New look for online short courses

Students who have previously studied our short online courses will notice some changes to the course websites this term.

Over the summer our Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning (TALL) team worked hard to improve the 'look and feel' (known in the digital world as the 'user experience') as part of ongoing efforts to support our online learners. The work includes upgrades to the technology used to manage and present the online course materials, and changes to the layout of the course pages, most noticeably on the course homepage.

The changes bring a number of benefits including:

  • The ability to print your course materials more easily.
  • Improved navigation.
  • Clearer presentation of date information, such as unit duration and assignment deadlines.
  • Improved on-screen readability, with enhancements made to the typography and page layout.
  • Better compatibility with mobile devices. For example, all videos will now work on mobile platforms and content pages adapt to different screen sizes.
  • An auto-save feature for when you are drafting forum posts.

Image: Tutor Steve Kershaw is pictured in this sample page from our Fall of Rome online 10 week short course.

The improvements will be rolled out to the Department's other online programmes, such as the fully online Advanced Diploma in Local History, and modules of our Master's in Literature and Arts, during 2016.

Published 23 October 2015