Based in the UK, FutureLearn providing free, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from some of the world’s leading educators. The partnership consists of UK and international universities, alongside specialist education institutions and centres of research excellence.
Mark Lester, Director of Partnerships Development at FutureLearn, said courses from these best-in-class institutions showed a new model of healthcare education was underway.
“Universities and medical institutions have world-leading expertise, FutureLearn is a new way to deliver that knowledge to thousands of healthcare workers at the same time, at home or overseas,” he said.
Healthcare providers can use online learning to help their team meet the challenges posed by an ageing population, changing morbidities and rapid medicine and technology development
Speaking from the Arab Health Summit in Dubai, Mark Lester said GPs, nurses, allied health workers, patients and families anywhere in the world could join the million people who have already taken a healthcare course with FutureLearn since classes started in 2013. “Practitioners can choose when and where they study, a train ride or a shift break becomes study time and courses are accessible on mobile phones and tablets. FutureLearn uses collaboration between learners to support inter-professional education and champions practitioner and patient exchange, to deliver patient-centred healthcare.
“Healthcare providers can use online learning to help their team meet the challenges posed by an ageing population, changing morbidities and rapid medicine and technology development,” he said.
The new courses on offer are, ‘Talking about Cancer’ from Cancer Research UK, and ‘Whole Genome Sequencing’ from Health Education England.