Explore life inside UK prisons. Learn whether this type of punishment reduces crime and if rehabilitation can prevent reoffending.Explore the ethics of imprisonment and identify prison alternativesEngland and Wales have the highest incarceration rate in Western Europe. Almost a quarter of these prisoners are held in overcrowded prisons. On this course, you will take a look inside the prisons of England and Wales. You will consider the role of imprisonment as a form of punishment, and hear from ex-prisoners about their experience of being incarcerated. Through case studies, you will explore the challenges faced by the current prison system. You...

Understand how big fashion retailers innovate and discover the story behind a favourite piece of your clothing.This course introduces a case study showing how Marks & Spencer has been a key innovator in fashion, introducing new fabrics that make our lives easier and more comfortable. You will see how M&S continues to drive innovation to bring consumers new and better products. You will also consider your own clothing and its innovation story, research how a favourite item of clothing is the result of innovative developments in the industry and share your findings with other learners. What topics will you cover?...

Thinking of doing an interdisciplinary degree? Learn how to study and work in an interdisciplinary environment.Harness the benefits of interdisciplinary study and workReal life problems are too complex to be solved by a single field of study. That’s why learning to work across different disciplines is a vital skill in our modern society. On this course, you’ll discover what interdisciplinary learning is and learn how different disciplines develop their own methodologies and language. You’ll explore how disciplines create and value different types of knowledge, and discover strategies for working in an interdisciplinary environment. You’ll also learn how to make the...

Explore how robust variant interpretation is needed to support patients with increased risk of cancer.Explore germline variation in cancer susceptibility genesGermline genomic variation can increase the risk of developing cancer. It’s essential to use the best evidence available to decide if a genomic variant is likely to increase the chance of a person developing cancer. This allows us to offer at-risk individuals access to appropriate screening, prevention, and personalised treatments. Learn how to interpret genes for susceptibility to cancer On this course, you will consider how variant interpretation in cancer susceptibility genes has different considerations when compared with variant interpretation...

Master 3D fundamentals and develop the skills to confidently use it within a screen production environment.Gain an understanding of 3D productionWhether you’re a screen practitioner, have live action screen production experience, or you have no prior knowledge and simply want to develop an understanding of 3D, this two-week course will arm you with a strong foundation of knowledge. Delving into 3D within the context of a screen production environment, you’ll learn how 3D screen craft is part of the ‘post’ experience. This knowledge can help you develop in your career and venture into virtual production, VFX, or 3D animation. Learn...

Explore intercultural communication by understanding the relationship between language and cultural identity.Examine the relationship between language, nationality and cultural identityOn this course you will analyse why language is a social construction and examine how it relates to cultural identity. You will start by exploring what language is, how it relates to the way we think and how it is shaped by the culture it originates from. You’ll learn how language is used and explore cases of intercultural communication. You will examine the difficulties of translation and how politeness is expressed across cultures. Finally, you’ll learn about the controversial issue of...

Find out how to conduct ethical research when working with people by studying this online course for university students.Ensure your research is up to the highest ethical standardsResearch ethics is vital when conducting research with people. Non ethical research may put research subjects at risk and even jeopardise the validity of the findings. As we undertake more and more research using increasingly diverse methods like the internet, it is important to get it right the first time. On this course, you will learn the principles of ethical research, and how to manage human subject research in sensitive and appropriate ways....

Become an effective online learner and develop your online communication skills when working with others.Online learning is likely to be important for you in the future, either at university or in the workplace. Learning online is different to learning in the classroom as it requires different skills. This course will help you to develop those skills, showing you how to learn and communicate effectively in an online environment. This course is just one of a series about ‘learning online’, which introduces you to the essential skills and tools you need to study effectively online. What topics will you cover? Learning...

Reflect on how you want to present yourself online and take positive steps towards these goals.Many of us now have an online identity running alongside our everyday lives. In this course you’ll consider your online presence; you’ll discover how what we say and do online can have major implications for our real lives, and those of others. You’ll also spend time looking at how to assess and enhance your online identities to ensure that you can get the most out of being yourself online. This course is just one of a series about ‘learning online’, which introduces you to the...

Improve your online research skills and your ability to critically analyse sources of information.In this course, you’ll explore the rich and diverse range of information available to you online, how to use search tools effectively, and the ways in which you can begin to assess information that you might want to use in your studies. Using a wide range of learning activities, you will be challenged to dig deeper and think critically about the information that you find online. This course is just one of a series about ‘learning online’, which introduces you to the essential skills and tools you...