• Talk by: Dr Anne Andermann, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
• Date: Thursday 5 June 2014
• Time: 6pm - 7pm
• Place: Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA. The talk will take place in the Mawby Pavilion

Biography

Dr Anne Andermann is a GP, a public health physician and founding director of the CLEAR Collaboration that aims to help frontline health workers address the underlying social causes of poor health through a combination of direct patient care, referral and advocacy for larger social change. She completed her undergraduate and medical studies at McGill University, as well as having obtained an MPhil in history and philosophy of science from Cambridge University and a DPhil in public health from Oxford University. Dr Andermann has previously worked on research capacity strengthening for low- and middle-income countries at the World Health Organization in Geneva where she was also a member of the WHO Research Ethics Review Committee and a main contributing author of the World Health Report 2008 on increasing universal access to primary health care. She has been a visiting professor in the USA (Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs, Princeton University), Brazil (Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia) and Germany (Berlin School of Public Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin). Currently, Dr. Andermann is the Medical Specialist in Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Health Canada's Quebec Regional Office, a Public Health Physician at the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay Northern Quebec, Chair of the Community Oriented Primary Care Committee at St Mary's Hospital Family Medicine Centre, and the focal point at the McGill Faculty of Medicine responsible for incorporating a greater emphasis on the social determinants of health and a population health approach into the new medical school curriculum. Dr Andermann was recently awarded the Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health award from Grand Challenges Canada and the Clinical Research Scholars award from the Quebec Health Research Fund. Her new book entitled Evidence for Health: From Patient Choice to Global Policy examines how research evidence can be used in making more nuanced and better-informed decisions to improve health outcomes at a patient- and population-level.

For further information about Knowledge in Action please see www.conted.ox.ac.uk/kia

• Date: Monday 14 July 2014
• Time: 6pm -7pm
• Place: Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA. The talk will take place in the Mawby Pavilion

Speakers:

• Professor Alexander Bird, University of Bristol
• Professor Bill Fulford, University of Oxford
• Dr Elselijn Kingma, University of Southampton
• Professor Ray Tallis
• Professor Jon Williamson , University of Kent

Chair: Dr Jeremy Howick, University of Oxford

Synopsis: In this panel discussion five philosophers of science will tell us how they think philosophy has benefited medicine. The audience will have ample time to ask question and challenge the speakers.

Professor Bird's research interest is in the metaphysics and epistemology of science and medicine.

Professor Fulford is a Member of the Philosophy Faculty, University of Oxford; and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Mental Health, University of Warwick Medical School.

Dr Kingma joined the Philosophy Department in Southampton in September 2013. She completed a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science at the University in Cambridge in 2008 and subsequently held postdoctoral research positions at the Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health (USA - 2008/2009); King's College London (2010-2013) as part of a Wellcome Trust Strategic Enhancement Award in the Medical Humanities; and most recently a temporary lectureship in Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge (2013).

Elselijn is also Socrates Professor in philosophy and technology in the Humanist Tradition, at the University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Before studying philosophy she completed undergraduate degrees in Clinical Medicine and Cognitive & Neuro Psychology at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

Professor Tallis trained as a doctor at the University of Oxford and St Thomas' Hospital, London. He retired in 2006 as an Emeritus Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester. Professor Tallis.

Professor Williamson is a professor of reasoning, inference and scientific method at the University of Kent. Professor Williamson also has interests in the philosophy of causality; the foundations of probability; logics and reasoning; and the use of causality, probability and logics in AI.

Dr Howick is a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and he is also the course leader for The History and Philosophy of Evidence-Based Health Care. Dr Howick's research draws on his interdisciplinary training as a philosopher of science and clinical epidemiologist; he has two areas of interest: Evidence-Based Medicine and Philosophy of Medicine.

