University of Reading MOOCs attract over half a million users

Friday, 27 May 2016

Over half a million individuals have signed up to our free online Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) to date. 

Our MOOCs have been designed to be as accessible as possible- they are open to anyone with access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device. Each course presents a unique opportunity to showcase our excellent teaching and world-leading research to a diverse, global audience. 

The latest figures show that so far, users from 190 countries across the globe have signed up to our online courses. MOOCs are proving to be a valuable gateway to University education too- in fact, our Open Online Course team report that MOOC activity is feeding directly into our student recruitment, with many learners going on to apply for and enrol onto taught programmes at the University. 

Since launching our first MOOC in October 2013, our catalogue of courses has expanded to cover a wide range of subjects. There are several new and exciting programmes on the horizon, including the jointly-created courses A History of Royal Food and Feasting and Come Rain or Shine: Understanding the Weather. Later in the year we’ll be launching further courses on archaeology and on ancient Rome.

Speaking on working with the University of Reading, Emily Conway, Partnership Manager at FutureLearn, says: "It has been an absolute delight to work with the Reading Open Online Course team on such a diverse and powerful portfolio of courses. I'm looking forward to celebrating the next milestone together!" 

The Open Online Course team are always on the lookout for new ideas and welcome proposals for new MOOCs. Please see the MOOC information page for further details.