Make time for the MOOC and avoid food waste!

Meal planning is a great way to avoid wasting food – and saves money and time too.  Wondering what to cook for dinner can be a minor but irritating cause of stress all day.  Having a plan means it’s easy to make a shopping list, cutting down shopping time and decisions as well as food …

How reflection can help your learning in a MOOC

One of the most important tools for any learner to get the most out of their studying is reflection.  This is especially useful in situations where learning is to a large degree self-controlled or is directed towards professional development. It could be said that the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in …

Blog posts about Sustainability, Society and You

There are already discussions and reflections appearing about the ‘Sustainability Society and You’ MOOC starting on January 6th through FutureLearn. You can join us using the hashtag #flsustain on Twitter and in other social media: we also have a Facebook page. Course leader Dr Sarah Speight has written about the approach the course takes in …

The difference between self-directed learning and a MOOC

Happy New Year! And if your resolution is to learn something new – may I suggest learning online? The Web is a huge repository of information and resources, and it can fairly be said that you can learn anything on the Web from calligraphy to sewing, from PHP to coding games, from fundamentals of anatomy …

Countdown #30: top tips for a sustainable lifestyle

I asked on Twitter: what tip would you give someone just starting to make their lifestyle more sustainable? @ginnyfranklin started us off with a transport tip:  how about: reduce your car use @TomFranklin chipped in: get and use a bicycle – walk or cycle to the shops, then extra trips don’t matter – I use …

Countdown #29: Five top tips to save water

Georgina Wood gives us her top tips for saving water at home: Put the plug in the sink when washing your face or brushing your teeth Fill up the washing machine and/or the dishwasher each time they’re used Take shorter showers instead of baths Wash fruit and vegetable in a dish or pan of water …

Countdown #28: a conversation about sustainability

Sustainability, of course, isn’t just for Christmas – we can make sustainable choices in every aspect of our daily lives. This Christmas in my family we have mostly managed recycling, and all my gift wrapping was re-used from last year! But the final one of the 3Rs is more of a struggle: reduce. I’d love …

Advent calendar #27: A recipe for a successful video shoot

Simon Barnett from our Video Team offers us his recipe for a successful video shoot: An idea of what you want to record 5 cameras and tripods 3 monitors Camera Track and Dolly (10metres in length) 1 Jib Crane 15 different lights with stands Video cable (lots) An audio mixer Audio cable (lots) 6 different …

Advent calendar #26: Tips on being a FutureLearn student

Having taken several FutureLearn courses now, as well as helping to set up and deliver the Sustainability, Society and You course, my top tips for being a  FutureLearn  student include: Interact with the other students, it’s so much better than trying to learn alone. And… .. learn with friends. It’s fun if family or friends …

Advent calendar #25: Using your Christmas leftovers

Sarah Speight writes: we have just finished running the ‘NOOC’ – the Nottingham Open Online Course, ‘Perspectives on Sustainability’. This is an internal University of Nottingham version of the Futurelearn MOOC, ‘Sustainability, Society and You’ that starts on January 6th. Our students have been carrying out audits of their domestic waste. While most of them …