For further information about Knowledge in Action please see www.conted.ox.ac.uk/hpebhc

Both novels, Dodger and Dodger of the Dials, continue the story of one of Britain's best-loved literary creations, Charles Dickens' the Artful Dodger, from Oliver Twist. Returned from six years at Her Majesty's pleasure, Jack Dawkins (a.k.a. the Artful Dodger) arrives back in London intent on returning to his old life and old ways in these amusing, entertaining, fast-moving novels.

'An Evening with James Benmore' will take place Tuesday July 15th from 7-8.30pm at the Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green. James will give a reading and speak about both the Dodger books; a Q and A and book signing will follow. There is an admission fee of £3, redeemable on any book purchased on the night. The Big Green Bookshop is at Unit 1, Brampton Park Road, Wood Green, London, N22 6BG. For full information, please see: www.biggreenbookshop.com/events-diary/info_6.html (Scroll down the page by date to see James' event.)

On Thursday July 17th James appears at the The Dickens Museum in London - the London residence of Charles Dickens. His talk is called 'Dickens and the Dodger' and explores - among many things - who Dickens associated with during the time he wrote Oliver Twist, how this informed his creation of the Dodger, how the Dodger has been characterised in various other media throughout the years - and why Oliver Twist was a much more politically dangerous book than people realise.

The evening at The Dickens Museum will begin with a tour of the museum at 5.30, followed by James' talk from 7-8pm. The bar will be open from 8-9 for post-talk mingling and book signing. The admission price of £10 includes entry to the museum for an exclusive, after-hours visit, along with the talk.

The Dickens Museum is at 48, Doughty Street, London, WC1N 2LX. For full information, please see: www.dickensmuseum.com/events/dickens-and-the-dodger/

Dodger of the Dials was published in June 2014. It is the sequel to James' highly acclaimed first book Dodger. Both James' books are widely available on Amazon and elsewhere.

James, who completed our Master's in Creative Writing programme in 2010, signed a two book deal with publisher Heron (a subsidiary of Quercas) in Autumn 2011.

For more information on our part-time Master's in Creative Writing, please see: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/mstcw

They are one of our favourite summer visitors travelling from sub-Saharan Africa to nest in our city buildings. They occupy the same nesting holes year on year and produce one or two chicks.

Swifts are incredibly discreet birds - they don't leave droppings and don't actually build a nest, only use existing cracks and crevices as nest holes. In Wellington Square there are nesting holes under the eaves of Rewley House as well as on a few of the tall Victorian houses surrounding the Square. Look up at the eaves of Number 11 Wellington Square (OUDCE's CPD Centre) and you will notice three swift nesting boxes www.conted.ox.ac.uk/swiftsproject, the first swift boxes to be installed on the outside of any Oxford University department. Some Departmental staff with offices overlooking the square have noticed the swifts inspecting the boxes, so there's hope they will be used by the birds next year.

In Oxford as elsewhere in the country the swift population has declined dramatically. According to the British Trust for Ornithology numbers have decreased by around forty percent over the last twenty years. And the reasons for their decline? Renovating buildings with the loss of nesting sites is a main cause as well as declining insects for them to feed on.

One of the best places to see swifts in Oxford is at the University Museum of Natural History where swifts have been studied for 60 years. Stand on the lawn in front of the museum and you can see swifts going in and out of the ventilation holes in David Lack's famous Swift Tower. If you can't get to the museum to see the swifts first hand, try logging onto the museum's website www.oum.ox.ac.uk/swifts.htm and look at the live webcam of a swift nest.

So what can be done to halt the decline of these amazing birds?

The Department for Continuing Education has teamed up with the University's Estates Services Environmental Sustainability team and with Chris Mason, Swift Project Officer at Cherwell District Council.

The partnership kicked off with a lunchtime meeting featuring talks by Chris Mason from CDC, Jocelyne Hughes from the Department, and Tom Heal from Estates Services. A pdf file of their talks can be seen here: Swifts' Workshop Talks (pdf file) The slides contained in the pdf explain how to identify swifts, how to halt their decline, how university staff can record swifts and swift nests, together with the recording form. This information can be used when making building alterations and will be logged onto a database managed by Estate Services.

