The return of some classic courses from The University of Sheffield

One of the best features of FutureLearn is the regularity with which courses return for repeat runs. Missed one the first time around? Fear not, you can always register interest and be notified of the next time it becomes available. With that in mind, we’re delighted to be launching a host of our most popular free courses for their second, third and (in some cases) ninth runs. Below is a list of our coming roster and we hope to see you on one, some or all (!) of them in the near future.

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Exploring Play: The Importance of Play in Everyday Life (8th May)
One of our most successful courses (and recipient of an Online Learning Award) in terms of learner engagement and interaction returns in early May to further explore how the world of play informs the whole of our lives. A cross-faculty course featuring contributions from over 10 academics across the university, Exploring Play is an essential course for those interested in psychology, play therapy, childhood studies, teaching, childcare or just have an interest in better understanding their own children (inner child also included).

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How to Succeed in the Global Workplace (8th May)
Working in conjunction with The British Council we produced this spiritual sequel to our How to Succeed at: Applications and Interviews courses (running again in July) in which we guide learners through a nuanced and evolving global workplace. With a new lead educator, fresh video content and updated articles, Global Workplace aims to help you navigate the beginning of your career, offer tips and advice for succeeding within complex corporate cultures and avoid the potential communication pitfalls of working colleagues from across the globe.

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Crime, Justice and Society (29th May)
This course features contributions from 12 academics at the School of Law and looks at scope, history and machinations of the British judicial system. Through the central question of ‘what is criminology’ we explore a range of topics, including the police, miscarriages of justice, victim support, community sanctions, prisons and desistance from crime. Few subjects are as contentious and fiercely debated as responses to crime and this new run is updated to reflect emerging trends and learner feedback.

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How to Succeed at: Applications (19th June) & How to Succeed at: Interviews (10th July)
Our most popular courses return for their ninth iteration in June and July, just in time for a fresh host of graduates to start looking for work. Made in conjunction with the Careers Service, these runs have been overhauled with a new lead educator, new animations and videos, and updated advice for the ever-evolving job market. Whether you’re looking for your first job or just want to freshen your skills, these courses are essential learning for getting you further up that careers ladder. 

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We’re currently hard at work on new free courses for later in the year so keep an eye on our FutureLearn page and Twitter feed for updates.

Active Learning in the Department of Landscape

Increasing students’ participation in the learning process is meant to foster critical and creative thinking (Rocca 2010), and students in the Department of Landscape have been using an innovative treasure hunt app to enhance their field trips.

The University of Sheffield purchased a site licence for Actionbound in 2016, and the Department of Landscape has been creating interactive treasure hunts, or 'bounds' to be used across a number of modules. Treasure hunts can include maps, compass directions, text, images, videos, team challenges and quizzes for students to complete. The app is freely available to download, and students use Actionbound on their personal devices. Actionbound can also take advantage of GPS locations identified by the device - delivering learning materials at specific geographical locations.



Actionbound also allows students to submit video or images as part of their treasure hunt. One fun example in the department saw students submit selfies in front of key landscape features.

A more pedagogic outcome enabled submissions of the sketches drawn on location. This proved to be an excellent way of capturing these drawings, but demonstrated there is still significant value in a pen and paper.

Paul Buck, I.T. Officer and Graphic Design Instructor in the department said:

There were a few teething issues but the feedback was generally positive, with students saying they enjoyed it and it motivated them to engage with the site. They also appreciated by the air of competition the app created. 

You can read more about the Department of Landscape's use of technology in fieldwork on the Sheffield Landscape Blog.

Glover (2013) talks about learning as a participatory process, and suggests that there could be significant benefits from incorporating games concepts with education. Students in the department have said using Actionbound has really encouraged them to make the most out of field trips, and have really enjoyed the competitive nature of gaining points for completing tasks within the treasure hunt.

This extra level of engagement that Actionbound has the potential unlock resonates with Galliard & McSherry's (2014) findings using a similar technology. They describe how students take charge of their own learning process—transforming them from passive actors that are merely involved in the learning, to actively engaged participants.

If you would like to find out more about Actionbound, or to gain access to our site licence please contact tel@sheffield.ac.uk 



Gaillard, J. C., & McSherry, A. (2014). Revisiting Geography Field Trips: A Treasure Hunt Experience. Journal of Geography, 113(4), 171-178. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221341.2013.847114 [Accessed 12th April 2017]

Glover, I. (2013). Play as you learn: gamification as a technique for motivating learners. Available from: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/7172/ [Accessed 12th April 2017]

Rocca, K. A. (2010). Student participation in the college classroom: An extended multidisciplinary literature review. Communication Education, 59(2), 185-213. Available from: http://nca.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03634520903505936 [Accessed 12th April 2017]