FutureLearn Academic Network (FLAN)

These terms of reference are reviewed annually at a FLAN meeting.

Purpose

The FutureLearn Academic Network (FLAN) was established in 2013 by a group of academics in order to connect academics and research students based at FutureLearn partner institutions, share research, and explore shared research opportunities. These opportunities include: joint research bids and publications, comparative studies using shared FutureLearn data, course designs, and methods to analyse and evaluate courses.

Organisation

FLAN is managed by an Academic Co-ordinator with the support of the FLAN Coordination Group (a small group of academics from FutureLearn partner organisations) and staff from FutureLearn.

Membership

FLAN is open to staff and research students based at FutureLearn partner institutions with an interest in research related to the FutureLearn platform.

FutureLearn staff are encouraged to attend and participate, although they are not responsible for the research direction of the group.

When FLAN members leave a partner institution, they may continue to attend and participate, although they will not be responsible for the research direction of the group.

Every FutureLearn partner should be aware of FLAN meetings. Communication about these will be carried out by FutureLearn as well as by FLAN members.

Benefits for members

Benefits of participating in FLAN include opportunities to:

•      build collaborations with other partners
•      develop the academic profiles of research students and research-active staff
•      increase knowledge of other partners’ research
•      influence the development of FutureLearn
•      present and discuss research
•      strengthen the pedagogy of the platform
•      work on new challenges in education.

Benefits for FutureLearn

Benefits of participating in FLAN include opportunities to:

•      extend awareness of how to support researchers
•      gain research insights that can be used to improve FutureLearn
•      gather evidence about effective learning on the platform
•      increase awareness of partner research that can be publicised externally
•      invite partners to collaborate in research
•      raise FutureLearn’s profile and academic credentials
•      share internal FutureLearn research with partners
•      understand the needs of academics and educators.

Independence

Research carried out by FLAN members is independent of FutureLearn

FutureLearn does not put constraints on partners’ research that is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant and adheres to FutureLearn’s research guidelines

FutureLearn does not influence FLAN’s academic direction.

If FutureLearn approaches FLAN members to carry out research for FutureLearn, the nature of the relationship and the scope of the research are made explicit to the partner from the outset.

FutureLearn support for FLAN

FutureLearn

• co-authors research with partners
• contributes presentations on FutureLearn research projects
• coordinates outputs (retaining editorial control of features on the FutureLearn Research Insights page and publicity placements with the FutureLearn communications team)
• coordinates with FLAN in order to keep the ‘Research Ethics for FutureLearn’ guidelines up to date and openly available
• disseminates FutureLearn research among the partnership
• helps recruit research participants, including learners, partners and academics
• hosts occasional FLAN sessions in FutureLearn’s London office, when approached to do so
• identifies a named person who liaises with the Academic Coordinator, sends out invitations prepared by the FLAN Coordination Group, supports partners and the FLAN Coordination Group to confirm dates and venues, provides event support, ensures venues are catered, ensures sessions are live streamed and recorded, and promotes FLAN membership and meetings via the Partners site
• makes full summaries of FLAN research available on the FLAN section of the Partners site, if supplied in suitable format by FLAN partners
• makes it clear what kinds of data can be collected (either via the platform or via partner surveys), which procedures must be followed to ensure that data collection is compliant with the law, and how FutureLearn can help with data collection
• reviews its commitment to FLAN on annual basis.

Meetings

Meetings are typically held four times a year at different partner institutions. All meetings are live streamed so they are accessible to members who cannot attend in person

The summer meeting has a focus on promoting and supporting the work of postgraduate students

The agendas of meetings are contributed by members in response to an open call circulated to all partners.

Information sharing

FLAN members are encouraged to provide a digest for a non-expert audience of relevant research papers via the Research Insights page of the FutureLearn website.

Links to full presentations from each FLAN event are made available on the FutureLearn Partners site, unless a presenter requests that this is not done.

FLAN members are encouraged to contribute to the Library of FutureLearn-related research available on its Partners site.

The Academic Coordinator writes a reflective summary of each FLAN meeting for the Partners site blog shortly after each event.

Contact details

For more information on these terms of reference or on FLAN, contact flan@futurelearn.com

Anyone from a FutureLearn partner institution with an interest in research related to FutureLearn is welcome to join the network. Please contact rebecca.ferguson@open.ac.uk to join. Please also encourage colleagues, including postgraduate students, with research interests in FutureLearn or MOOCs to join.

The Network hosts a closed Facebook Group to exchange ideas and propose themes. Contact sarah.honeychurch@glasgow.ac.ukor rebecca.ferguson@open.ac.uk to join the Facebook group.

The network is currently run by Senior Lecturer Rebecca Ferguson and Professor Eileen Scanlon from The Open University, Sally Parsley from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Leah Marks from the University of Glasgow and Lisa Harris from the University of Southampton. Admin support is provided by Liz Hills from FutureLearn.