Back at Wellington Square Jocelyne Hughes, Chris Mason and Harriet Waters from Estates Services organised a lunchtime Swift Walk on July 1st so that people could learn how to identify swifts and to spot them entering and leaving nesting holes.

Jocelyne said, 'We walked from Rewley House to the University Museum teaching members of the group how to spot the birds and where to look for nests. It was a very positive gathering of employees from colleges and departments across the university who all want to help conserve swifts. I really felt this was the start of a practical effort across the university to do something about the plight of swifts and to change attitudes towards having birds nesting in buildings. We will hold a second Swift Walk on July 23 to observe birds in a different part of the centre of Oxford.'

The second Swift Walk will be held on July 23, 1-2pm, meeting outside the main entrance of Rewley House in Wellington Square. Please register for this event by sending an email to sustainability@admin.ox.ac.uk

Jocelyne Hughes directs the Department's Postgraduate Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/est

• Date: Monday 14 July 2014
• Time: 6pm -7pm
• Place: Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA. The talk will take place in the Mawby Pavilion

Speakers:

• Professor Alexander Bird, University of Bristol
• Professor Bill Fulford, University of Oxford
• Dr Elselijn Kingma, University of Southampton
• Professor Ray Tallis
• Professor Jon Williamson , University of Kent

Chair: Dr Jeremy Howick, University of Oxford

Synopsis: In this panel discussion five philosophers of science will tell us how they think philosophy has benefited medicine. The audience will have ample time to ask question and challenge the speakers.

Professor Bird's research interest is in the metaphysics and epistemology of science and medicine.

Professor Fulford is a Member of the Philosophy Faculty, University of Oxford; and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Mental Health, University of Warwick Medical School.

Dr Kingma joined the Philosophy Department in Southampton in September 2013. She completed a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science at the University in Cambridge in 2008 and subsequently held postdoctoral research positions at the Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health (USA - 2008/2009); King's College London (2010-2013) as part of a Wellcome Trust Strategic Enhancement Award in the Medical Humanities; and most recently a temporary lectureship in Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge (2013).

Elselijn is also Socrates Professor in philosophy and technology in the Humanist Tradition, at the University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Before studying philosophy she completed undergraduate degrees in Clinical Medicine and Cognitive & Neuro Psychology at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

Professor Tallis trained as a doctor at the University of Oxford and St Thomas' Hospital, London. He retired in 2006 as an Emeritus Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester. Professor Tallis.

Professor Williamson is a professor of reasoning, inference and scientific method at the University of Kent. Professor Williamson also has interests in the philosophy of causality; the foundations of probability; logics and reasoning; and the use of causality, probability and logics in AI.

Dr Howick is a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and he is also the course leader for The History and Philosophy of Evidence-Based Health Care. Dr Howick's research draws on his interdisciplinary training as a philosopher of science and clinical epidemiologist; he has two areas of interest: Evidence-Based Medicine and Philosophy of Medicine.

For further information about Knowledge in Action please see www.conted.ox.ac.uk/hpebhc

Keith said, 'I am honoured to have received this award from CIEEM - though my 'lifetime' needs to be put into a woodland perspective: it is barely a third the length of a commercial oak crop rotation and less than a tenth of what an oak might grow to if not felled. Long-term studies are therefore crucial in woodland ecology.'

Keith is pictured, left to right, with guest speaker and leading independent environmentalist Chris Baines; CIEEM President, John Box; CIEEM Medal winner, Keith Kirby; Chair of Natural England, Andrew Sells; and Ceremony host, comedienne and entertainer Helen Lederer,

Keith, a woodland ecologist and Visiting Researcher with the Oxford Department of Plant Sciences, teaches on the Department for Continuing Education Environment and Sustainability Short Course Programme. His work with the Department helps to train environmental managers and ecological consultants using Oxford's 'Living Laboratory' Wytham Woods as a hands-on example.

