Author: Jeremy Knox

The second instance of the Introduction to Social Research Methods (or SOCRMx) MOOC launches on the edX platform next week.

The course begins on Monday the 29th of January, and you can sign up here.

SOCRMx is currently part of the MScDE programme, and those students taking the Introduction to Social Research Methods course this semester will be participating the MOOC as part of their study. You can follow the course on Twitter with the hashtag #SOCRMx

As the course is open access, you can sign up and take a look at any time – indeed, if you come across any research terms or ideas that you are unfamiliar with during your time on the programme, SOCRMx would be a good place to find out more about research methods.

If you’ve signed up recently, you can find the first welcome email here.

We’re looking for some ‘distance’ students to participate (via video link) in an upcoming workshop on the design of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for education.

The event takes place on the 28/11/2017 at 11:00-13:00 GMT

What is the university ‘campus’ where students watch video lectures from the local cafe, communicate over social networks, and study and a distance?

What if we could use real ‘things’– buildings, classrooms, chairs, everyday objects – to connect people in new ways across educational distances?

Join us to design the future ‘smart’ university, for a world where more people and ‘things’ are connected. In this workshop, you will get the chance to learn about IoT technologies, and let rip with some creative designs. No practical work with technologies is involved, and no previous experience with coding or making is required – just bring along some imagination.

You will be joining a group of campus-based students, who will be tasked with designing ways of connecting with ‘distance’ students. You, as a ‘distance’ student, will be tasked with designing ways of connecting with campus activity.

Let your creative genius loose as we imagine technologies that can turn data-streams into real ‘things’ in our educational environments: design a soundscape that gives you a ‘sense’ of the Edinburgh campus; invent some lighting that shows you how busy the campus is at lunchtime; dream up a library space that broadcasts what your fellow students are reading!

This workshop is about pushing the boundaries about what is possible with technology, but it is also about asking what data should be collected and broadcast. Come and share your views on issues of privacy and surveillance: what kinds of student data should remain private? How can we protect students in a future of increased data collection?

The best ideas and designs will get prizes!

For more information, email: jeremy.knox@ed.ac.uk

The digital education team are launching a new MOOC on the edX platform: Introduction to Social Research Methods, or SOCRMx for short.

The course begins on Monday the 4th of October, and you can sign up here.

SOCRMx is currently part of the MScDE programme, and those students taking the Introduction to Social Research Methods course this semester will be participating the MOOC as part of their study. You can follow the course on Twitter with the hashtag #SOCRMx

As the course is open access, you can sign up and take a look at any time – indeed, if you come across any research terms or ideas that you are unfamiliar with during your time on the programme, SOCRMx would be a good place to find out more about research methods.

If you’ve signed up recently, you can find the first welcome email here.