UCL MOOC PROPOSAL FORM (2016)
This form is intended as a guide to bidding for the current call for UCL MOOC Development. Central
funding of up to £10,000 per MOOC is available, from a total fund of £30,000. Proposers are
encouraged to gain at least matched funding from their Department, or from an external funder.
Only outline information is expected at this stage.
The selection Panel to decide which proposals can be funded will be chaired by the Pro-Director
(Teaching, Quality & Learning Innovation).
The total length of the proposal should be 8-12pp, with links to relevant illustrative material or
websites, if appropriate.
Deadline for expression of interest to d.laurillard@ucl.ac.uk by 09 May 2016, and for proposal
submission by 23 May 2016
Course Overview
Working title
Introduction
Brief background to the origins of the course
Intended audience
Clarify the level (e.g. general interest, ug level, pg or professional development). The MOOC will be
open to all, regardless of educational level, so it helps prospective participants to know the level.
Aims
Link to university priorities
Which priorities do you expect the course to address?
1. offer outreach course experiences to attract a wider student demographic
2. increase research impact by making research findings and their implications widely accessible
3. increase user engagement in research by involving end-users as part of the research process
4. offer flexible professional development, short courses, and communities of practice, or to
support international initiatives for reform in areas of UCL expertise (e.g. health, science,
education, etc.)
5. develop our understanding of how to promote better learning by using the scale available
with online courses and exploiting learning analytics
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6. promote UCL’s research impact in the key strategic areas1.
The following drivers are also served by MOOCs, but could also be run on UCL’s own learning
environment, UCLeXtend, to more restricted audiences, where the aim is to:
7. enhance the on-campus student experience
8. grow student numbers (without impacting the estate)
9. develop a programme of online taught postgraduate education
10. add value for alumni and secure donations.
This Call for Proposals invites bids that target one or more of these priorities.
Are there other expected benefits?
Partnership (if any)
You may be able to raise funding from external organisations who would benefit from the course, or
it may be based on work carried out with other partners, for example.
Course team
Course director, and any other named contributors, so far as they are known at present
Links to existing teaching and/or research
Is this course linked to existing, or proposed teaching and/or research activity at UCL?
Course Format
Learning outcomes
Intended learning outcomes for the course overall
Duration (weeks) and hours per week
Typically 2 - 4 weeks. MOOCs have been longer, but engagement falls off after the first few weeks.
Study times tend to be ~4 hours per week, but novice learners often need more material. Think about
your intended audience in relation to the expected outcomes. MOOCs are open to all, so attract a
wide audience unless you specify an intended audience.
Syllabus
Outline of a weekly summary of the syllabus and learning outcomes
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Global Citizenship, the Connected Curriculum and the Grand Challenges
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Learning activities
Approximate learning time, per week or overall, to be spent on each different type of activity you will
include in the course.
Forms of assessment
Types of quiz, peer assessment, self assessment
Forms of assignment
An outline of the forms of assignment that will test the learning outcomes
Development of the course
Existing learning resources
Outline any videos, slides, audio, text-based resources, digital tools, etc. that could be used
Resources to be developed
Outline the types of videos, slides, audio, text-based resources, digital tools, etc. to be developed
Market analysis
What is the unique selling point of your course in comparison with other MOOCs already available?
What is the likely composition of the audience?
Marketing and promotion
Outline any networks, organisations, media outlets, etc. who may be able to help with promoting the
course
Timeline
Expected dates for running the course
Workload
Your estimate of total academic time needed for development, and the amount and type of
professional technical and design support likely to be needed
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Running the course
Learning support
Who will support the learners’ academic engagement while the course runs?
Technical support
Will you provide technical support in addition to the central support for platform-related issues?
Workload
Your estimate of total academic time per week, and the amount of professional time
Level of funding required
The total amount bid for a course should be up to £10,000. If you hope to acquire additional funding,
please outline the nature of the enhancement this would allow.
Academic staff costs
Professional staff costs
Other costs
Enhancement
Forward plans
Sustainability of the MOOC
How might the MOOC be maintained beyond its initial run?
Additional uses of the MOOC
Are there other ways in which you would plan to make use of the MOOC beyond its initial run?
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