'I was fortunate to 'inherit' a set of plant records from my supervisor Colyear Dawkins of the Forestry Department who set out a series of plots in Wytham Woods just outside Oxford. With help from many colleagues we have re-recorded these plots and used them to show changes in the flora over time - the increased growth of ash, loss of elm and birch; the impact of deer on woodland plants; and effects of woodland management.'

Working with Wytham Woods Conservator, Nigel Fisher, Keith provides practitioners with the vital skills and techniques in woodland ecology and management needed to support conservation.

For more information about Environment and Sustainability at Oxford visit www.conted.ox.ac.uk/environment or contact us on envman@conted.ox.ac.uk and +44 (0)1865 286953

Funding has been secured from the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, the Alistair Berkley Charitable Trust (African awards only) and Kellogg College, Oxford, for ten scholarships for candidates from developing African and South Asian Commonwealth countries*.

The Scholarships will provide course and college fees over two years, as as well as air travel to and from the scholar's home country for each residential session and a stipend for reading materials.

'The Commonwealth Scholars from Africa we have had thus far are superb, and delightful', said Dr Andrew Shacknove, Director of the International Human Rights Law programme. 'They are intellectually gifted and highly committed as human rights advocates. Thanks to the generosity of Kellogg College and the Alistair Berkley Charitable Trust, in September the Commonwealth scheme will be doubled to ten scholarships and will now include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This makes it possible to offer full support to a third of our students, coming from developing countries with significant human rights challenges and potential.'

This is the third year that the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission has funded International Human Rights Law scholarships at Oxford with an annual grant of £160k. To date the Commission has given £320k. The Alistair Berkley Charitable Trust has made a grant of £48,505 for students specifically from developing African countries.

All ten scholars will attend Kellogg College while undertaking the Master's at Oxford. For more information about the scholarships please see:

http://ihrlmst.conted.ox.ac.uk/finance/funding/commonwealth-scholarships/

For more information about the MSt in International Human Rights Law, please see: http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/M200-5

For more information on supporting the Department's programmes, please see:

http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/support

*Countries included are: Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia; South Asia: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

A weekly class, Poet's Workshop, run by tutor Olivia Byard, has a bumper crop of successes to report.

Annette Volfing has had 8 poems published over this academic year so far: five are in Print journals --one poem in New Trad Journal, Australia; two in Lighthouse; and two in Angle. She has had three poems published on-line: one each in Antiphon, Snakeskin, and the Stanza Autumn Competition.

Lesley Morris has published three poems this year: one poem is in The Mother Magazine; and two in The Friend.

Sarah McLeod has had two poems shortlisted for The Grace Dieux prize this term. One of her other poems was chosen as a Postcard poem in the Postcard promotion.

Christine Earle's character for her children's poem, 'Humphrey the Camel' is being turned into a children's book by Goosebumps. She has also had a poem chosen by Help for Heroes for their coming fundraising book.

Pen Kease has won a place for next year on Warwick University's MA Creative Writing Programme.

Poets' Workshop tutor, Olivia Byard's poem 'Posthumous', first published in The New Statesman in 2012, has been chosen to illustrate the EU Marine Board's ten year report on the state of our seas, and specifically what we can learn from drowned landscapes in assessing the effects of climate change, to help save our future. This 80 page report will be presented to various bodies in all countries at a Global conference in Rome this autumn.

Olivia's new book The Wilding Eye, New and Selected Poems, will be published next year by Worple Press. The title poem was published in Oxford Magazine this term.

For more information on the Poets' Workshop, please see: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/W800-166

For more information on tutor Olivia Byard, her website is: www.oliviabyard.com

Irina, (pictured, lower), a freelance architect based in Paris, has been awarded the programme-based full fee scholarship for the course. Joanne, (pictured, upper), a planning technician for a UK Local Planning Authority, receives both an Oxford Graduate Scholarship, funded by HEFCE, and programme-based Award of £10,000. Divindy, a chartered civil engineer specialising in urban water and sanitation infrastructure at Mott Macdonald, has received the prestigious Clarendon Scholarship, the third student on the MSc to do so.

