Course approach and phases

Course approach

In order to run the course, you are recommended to establish a Local Learning Circle within your university. The circle is composed of your selected learners and is coordinated by one or two Local Facilitators, who are professors from your university who will be in charge of organising meetings, supporting learners, assessing activities.

  • The OpenMed Facilitator is the cornerstone of the course. He/she is:
  • The person to help the student to find the solutions to their problems
  • A motivator, inspiring willingness to learn and curiosity
  • A supporter to increase the level of awareness and critical reflection
  • Both proactive and reactive (to give some room to the student to learn and choose and be proactive themselves)
  • More specification on Learning Circles and Facilitators are provided here.

Course phases

The course is composed of three phases:

PHASE 1: STARTING EVENT (duration: 1 week)

It is recommended/suggested to start with a face-to-face event, gathering the facilitators and all the participating learners.

This moment will aim at:

  • Introducing the course to the participants;
  • Delivering introductory lectures on all modules;
  • Facilitating the identification of project works by all learners;
  • Start working in groups on the course themes and on the project works.
PHASE 2 ONLINE LEARNING (duration: 10 weeks)

An online learning phase (indicatively, 10 weeks) during which learners are expected to take the course modules and to complete the activities proposed.

Facilitators shall be sending an alert (either by normal email or with the message system embedded in the LMS) when Module 1 starts, encouraging learners to watch the corresponding Webinar recorded video and telling them that the module will run for two weeks.

During these two weeks, learners shall read the Module content and run the corresponding activities, submitting them in the system. Facilitators should not evaluate the activities, but are encouraged to read what the learners did and provide feedback.

At the end of the two weeks, learners shall submit their Project Work Step, by filling the corresponding activity. This will have to be evaluated and approved by the Facilitator.

The project work steps (each one related to its relevant module) are:

  • Step 1. Make a pledge for opening up your course/teaching
  • Step 2. Identify open licences that you will apply to your course
  • Step 3. Use OER in your teaching/course
  • Step 4. Localise OER to your course/context
  • Step 5. Develop an open teaching plan and share it with the community

The above process should be repeated for every module.

Facilitators are encouraged to organise face to face workshops with their learners, to check their progress and to discuss the themes of the modules.

PHASE 3: PROJECT WORKS (duration: 8 weeks)

At the end of Module 5, Facilitators should send a message to learners explaining that in the following 8 weeks that should concentrate on their project work.

Learners will have defined their project work during the different Project Work Steps during the online learning phase. What they are expected to do now is to consolidate their project work and to prepare a final report of their project work, where they are expected to demonstrate how they have used the skills they have acquired to develop their project work aiming at “opening up their teaching”.

At the end of the 8 weeks, learners will submit their Project Work Final Report.

Facilitators will assess this document using the course rubric and will provide each learner with a feedback certificate.