Entitlement and responsibilities statement
Having made the decision to study a massive open online course (MOOC) with the University of Derby we welcome you into our community.
It’s important that you understand clearly what joining one of our massive open online course communities means for you. Although whilst studying a MOOC with University of Derby you are not a student of the University, we are committed to providing you a courteous and professional service. This statement will help you understand the spirit of the relationship between you, the University and other members of our learning community – your fellow learners and staff.
In that sense this statement forms a Learning Agreement. The areas of support and responsibility detailed here are also areas that from our research our learners have told us are important for their success.
As a University, we are committed to helping you make the most of your time studying the MOOC. We want to challenge you intellectually, help you maximise your performance, enjoy your experience and achieve to your full academic potential.
Studying a MOOC can be demanding but we appreciate most learners have a flexible approach. We know this flexibility is important to help you meet that challenge and succeed.
Being a member of our community also gives you a number of responsibilities. These responsibilities are important in assisting you and other learners to get the most from your time in this MOOC. Taking these responsibilities seriously and acting upon them will help to provide the right kind of environment for you and others to study, learn and grow.
Responsibilities Statements
Having joined the MOOC community you have accepted a number of responsibilities. This list is not complete but is intended to highlight those responsibilities that we believe are of most benefit to you. This means we encourage you to:
- Participate in the forum regularly and share information with your peers.
- Seek and make use of the information and resources that are made available to support you during the MOOC and to help contribute to your success.
- Conduct yourself in a responsible manner with a high degree of regard and respect for the learning, living and working environment of others in your community.
- Respect confidentiality and privacy by only sharing anonymised information.
- Study conscientiously and engage with the assessed work for your programme.
- Participate in peer assessments where these are presented.
- Let us know if you experience any difficulties in engaging with your study or you have any concerns with respect to delivery of your course.
- Regularly log in to your programme discussion areas and respond in a timely manner to communications with your peers.
- Contribute as a member of our community and to its development as a learning environment, including:
- working constructively with others
- providing feedback and ideas for improvement
- actively participating in decision making
- Communicate in English. Our courses are written in English and the majority of our learners speak English as a first or second language.
Entitlement Statements
You can expect:
Academic support
You will have a named person as the lead educator for your course who will present the course material to you. This person will have direct experience in the field.
Academic lead would provide academic course support and would try to answer key questions that are identified by the cohort of learners through course discussion forum or through direct contact. The academic lead would not provide one to one support due to the constraints of large number of enrolled learners in a MOOC.
MOOC information
Clear information about the MOOC will be provided throughout to inform your choice and engagement with the course.
Subject related contact with other learners
Regular opportunities for good quality, informal, subject related, contact with learners from your course, including learners from more advanced levels, and from a Global as well as UK perspective. This will include real-time opportunities as well as other discussion boards, forums and contact methods.
Academic Timetable
Your timetable for the MOOC will be published at the start of the course and available throughout the course. This is intended to provide the opportunity to plan your time during the course. As the course moves through each week, support and engagement will be aimed at that current week’s content.
A supportive learning environment
Positive support to address issues related to the conduct of others that impacts on the learning environment for you. There are clear procedures set out for reporting and dealing with conduct causing concern, and positive support from any member of the MOOC team to listen and act appropriately to address concerns.
Co-ordinated and responsive communication
The University will communicate with you in a co-ordinated and considered way, with information that is:
- relevant
- presented well
- has clear contact details to assist you
We will do this using a variety of media appropriate for you, and will consult with learners on the best way to do this. Communication aimed at all learners will be timed at important intervals during the course, with key messages designed to help you in your learning.
Professional service standards
You will receive courteous and professional service from the MOOC team.
An opportunity to express your concerns
We aim to continuously improve the quality of service we provide. If we have fallen below the standard that you expect, we would like to know so that we can address the shortcoming. We will always try to respond quickly and constructively to the points that you raise. In case you want to express a concern about the course or behaviour of any of the learners please contact the assigned course lead through the email provided in the course information page.
Data Protection
We collect some data about you during your participation in the MOOC. This data is managed according to well established data protection policies. More information about how we manage your data