The MSc in Sustainable Urban Development brings together urban leaders, decision-makers and practitioners from across the world and the UK. Delivered part-time across eight intensive teaching weeks over two years, the MSc enables students to continue working while developing their careers.

'The Scholarship has enabled me to seize the chance of a lifetime,' Irina said, 'It will give me the wings to reach my goal towards a sustainable future. The course will help me find effective ways to fill the gaps between the design and planning process. I aim to be part of the global city discourse in multidisciplinary research and reflexive practice, to be able to embrace future challenges and to materialize opportunities towards a sustainable future.'

Joanne said, 'I am very fortunate to have been awarded both the Award and a HEFCE Graduate Scholarship which covers the course and college fees as well as helping towards living and studying costs. Being at the very beginning of my professional career and coming from a humble background, I would not have been able to accept my place on the course without this generous funding.'

'The MSc will help me to progress within my chosen profession,' Joanne explains, 'Its inter-disciplinary nature will not only enable me to build upon my knowledge of town planning and expand on my previous studies but will also allow me to explore new areas such as sustainable transport planning. The delivery of the course is also important as it enables me to continue with my professional endeavours.'

Divindy tells us, 'I have come to strongly appreciate that to develop the best long term sustainable water supply for urban areas, solutions needed to diverge away from the Victorian tradition of designing urban infrastructure as separate technical systems and look at the integrated urban environment as a whole. I am hoping that this course will improve my understanding of the urban complexity to help design a more sustainable urban environment.'

'The funding has made all the difference - without it I would not have been able to partake in the course. As work full-time, the stipend associated with the Clarendon Fund has meant that I can afford to take time off as unpaid study leave.'

'I want to gain an improved understanding about the diverse urban environment and the inter-play between the diversity of factors. The course should also allow me to take the step back to see my professional life in a wider perspective and from different angles, which will be extremely valuable. This will be through the personal analysis and reflection on sustainable development associated with rigorous further study, along with debate with learned professors and peers.'

In a recent series of video interviews commissioned by the University, students, lecturers and alumni reflect upon their experiences of the MSc, motivations for joining and the impact of the MSc on career prospects. Please see: http://youtu.be/PmK5jGO63s0

For more information about the MSc in Sustainable Urban Development and future funding opportunities please visit www.conted.ox.ac.uk/msud or contact us on sud@conted.ox.ac.uk and +44 (0)1865 286951.

This year's award of £108,000 will be used to develop training workshops that will enable research scientists, doctoral students, graduates and professionals from across the country in the environmental sciences and management to attend at no cost. The funding also covers accommodation and course materials for the duration of each workshop. The courses will be offered in early 2015.

Each workshop will focus on priority training areas identified by NERC. This year's training will building upon last year's success with Introduction Multivariate Ecological Statistics and Insect Taxonomy and Field Sampling Freshwater Ecology together with two new workshops, Introduction to Data Visualisation and Field Techniques for Surveying Freshwater Marcoorganisms and their Habitats.

Last year's workshops received outstanding student feedback praising the excellent standard of teaching.

For more information please visit www.conted.ox.ac.uk/envman, contact us on +44 (0)1865 268952 and envman@conted.ox.ac.uk, and follow us on Twitter @ox_environment to stay up to date.

Jonathan Healey, who is course director for our Diploma in English Local History and our online Advanced Diploma in Local History, won an 'Outstanding Tutor' award; Janet Dickinson, who teaches on our weekly and online classes programme and who wrote our online Elizabeth I course, won a 'Most Acclaimed Lecturer' award.

The Oxford University Student Union Teaching Awards are entirely student-led and aim to recognise great teaching, and student support in Oxford.

