New run of a course (re-runs)

Re-runs are required if you have evaluated a course and are making significant content changes. Open on-demand short courses and ExpertTracks remain open for enrolment and learning continually. They do not need frequent new runs creating.   

Follow all the checks on this page to create a re-run of a course. If you have not demonstrated that you have met these expectations two weeks prior to the course run, FutureLearn reserves the right to postpone or decline to continue offering the course on the platform.

Ten tasks to create a re-run

1. Add a run

• Click the 'add run' button on the ‘manage courses’ page. Org admin permission is required. 
• Confirm you are happy to continue. 
• The information from within 'course run details' will be copied into the new run.
• The weeks, activities and steps will not copy into the new run (see import content below).
• Permissions also do not carry over to the new run. Visit the team tab to reassign permission. 
• Set a provisional start date in the 'course run details' section of the details tab.  

2. Import content

You will be unable to import content from another run less than two weeks before the run start date. Email courses@futurelearn.com for assistance. For invite-only courses you can import content up until the start date.

Option A) Import the full Course *with caution*

• In Course Creator, navigate to the course run. Click on the content tab. 
• Click ‘import content to this run’ at the bottom of the screen. 
• Select the run you wish to import all the content from. 
• Any content in the new run will be deleted and overridden by the import.  
• See if the new run contains content via the 'content' column on the courses tab. 

Option B) Import content and select what to copy

• In Course Creator, navigate to your organisation and select the content tab. 
• View a list of all your past and current courses. 
• Find the course you are looking for, locate the upcoming run and import the content by clicking the link in the content status column.
• Select the content you wish to import:  steps and activities, weekly and additional emails, certificate and statement information, lead generation (if applicable)

Option C) - Import an activity

• In Course Creator, navigate to the week of the new run where you wish to import an activity into.
• Select import activity on the right. 
• Select the run and the activity you wish to import.
• The activity will be copied and added at the bottom of the activities list.
• Drag and drop to move the activity to the correct place. 
• This action will not delete any content. Links in the content will automatically update to point to the new run.

Option D) - Import a step

• In Course Creator, navigate to the activity of the run you wish to import a step into.
• Select the import step button on the right.
• Select the run and the step you wish to import.
• This action will not delete any existing content. Links in the content will automatically update to point to the new run.

Group steps, peer review, and tutor-marked assignment steps cannot be imported individually because they are linked to other steps. The full activity they sit within must be imported. 

3. Review the course QA document 

For the initial run of the course, a Quality Assurance document was shared with you containing our feedback. Did you action all the recommended changes? Now is the time to do them. Private courses do not undergo QA. 

If you make significant changes to course content contact courses@futurelearn outlining what they are, we may schedule another Quality Assurance Review. 

4. Remove time-sensitive copy and text about upgrades

Review the entire course and weekly emails for dates and times of events, and any references to current events as ‘this year’ or ‘last month’. 

In the past, partners were encouraged to include information about upgrades and certificates within steps and emails. This is now automatic within the platform. Please remove any references from within the new run. 

5. Update and submit weekly emails

Follow our guidance to improve your weekly emails. Be sure to write in a conversational tone of voice to create educator presence. 

Check that any links within the emails still work. The tools listed below to check links do not check links within emails. 

If you have facilitated for any period of the previous run, Utilise the themes and trends that were noteworthy in the comments. Summarise or paraphrase comments made within your emails without attributing learners by name.  This is engaging, and keeps the course fresh. 

• Be sure to reference that ‘in the previous run of this course’ learners thought X. Comments from the previous run will not appear in the new run. 
• Don’t quote learners by name without their permission - even anonymously. 
• Be careful not to summarise a learner’s comment that is out of context. It could be misinterpreted. Avoid summarising comments on sensitive subjects.  

Weekly emails always need re-submitting on new runs of a course. Click the pink submit button on the manage course emails tab by 16:00 GMT the Thursday before the course is due to start. 

6. Inspect the certificate details

• When content is imported, certificates remain in their approved status. 
• Ensure that the information is correct. 
• Partners with organisation admin permission can move certificates back into draft status to make changes but only before the course start date. After making changes, submit again for approval. 

7. Update lead generation (if applicable)  

If the course uses the lead generation tool, check that the copy on the ‘Register Your Interest’ page is still valid. Provide new copy and/or registration deadlines by email to courses@futurelearn.com. An updated tracking link is provided to the pathway course/offering.

8. Check the schedule tab 

• In the overview tab in Course Creator, select 'your schedule'. 
• Check if the re-run will overlap with another run of the course. 
• If the re-run will follow on immediately from a previous run let the team know when you request to open for enrolment. 

9. Check all links

When creating and duplicating content, it can be hard to avoid introducing broken links, or links that point to a different course run. Neither of the below tools checks links within emails, this must be done manually. 

Link updater

You do not have to do anything to activate the link updater. When you import content from one run into another run of the same course, the link updater tool analyses the content of each step automatically. It attempts to update the link to point to the same content in the new run.

It will detect links to steps, weeks, and the run progress page, but not links to other pages within the course run, such as the activity feed. 

Link checker

The link checker tool collates all links for a course run and displays them in one place. You can review them, check them and download them in CSV format.  

• Click on the content tab in the course run. 
• Select ‘course links summary’ below your weeks. 
• Select the ‘check for broken links’  button in the top left. 
• The status column of the table will fill in to indicate the status of the link. 

Link statuses

10. Request the new run is opened for enrolment 

Email courses@futurelearn.com at least two weeks before the new run start date and only when you have completed all checks. Provide the name of the course, and link to the new run shell, confirm that you have completed all checks, include the desired course start date and when you would like the Course Description Page published (open for enrolment). If the course will not be on demand also include in your email the extended enrolment period. 

We will open the course for enrolment and check the schedule of any previous runs. 

Screenshots

Add a run: 

Add a provisional date: 

Import content to this run and course links summary: 

Import content:

View whether a run has content:

Import an activity:

Import a step:

Terminology on this page that you aren’t familiar with? Check out our Glossary 

Contact FutureLearn