XClose

Teaching & Learning

Menu

5 ways a UCL short course could interest you

25 January 2016

5 ways a UCL short course could interest you

As a member of staff at UCL you’ll no doubt be busy supporting and delivering a range of education and research programmes. But did you know that UCL also has an extensive portfolio of short courses for career advancement and continuing personal or professional development (CPD)?

The UCL Life Learning team support staff in developing and promoting short courses that draw on their particular expertise. We’ve launched a course finder website to make finding short courses much easier across the entire university and are adding more courses every week. You can find courses on everything from Advanced Subtitling to Negotiation Skills and Urban Graphics.

You have access to professional development services such as Organisational Development and access to free online learning through Lynda.com but don’t forget about all the short courses delivered by UCL academics that are also on offer. As UCL staff you’ll get discounts on many courses and will have a great chance to see what your peers are doing.

But why should this interest you?

1 Get free (or discounted) skills

Some courses are free and many offer substantial UCL staff discounts.

2 Explore your hobbies and interests here at UCL

Do you have an interest in the urban environment or design? Try the Urban Graphics series – it’s free and online. UCL also offers courses on contemporary Italian culture, documentary filming and many other areas of interest.

3 Broaden your subject knowledge by learning from your peers

Learn about subject areas relevant to you in different parts of the university e.g. if you work in medicine, find out what the department of Psychology and Language Studies are doing to train people on dysphagia in children (15 February).

Or do you work with social media? Check out our MOOC from the department of Anthropology on how cultures around the world use social media.

4 Build your workplace skills

There are many opportunities to expand and develop your research and analytical skills. Our Digital Business Academy MOOC can help you set up your own digital business or give you great ideas on entrepreneurial activity, including marketing. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to benefit from this course.

There are many courses available on topics from improving your English Pronunciation to Project Management.

5 Make connections with industry

Joining a short course gives you the opportunity to mix with other professionals working in the field as these courses are targeted at a broader audience outside the university walls.

Network with your peers and learn from them as well as industry experts.

Other reasons why short courses could benefit you

Apart from an opportunity for you to learn and develop as an individual, getting involved in short courses at UCL can provide you with:

  • If you work in research, consider short courses as an opportunity to demonstrate impact, e.g. Better conversations with Aphasia is a free online learning resource for speech therapists, produced as a direct result of a 12 month Economic and Social Research Council funded project. Nearly 3,000 speech and language therapists have already registered to use it.
  • A way to develop your writing skills or raise your profile by writing reviews of courses you take part in.

More information