Jonathan Healey works on early-modern British social and economic history., and teaches 16th to 18th century papers on the History Faculty's BA in Modern History, and early-modern papers on the Department's MSc in English Local History. He has published on the development, politics and economic context of the Poor Law, on changing social structures in the Lake District, and on the epidemics of 1727-30. Jonathan is keen to foster a public engagement with social history more generally; in 2012 he was picked as one of the winners of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Thinkers competition, and has made a number of appearances on BBC radio.

Jonathan said: 'I was absolutely thrilled to even be nominated for this, given this was actually my first foray into online teaching. To win the award was just fantastic. Thanks to OUSU for running this excellent scheme, and thanks to Tawney Group on the ADLH 2012-13 for being such a brilliant group of students.'

Janet Dickinson specializes in the history of early modern England and Europe, with particular interests in cultural and political history. Her first book, Court Politics and the Earl of Essex was published in 2011 and she has also contributed to a number of works on Elizabethan and early modern European history. Current projects include work on the Tudor nobility and the last years of Elizabeth I's life as well as court history in general. She has held lectureships at a number of English universities and spends her summers teaching programmes for several American universities in association with the University of Oxford. She is currently Conference Secretary for the Society for Court Studies, and teaches for the University of Reading and New York University in London as well as for the Department.

Of her 'Most Acclaimed Lecturer' award, Janet said, 'I was very surprised and delighted to win the award. Apparently my students commented on my 'inspirational scholarship', which is perhaps the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, so I am keen to repeat it as often as possible!'

For full information on the Oxford University Student Union Teaching Awards, please see: teachingawards.ousu.org

WebLearn is Oxford's Virtual Learning Environment, which contains induction information, course material and tools for learning for students on University programmes. It's an indispensible tool for distance learners and local students alike.

Sharon, as academic lead on the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care, has taken the initiative to ensure that WebLearn supports our part-time students before, during and after their residential weeks in Oxford.

In particular, she has championed a paperless approach to making module learning materials available.

The OxTALENT blog describes Sharon's initiatives: 'To prepare students before the residential week, Sharon organises WebLearn forums for introductions and exchanging information. During the residential week she makes presentations available before each lecture in order to encourage students to use their laptops in the classroom to make their own enhanced notes. She also makes journal articles available for download from WebLearn so that students can manage their own set of resources on their laptops. Once the students have returned home, Sharon runs online activities to keep the group working together. She encourages other module leaders to adopt similar practices, in order to promote consistency in students' learning experience.'

OxTALENT, which stands for Teaching and Learning Enhanced with Technology, is an interest group dedicated to raising awareness, promoting interaction, and stimulating the use of IT in teaching and learning across the University. OxTALENT awards are presented annually to staff and students who have been innovative in their use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

For more information on the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care, please see: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/B900-39

You can hear students talk about their experience of the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care in our online video.

For full information on the OxTALENT awards, please see: blogs.it.ox.ac.uk/oxtalent/oxtalent-competition-2014/

To accommodate this growing mobile audience we have recently upgraded our website to display information more effectively on small screens - using an approach known as 'responsive web design'.

Responsive web design (RWD) aims to provide an optimal viewing experience - easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling - regardless of whether the website visitor is using a mobile phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

It has long been possible to know what device a visitor is using to view a website; responsive design rearranges and prioritises the content to display to best advantage on each size of screen. For mobile devices, the website's navigational menu is usually prominently indicated, but remains hidden and out of the way until needed. Text areas and images resize to display without horizontal scrolling.

Websites that are not responsively designed, on the other hand, display webpages in entirety, no matter what device is being used. On a smartphone, this means the pages show up in miniature, and users must them zoom in on or 'pinch' the screen content, scrolling vertically and horizontally, to display the text in a readable size.

RWD is a feature of the newly re-launched Oxford University homepage, which went live in April, and will be extended over the coming months to include Undergraduate and Postgraduate Admissions websites.

