As Thammasat University students grow accustomed to online learning and distance education, some may wish to explore overseas opportunities after they have done their required coursework. Taking an extra class may be informative and help complement main areas of study, giving students new ideas and perspectives and help them to practice their English language usage.
One opportunity to consider may be free massive open online courses (MOOCs) at Coventry University, the United Kingdom.
Coventry University is a public research university in Coventry, England. Coventry, in the West Midlands region of England, is located 19 miles (31 km) east-southeast of Birmingham, 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Leicester, 11 miles (18 km) north of Warwick and 94 miles (151 km) northwest of London. It is considered the most central city in England.
On the university website is explained that
Coventry is the United Kingdom City of Culture for 2021!
Starting in May next year and for a whole twelve months, culture will be celebrated in the city where movement began.
The university is located at the heart of Coventry and houses a rich and diverse community of staff and students from diverse backgrounds, it has a rich history and been part of the make-up of Coventry since 1843.
Staff and students are looking forward to Coventry being the City of Culture for 2021 and are planning events, undertaking initiatives, sharing information and history and celebrating the rich culture and diversity that is embedded our unique organisation.
Among the distinguished British authors born in Coventry is the poet Philip Larkin. The Thammasat University Library owns a number of books by and about Philip Larkin.
Coventry is the larger of the two universities in the city, the other being the University of Warwick. It is the UK’s fastest growing university.
It has two principal campuses: one in the centre of Coventry where the majority of its operations are located, and one in Central London which focuses on business and management courses.
Among free MOOCs available for all students at Coventry University is Academic Research Methodology for Master’s Students:
Overview
Explore how to do academic research for a master’s written project
This course offers master’s students the chance to develop a variety of key academic research skills for producing a great written project at a university master’s level.
Examine the cyclical research process and inductive research
Alongside leading academics at Coventry University, you’ll identify how to define topics worthy of research and the main issues to solve using the cyclical research process.
You’ll discover how to apply inductive reasoning to your research process and collect data that informs your work.
Explore how to develop and define research questions
As you come to understand the importance of the initial choices and plans made when developing a project, you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to define research problems and create a research plan outlining the actions needed to reach your goals.
Through an exploration of research questions examples, you’ll develop a research question for a real-life proposed piece of research.
You should also learn how to develop an informed rationale and hypothesis for a research question.
By the end of the course, you should have the tools and research skills you need to develop a strong research question for a proposed piece of research.
This course is designed for any students looking to improve their academic research skills for university at master’s level.
No specific software is required.
Another MOOC of possible interest for TU students in the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences might be Nursing in Crisis? Exploring Current Challenges:
Overview
Understand and deal with key issues in contemporary nursing
Nurses play an important role in providing healthcare around the world and, in some countries, form more than 50% of the healthcare workforce. Yet, there is a global shortage with international organisations citing working conditions and image as contributing factors to nurses leaving the profession and to their initial recruitment.
This online course draws on the latest research findings and experiences of nurses from a range of countries to examine contemporary issues relevant to nurses.
This course is designed for nurses working at all levels and across all disciplines, in any country. It will give you the opportunity to share your own experiences, learn from other nurses, and get a taste of what studying an online MSc in Nursing would be like.
Still another interesting opportunity for TU students would be the MOOC An Introduction to Cryptography:
Overview
Investigate the security of encrypted data
Is it possible to prove the security of encrypted data? Will every algorithm fail given sufficient time or computing power?
On this course you will get an introduction to cryptography and cryptanalysis. From ancient examples of secret messages and the spies that cracked them to modern cryptographic applications, you will have the opportunity to explore the foundations of data security.
During the course you will also get an opportunity to try encrypting data yourself by completing a cryptography and cryptanalysis challenge.
The Institute of Coding supported the development of this course in response to consultation with industry representatives from the healthcare, manufacturing and automotive sectors.
This course is for people who want to understand more about the way cryptography keeps our communications safe, either out of curiosity or to prepare for advanced study of the topic.
The above class in scheduled to be taught by Dr. James Shuttleworth, Associate Head of Computing and the Digital Environment of Coventry University.
According to Dr. Shuttleworth’s faculty webpage, his research interests are as follows:
- Image analysis, wireless sensor networks, data visualisation, in-network processing and systems integration
- Interpolation in spatially and temporally irregular sensing for visualisation and higher-order network capabilities and data visualisation
Yet another possibility would be Uncovering Your Entrepreneurial Potential:
Overview
Reflect on and develop your own entrepreneurial approach to work
Taking an entrepreneurial approach to work can be useful in a range of contexts, not just starting your own company.
This course will challenge your ideas about entrepreneurship and innovation and demonstrate how you can adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to benefit yourself and others. You will explore different ways to approach innovation and entrepreneurship in the workplace.
You will also identify your own entrepreneurial strengths and consider how you can apply them to create economic and social value.
This course is for anyone who wants to be more entrepreneurial in their own life or business. You might be a student interested in making a career from your talents, or a manager looking to introduce more innovation to your organisation.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)