse problems - I want to give the very best I can. I want to be in an environment where I was able to get that support that I needed, if and when I needed it.”

The How to Succeed in: Writing Applications course continues to benefit Alison even more widely, as she looks to progress her career at the University of Edinburgh, hoping to move towards the medical side and dealing with people who work in the NHS.  

“What I liked about the course was that you had to really reflect on yourself. I enjoyed the feedback given, the videos were good and made me really feel like I was connecting with the person who was teaching.”

Alison and her husband each take their own FutureLearn courses, allowing them to better explore both their common interests as well as their own.

[learner-stories]

“The more I work, the more I need to learn, the more I learn the more I want to learn more.”

John, 54, travels the world with his job in healthcare. He has used the University of Nottingham’s course, Designing E-Learning for Health, on FutureLearn, to help him continue to develop within his exciting and fast-paced career.

“I have always been the type of person fascinated with world travel, discovering new places, learning new languages and experiencing new cultures. Hence my life for the last decade has involved me living and working outside the UK. I have been lucky enough to combine my passion for travel with my career as a nurse.”

John’s career as a nurse has seen him work in many places including many cities in the UK. After many years in the north of England and London, John decided to take his career further afield.

“In 2002 I got the urge to travel abroad, so I moved to Oman to take up a role that proved to be one of the most satisfying roles of my career. I was employed to improve the standards of Neonatal care nationally and to teach neonatal nursing in one of the nursing institutes. 2005 I got itchy feet again and returned to the UK to the North of England to work at the University of Teesside as a senior lecturer in child health and nursing skills. In 2008 I decided to move back to the gulf state of Oman to take up a section head for human resource planning and training role at the Ministry of Health.”

“I started my latest role as nurse consultant (Learning & Education) in 2014, the role entails building education solutions to solve healthcare challenges, and this includes curriculum development, project management and educational leadership.”

With his new role, John sought learning opportunities that would support his work and help him develop in his career.

“I first heard about FutureLearn online on social media platforms when a number of colleagues were discussing their experiences on range of learning programmes. I find that high-quality, role-specific ,professional development opportunities are not easy to come by, therefore I was searching for something that would meet my requirements. I was keen to balance work with home life and to engage in education that would improve my future employability.”

John signed up for the University of Nottingham’s course, Designing E-Learning for Health.

“One of the key features about his programme was the ability to try out design process for e-learning for yourself, linking out to a padlet site to share your work with fellow students. Learning from fellow course members was central to this programme of learning, this proved to be a key area of strength. I found fellow learners from all types of employment, including healthcare and education. Everyone has a different perspective to offer in terms of the issues being discussed, some contribute ‘little gems’ of knowledge gleamed from their own personal perspective or from a particular context.”

“In terms of my work, e-learning provides another platform for healthcare professionals to engage in learning activities. This includes pre-registration education, post-registration education and continuing professional development. We are currently looking at developing and uploading materials to support mandatory education for the hospital workforce. This programme was invaluable in terms of learning the processes of creating quality e-learning, including quality assurance processes and managing legal and professional issues related to intellectual property.”

As John is using online learning to develop professionally, he purchased a Statement of Participation for the course to demonstrate his employability and dedication to the field.

“FutureLearn provide a paper and digital copy of the certificate stating the programme of learning its duration and the University provider. I especially liked to feature on the FutureLearn platform that enables you to place a digital copy of the details on your certificate on your personal LinkedIn profile. Using learning as a prospect of improving employability is important to me.”

“It is important to have your eye on the next job as well as your current job; FutureLearn provides the perfect learning opportunities for someone like me to manage my own career development.”

John discussed the benefits of learning alongside other healthcare professionals from across the globe..

“I found the discussion feature attached to the programme of learning stimulating and engaging. Not only could I contribute to the learning of fellow learners but they could also enhance my understanding of issues. During one communication on the discussion board I discussed common issues related to healthcare in the Arabian Gulf with a Doctor teaching medicine in the United Arab Emirates. From our conversation I could tell that issues in health professions education were shared across some of the GCC countries.

“The more I work, the more I need to learn, the more I learn the more I want to learn more. Lifelong learning grows with the person and FutureLearn provides the perfect platform for my learning requirements.”