Chrissy Stokes
Head of Professional Development and Engagement, The Physiological Society

Sarah Hall
Chair of Education and Outreach Committee, The Physiological Society

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.107.18

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are university-led, distance-learning courses that are freely available online. The introduction of MOOCs around a decade ago generated considerable excitement and expectation, with free access to everyone, unlimited participation and low running costs promising to extend a university’s educational activities beyond its bricks and mortar. However, the excitement soon faded amidst reports of low completion rates and copyright issues. Academics have now reached a more balanced view of the role of MOOCs in the education arena.

The Education and Outreach Committee watched these developments unfold, guided by the expertise of one of its members, Professor Neil Morris, who now holds the Chair of Innovation and Change at the University of Leeds. After considerable research and reflection, we began a bumpy journey to develop a MOOC that would help to raise the profile of physiology, and support the progression of students into physiology and related disciplines. Fast forward to 2017, and we are pleased to announce The Society’s MOOC in physiology, entitled ‘Physiology: The Science of Life’, will run for the first time this autumn. It has been produced in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, our content provider, and is hosted by FutureLearn, one of the leading MOOC platforms.

The target demographic for our MOOC is A-level (or equivalent) students who are considering studying physiology, life science or medicine. The primary aims of the MOOC are to enhance and extend learning at A-level and equivalent, and to introduce concepts encountered in the first year of undergraduate study (in physiology and related degrees), in order to support the transition to university.

Three core topics, common to UK examination boards (for A-level Biology or equivalent), will be covered in the MOOC; these are the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system and the nervous system. There is growing concern about students’ lack of preparation for university, especially with regards to their mathematical understanding. To address this, the MOOC will include activities on data handling, particularly physiological measurements. There will also be information about careers in and from physiology. School teachers and members of The Society’s Education and Outreach Committee have the opportunity to review all the content produced by the University of Liverpool.

MOOCs are an attractive platform for both the learner and provider: they are freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection, content can be updated as necessary, and it facilitates the interaction of students and physiologists (through moderated discussion sessions), it provides a comfortable insight into university learning (demystifying the institution that may seem daunting to 16-year-olds), users can dip in and out of learning according to their needs or timetable, and it meets the rising demand for digital learning.

Completing the MOOC will be helpful to all students whose post-16 qualifications include physiology components. It will also benefit those looking for extension learning before university, and may help to inform those making difficult degree choices. Whilst we have identified students making the transition to university as the target audience, we are aware that the general demographic of MOOC learners extends beyond this – most tend to fall within the age range of 25–40 and to possess one or more degrees already – and this has been a consideration during the development of our MOOC. Although the broader public are unlikely to include the next Nobel Prize winner, they may be their relative, or a politician, and they will almost certainly be voting. The MOOC will therefore have a broader impact, raising the profile of physiology and improving understanding of, and appreciation for, our discipline.

Enrolment for the physiology MOOC will open in the summer, and the course trailer also provides an insight into the content. We hope that Members will be active in encouraging their local schools, and other interested individuals, to participate, and we look forward to reporting back on the success of the course later this year.