If you have an interest in responsive design, the Department is offering a course on the subject in October. See www.conted.ox.ac.uk/G400-124 for further details.

MOOCs are popular: they're usually free of charge, created largely by Universities, contain good teaching, and attract a very broad international following. But what are the main difference between these offerings and the Department's online courses?

Massive numbers, small numbers

The main difference is in the numbers of students involved. Student enrolment on MOOCs is very large: often hundreds of thousands of students enrolled per course - hence the term 'massive'. (To get a visual idea of size, picture Wembley Stadium - which holds a mere 90,000.) These large numbers inevitably place limitations on the students' experience, affecting the quality of discussion, the tutors' ability to interact with students, and the means of assessment.

By contrast, the Department crafts the online experience to be like a traditional classroom. Student numbers per class are capped at 32 (or 20, for creative writing classes). This small community enhances the learning experience. Students are able to take part in in-depth discussion; personalised tutor guidance, feedback and support are also key feature of these small environments. The highly international make up of student cohorts means there is always a great breadth of perspective brought to bear.

Essay or multiple choice?

Because of their large numbers of students, MOOCs typically make use of multiple choice quizzes to assess the students' attainment of knowledge, while Oxford courses assess via written essay.

Essay assessment is thought to be advantageous on several levels. Students using our courses as preparation for further study, for instance, will benefit from the experience of writing for academic purposes; those who are studying for pleasure inevitably find that distilling their knowledge for another to read tends to help them clarify their arguments, and makes what they've learned 'stick'. With a choice of between 4 or 5 set topics, students are able to tailor the essay experience to fit their interests.

Accreditation

Another huge difference is that MOOCs don't offer transferrable CATs points or credits, while Oxford's online short courses are all accredited. Credits can be transferred into our Certificate of Higher Education, and they are accepted at many other universities.

The social element

Due to the small class size, students who meet on our courses often stay in touch, and sign up for future courses together. (Compare this to MOOCs, which have an up to 90% drop-out rate.) The Department's busy Facebook group, open to all alumni of our online courses, currently has over 2,000 members.

Personal connections extend beyond the course as well, resulting in both 'offline and online' social visits and collaborations. One student, as a result of a discussion of artwork, famously visited a museum near her home in Florence, purchasing postcards of specific pieces under discussion, and scanning and uploading them so that the discussion might carry on at greater depth.

Price

Price is another notable difference. The Department's online courses charge fees, while MOOCs are usually free, or charge a nominal fee in exchange for a certificate of completion (not the same as transferrable credit.)

The fees we charge pay for our tutors, for the individual support and feedback they give to students. Our courses have a high number of tutor/student contact hours, while MOOCs, by their nature, usually have little or none. Think of a hand-crafted product as opposed to one that's mass produced: that old adage - you get what you pay for - rings true in online education.

The Oxford perspective on MOOCs

Oxford University Pro-Vice Chancellor of Education Sally Mapstone describes the MOOC approach as the 'antithesis' of Oxford's vision of pedagogical excellence, and says the university has no intention of adopting the model anytime soon.

Quoted on the ABC news site (Australia), Professor Mapstone says,'So much of the education that we deliver is very individual, very personalised for the tutorial system... sitting in a room with a tutor, teaching them on a regular basis, getting to know their work and them really well. That's a very long way away from a massive open online course distributed across the world to global learners.'

'MOOCs are a supplement potentially to university education, they shouldn't be seen as a substitute for it.'

The student experience

Student Frances Barr has taken both types of courses. She took our Archaeology in Practice course, and followed it with the 'Portus' MOOC offered by the University of Southampton.

'The Oxford online course was much more carefully structured, beautifully put together, and easier to follow,' she said. 'The discussion forums were much better, with whole threads developing, and the strategic input of Wendy, the tutor. The assessments were also manageable. We could see in advance what we would be expected to do, the challenge seemed appropriate, and it was great getting individual feedback.'

