Tuesday 29 April 2014

...Review of 'Muslims in Britain - University of Cardiff' MOOC (Futurelearn)


I took and completed this course and I loved it. In general, I would say that the level of difficulty of this MOOC was equivalent to 1st year undergraduate. It was a straight forward course, the typical distance-learning type, combining videos, articles, pdfs, other material (e.g. external websites).

The only thing missing was... podcasts... mp3s that I could export to my ipod and follow certain units of the course on the go; a feature that I know for sure that is provided by other courses on Futurelearn (e.g. by the courses provided by the University of Leicester).

The issues discussed were very catchy. The course examined a variety of topics, including the basics about Islam, history of Muslims in Britain, aspects of British Muslim identity, problems that Muslims face in Britain, what a British Muslim chaplain does, British Muslims on the media, etc.

See? The course was for everyone, no matter your religion, your background and where you are from. I gather the impression that my co-students reached the same conclusion.

My favourite part of the course was week four, and the mention of an artist / photographer named Peter Sanders. Oh these pictures are great!

The discussion was vivid throughout the course, but talking 'media', our keyboard caught fire. I participated in most discussion - me and my thirsty passion for knowledge :-)

The course required approximately 4 hours of studying per week, which in my opinion was about right. There were a few tests / quizzes, and one optional assignment on week three. I was happy to take all of them.

The course was not mistake-free. There was a mistake of information on week 2, but was corrected by the educator straight away. There was also a slight problem with one of the questions at the very end of week four... the one about the chaplain (I am not spoiling the surprise for you - sorry). 

After completion I felt happy, it was the first Futurelearn course I completed after all. I think that I will receive some certification that I attended this course - a shareable page about what I have learnt (info as in 31 / March 2014, when I am writing this post). The cost was free, and so will be this shareable page. What more should I ask for? Something I will definitely put on my CV if I ever apply to work with the council or with minorities (I am into this sort of work, you know).

I figured out that one cannot take loads of MOOCs at the same time. It is easier for me to take one MOOC at a time, and that is what I did with 'Muslims in Britain'.

Because, try taking this course together with i.e. causes of war (a very demanding MOOC of Futurelearn) and you will realise that studying two courses at the same time is a bit too much for you, especially if you are struggling with free time (tested by myself - I tried to take 3 MOOCs at the same time - unsuccessfully).

So, how would I mark this course on the basis of other Futurelearn courses I am taking? 8/10! 

Congrats Cardiff, because I am very very strict with my marking!!!
I am sure that your future sessions will be even better! You have the potential to change the viewpoint of modern society in Britain.



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