Content suitability - course criteria

FutureLearn terminology is designed to be as inclusive as possible. We have courses that are structured into weeks, activities, and steps, not content, units, and modules. 

We have educators, not instructors; and learners, not students.  The platform supports comment and discussion, not forums.

Where using material sourced from external or third-party resources, check you have cleared permissions for any images and other licensed material. 

Check all content has been attributed correctly and consistently when referencing other sources. To provide consistency to learners across all FutureLearn courses please use the Vancouver referencing system.

The partner is solely responsible for: (i) obtaining and maintaining all licences, waivers, releases, consents, approvals and permissions required to use content in the course (including Intellectual Property Rights, third party rights, waivers of moral rights and/or performers rights and individual release authorisations of Educators or individuals featured in any Course) and (ii) ensuring any appropriate credits are included in the Course where necessary.

YouTube is not universally accessible worldwide. YouTube videos can be embedded within steps as supplementary course content only. 

Where video content is core to the course, it should not be linked to or embedded. It should instead be uploaded directly in the platform as a video step.

If the Youtube video does not automatically feature subtitles or a transcript, they must be provided by the partner in PDF format.

Embedded video should meet all copyright and legal requirements.

Check spelling, ideally by providing reviewer permission to a trusted colleague who has not been connected with course development.  Frequent spelling mistakes, errors, or typos distract learners and reflect badly on the course.

The FutureLearn QA process does not include full proofreading.

Consider gender, race, and age, for example when choosing images to represent course material. Our learners are from very different backgrounds, and have different access needs. All should feel considered, respected, and included within the learning environment.

6 - Written content is concise, divided into easily readable paragraphs and uses appropriate terminology.

Pages full of text can be overwhelming for learners to read. Avoid large blocks of text these are problematic, especially for dyslexic learners. Using bullet points and chunking the content helps them to break down the learning. See our top tips. 

Courses should be written using plain language, avoiding jargon and cultural figures of speech. Terminology should be suitable to the level of the course. Use our Readability Tool to identify difficult passages of text. Sentences should be short, in active voice and expand acronyms. A separate glossary step or PDF should be provided if necessary. 

Some learners will be studying your course with the assistance of a screen reader. By structuring text with clear headings and subheadings, learners will be able to navigate to different sections of the document quickly via their screen reader.

7. Step types used are appropriate for learning aim/type.

With each step, learners should feel like they’re meeting the learning outcomes of the course. If they expect to learn to do something practical, it would make sense for this to feature in a video step or exercise step. This makes their journey a clear progression of learning. Design Steps 

Consider first what you want the learner to achieve, and then pick a step that will be the most appropriate way for them to do so. Articles, for example, are great for fact sharing and discussions ask learners to reflect and analyse. 

8. There is an appropriate variety of step and learning types.

A course with only videos or only articles (for example) would be monotonous and fail to cater to a variety of learning preferences. Having space to reflect allows the learner to contextualise knowledge gained in a given activity.

Each week is a balanced combination of step types and learning types. 

Check the variety of steps in your course by going to Content tab > Course Overview > Choose Step Types. 

9 - The course contains opportunities and guidance for application, production or practice of core learning.

Learners should not be faced with a wall of reading, or exclusively watching video. Courses should be structured to introduce new information to learners, which they then have the opportunity to comprehend, apply and evaluate through tasks, discussion or practice. Instructions for tasks should be clear, align with learning outcomes and explain why learners are being asked to complete them.

10. Videos run to max 5 mins, 10 where necessary.

Shorter videos are more frequently watched to completion, meaning the learner is more likely to reach the learning outcomes of the course. Videos are generally no more than 5 minutes. Break up longer videos or deliver the content in an alternative way. Design Video Steps. 

Videos should contain text below them. For example: an explanation of the video content (for those who do not have the bandwidth to watch it) an overview, discussion prompts, clear instructions of what to watch out for and reflect upon, reminders, and study skill prompts on how to take notes, or questions to answer. 

11. Audios run to max 15 mins, 20 where necessary.

Research suggests the average maximum attention span of an adult listening is 15-20 minutes. Long audio must be downloadable for those with bad internet connections so that they can listen offline. Design Audio Steps. 

12. The course has an appropriate approach to learners from around the world.

Two-thirds of FutureLearn learners reside outside the UK. Learners are from very different backgrounds, and all should feel respected within the learning environment.

Course content should be written for learners for whom English is an additional language. See our conversational tone of voice guidance. Avoid or explain terms and examples that depend on a knowledge of Western culture, eg the UK/US education system

13. Written course content must be specific to the course, generic information is either linked to or automated e.g. how to get a certificate.

Remove references to prices, upgrades, and claiming certificates from the course content. This is embedded into the product in specific places to be sure it does not distract from learning. Sometimes changes also occur which would lead this content to be out of date.