For the last few weeks, I’ve been spending my evenings studying Roman history online via a MOOC, that is a Massive Online Open Course. It’s not something I’ve done before, but my brother-in-law thought I would be interested, so sent me a link to Futurelearn, which offers access to a range of free, university-level courses in an ever-growing range of subjects.
I’m not entirely sure what the business model is – it’s run by a company that seems to be a subsidiary of the Open University, and provides a platform which multiple universities, both in the UK and abroad are using to offer courses. The courses clearly cost money to set up and run, yet we the punters – typically several thousand participants per course – aren’t charged anything. Presumably the academics participating are paid to do so, either by their institutions (as marketing?) or by the funding councils (dissemination to the wider public?). Its all very odd, and I don’t see how it’s sustainable in the days of tuition fees, but I’m certainly not going to knock it.
At the moment the Futurelearn platform still in beta release, and the courses undertaken don’t lead to any formal qualifications, so you don’t sit exams or earn credits towards a degree. That suits me just fine – I’ve got quite enough degrees, have no use for any more, and am not prepared to put the time or effort in that would be required to study at the requisite level. But as a interesting, entertaining and educational way to fill in a few evenings a week, it’s ideal.
I’ve chosen an undergraduate level course on the archaeology of Portus, the maritime port of Rome. The site is currently under excavation, and is not open to the general public, but when I went to Rome two years ago I flew directly over it, as it’s underneath the flight path to Fiumicino airport. The most obvious feature visible from the air is a vast hexagonal lake, 715m in diameter, that was excavated on the orders of Emperor Trajan to form an artificial harbour, lined with wharfs and warehouses. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about it. The course is run by the University of Southampton, who have been digging there for several years, so whom better to learn from?
The format of the course is pretty straightforward. You put aside a few hours per week to watch a series of specially-filmed mini-lectures on your computer /tablet /smartphone, each video being only a few minutes long. Some are by the Professor, who is the leading expert in the field; some by his sidekicks, also leading academics; some by support staff and research assistants, giving an indication of the work that goes on behind the scenes in an excavation; and some are led by “student guides” – undergraduate students who act as an “Everyman” and ask some fairly basic questions to get the Prof going. Then there are links to articles on the web, and you’re encouraged to do your own surfing to see what else you can find online. A Flickr page has been set up with lots of photos of the excavation, maps, relevant artefacts, etc, and people are encouraged to contribute images to it. Plus, there is a very active social media component, which you are encouraged to participate in. The academics lurk on there and occasionally throw in the odd remark, but mostly students are learning from each other by joining in the discussion, which I suppose is one way of keeping the costs down!
I have to say that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it. One aspect I find particularly interesting is that the Portus Project is resolutely multi-disciplinary. It’s not just excavating, not by any means. There has been lots of content on geophysics, remote sensing, photogrammetry, advanced imaging techniques, and 3D digital modelling, all of which, as an engineer I find absolutely fascinating. I even managed to find the article on the management of the finds database interesting! In fact, I’ve found the whole experience so positive, that I’ve already signed up for my next course, on Hadrian’s Wall with Newcastle University in the autumn.
