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The products or services I recommend only I use them myself or after my investigation and truly believe they are useful to you. Don’t forget there are many other options out there – these are simply my preferred choices.
Is FutureLearn suitable to you?
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FutureLearn was founded in 2012 which is based in United Kingdom. It is one of the largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) providers which is usually seen as competitor of Coursera and edX. Now, it’s jointly owned by The Open University (United Kingdom) and SEEK Group (Headquartered in Australia).
FutureLearn is similar to other MOOC providers offering different subjects in different study options, such as short courses and degrees, through it’s online platform. However, it’s also different from others on the focus of FutureLearn and service to students.
Study Options
FutureLearn offers three different study options to you, joining a short course, Microcredentials & Programs and Degree.
During the time on writing this article, there are more than 700 short courses offered in FutureLearn. You can learn new skills with flexible online courses from top universities and specialist organizations. Subjects are covered from business and management to health care and medicine.
Microcredentials & Programs are helping you to pursue further study in a specialized field. They are generally structured with 3 to 5 courses and if you pass the tests, you are eligible to a certificate offered to prove on your expertise in the subject area.
There are 9 Microcredentials offered now which are created by leading universities, such as The Open University, Monash University and Queensland University of Technology. You can earn academic credit to use towards a degree or they can be used as an independent certification.
In addition to Microcredentials, there are 36 programs that are designed for you to deepen your understanding of a specialist subject, to help you develop professionally and to explore subjects you are passionate about. These programs are offered by top universities such as University of Leeds, University of London and University of Michigan.
FutureLearn also offers online bachelor and master degree to who would like to study flexibly online to build to a degree. Popular subjects like business, nursing and project management are offered by well-known British universities such as Coventry University and Anglia Ruskin University.
One feature of it's online degree program is many programs offer a free taster course for you to try before applying it. You can make sure the program and the courses are what you want before putting your credit card information.
How long are FutureLearn courses?
It is subject to the study options. In general, a short course requires 3 hours study per week for 3 to 4 weeks. Microcredentials and programs lasts for 10 to 12 weeks which you are required to spend 10 hours per week in study. For bachelor and master degree programs, they require longer commitment than others in which a program can last for 3 years and 10 hours per week.
Is FutureLearn recognized?
FutureLearn is partner with more than 100 global leading universities and many of the courses are offered and recognized by them. If you join the Microcredentials and Programs, you can earn academic credit to use towards a degree or they can be used as an independent certification.
But some of students are confused of the academic credit system in FutureLearn. If you take a Microcredentials offered by The Open University, the academic credit earned can be used towards a degree by the same institute or university. In this case, it’s The Open University.
I find some complaints in different forum as it’s not very clear on how the credit transfer system works. So, what I suggesting to you is to clarify with the university that you want to apply and check whether the course credits earned in FutureLearn can be accepted.
Is FutureLearn course free?
Many courses offered in FutureLearn are free to join, except for those marked as Premium. You can study the course without taking assessment until you find earning a certificate is needed for your career development, you can upgrade by paying $59 to $79.
However, I have to point out that many courses offer assessments or tests to you before you are given a certificate. After upgrading your course, you are able to take tests but they are limited to three tries. Some courses require the students passing the tests in order to earn the certificate. Checking with the course provider before paying to upgrade is important to ensure how the certificate is awarded.
Popular Course
Coursera and edX are popular in their offering of wide range of courses, especially in IT and computer science subjects. However, FutureLearn does not go in the same way as them. It offers more courses in business, management, health and medicine subjects. Here are popular courses in FutureLearn:
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Essential Skills for your Career Development – University of Leeds
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Finance Fundamentals: Financial Planning and Budgeting – The Open University
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Digital Product Management – Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
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HR Fundamentals – Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
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Care Home Nursing: Changing Perceptions – University of Dundee
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Causes of Human Disease: Nutrition and Environment – University of Leeds
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Diabetic Eye Disease: Building Capacity to Prevent Blindness – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
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Introduction to Health Technology Assessment – The University of Glasgow
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The Future of Payment Technology – University of Michigan
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Multilingual Learning for a Globalised World – The University of Glasgow
Though FutureLearn offering accredited courses from different reputable universities or institutes, it doesn’t provide mobile app and doesn’t cover many courses from US universities. However, I still recommend FutureLearn as you can try out courses for free and the course quality is very good from different prestigious institutions.
We have listed out many of popular courses offered by FutureLearn above which you can find the one suitable to you.
Note: Some of the links in this page contain affiliate links. I will earn a small commission for any purchases you make, though there is no extra cost to you.
The products or services I recommend only I use them myself or after my investigation and truly believe they are useful to you. Don’t forget there are many other options out there – these are simply my preferred choices.