Short online courses

Your weekly schedule

All short online courses, regardless of their Flexible or Live format, are 10 weeks long.

On Flexible courses, learning activities are structured around the course materials provided, which usually ask you to contribute to the online text-based discussion forums. This is where you will get to know your tutor and fellow students, and might include individual activities such as quizzes, problem sets or writing exercises.

On Live courses, most of your weekly study materials will be in the form of video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare you for a weekly 1-hour live webinar with your expert tutor and fellow students.

Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study.

Your tutor, your online community

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials using text-based discussion forums on Flexible courses, and through live interaction during webinars on Live courses. Tutors also provide individualised feedback on your assignments.

All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will all learn from you.

Assessment

Nearly all of our short online courses are entry-level university courses, taught at FHEQ Level 4 (equivalent to the first year of undergraduate study). Most, therefore, require no prior knowledge, just an interest and an enthusiasm to learn. Where prior knowledge will help, this will be clearly indicated on the course page.

As part of your course, you will be expected to submit assignments, which will be marked by your tutor and returned with feedback to aid your progression. Course pages contain detail on the nature of these assignments, which vary between subjects.

Accreditation

All courses (with the exception of Ancient Languages) are formally accredited by the University of Oxford. If you pass the assignment component of the course, you will be awarded academic credit in the form of 10 Credit Accumulation and Transfer points. This credit is transferable, for instance, to our own Certificate of Higher Education. 

Upon successfully passing the course, students will also receive a digital credential called a Certificate of Completion, verified by blockchain technology, which can be downloaded or added to an online profile.