'While I loved both these courses, the Oxford course was much better for actually learning. I bought the recommended text and have a file full of notes! The MOOC was an opportunity to apply some of the things I'd learnt on the Oxford course - but I considered it more of an opportunity for guided reading.'

The tutor viewpoint

Author and publisher Frank Egerton, who has tutored on our online course Getting Started in Creative Writing, says, 'Teaching the Oxford online course for nearly six years was an exciting, challenging and profoundly rewarding experience. The size of each group is small enough for you to get to know each student - and how they work - individually, through both their posts to forums and their assignments.

The challenge for the tutor is often to do with the sheer numbers of posts made. But this reflects the enthusiasm that the course's structure stimulates, encouraging, as it does, close work between tutor and student, as well as energetic group discussions. Rising to the challenge of replying to posts, giving detailed, personal feedback, is rewarding because it is fascinating to get to know each student and what really interests them as writers. To see how they develop over the ten weeks is terrifically exciting!'

Overall, students on our courses typically feel that the study they're doing online is as every bit rigorous, and as valuable, as a traditional, face-to-face course. Students tell us that the international makeup of our student cohorts, combined with the more personalised experience that is the hallmark of the Department's courses, makes the world a very small and friendly place indeed.

To learn more about the Department's online courses, please see: http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/online

Working with new as well as established partners, course directors and tutors, the new programme will embrace a greater range of topics and is intended to be of relevance to the voluntary sector as well as to professionals.

Some long-standing courses (such as the Public Inquiry Workshop and the Short Course in Radiocarbon Dating) will continue alongside new ones, including workshops on specific types of artefacts (such as Material Culture from Prehistory), practical skills for Surveying the Landscape and Training and Engaging Volunteers in Archaeology, and a new strand of courses aimed at those taking up Conservation Officer responsibilities within Local Authorities .

To see what is on offer as the programme for next year is put in place, check www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cwhe

'Languages, Myths and Finds: Translating Norse and Viking Cultures for the Twenty-first Century' is a Collaborative Skills Development Programme that brings together graduate students and full-time researchers from across the UK and Ireland to explore the translation of Norse and Viking cultures into the modern day. The project is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, and is based in five communities with Norse heritage: the Isle of Lewis, Cleveland, the Isle of Man, Dublin and Munster.

The fragment of inscribed runestone was found in the Tees Valley at Sockburn, in the grounds of a ruined church, having been used as building stone. The inscription on it reads: Line A ... (ept)ir molmu; Line B... (re)isti krus ...

Jane said, 'We compared this inscription with a formula used in many Scandinavian runes from the Isle of Man: 'X raised this cross in memory of Y'. The inscription on our stone therefore translates as (line B, then line A) '...raised cross... in memory of Máel-Muire/Máel-Maire'. Sadly, the name of the patron is lost.'

Máel-Muire or Máel-Maire is a personal name from the Goidelic - which is an Insular Celtic language from the dialect continuum stretching from Ireland through the Isle of Man to Scotland. The name is linked to the place-name Melmerby (found in Cumbria and in North Yorkshire) and also seen in a runic inscription from the Isle of Man.

'The runestone is relatively small, measuring approximately 22 cm long, 16 cm wide and 9cm deep,' said Jane. 'But it's a very exciting find, despite its small size: Scandinavian runic inscriptions in England are rare - there are fewer than 20 known.'

'The character of the runestone suggests links with the west from the north-east. The Tees Valley has been relatively neglected in studies of the period but that's likely to change. For "Vikingologists", this runestone is a great find and one that makes a fascinating contribution to understanding the Viking settlement of the North-East.'

Also remarkable is the fact that the stone was found in an area with a high concentration of Norse place names, but little in the way of archaeological and historical evidence - apart from unique hogback sculptures (large stone-carved Anglo-Scandinavian sculptures from 10th-12th century England and Scotland usually found in churchyards).

The Languages, Myths and Finds programme draws on the research ideas behind the Vikings Exhibition at the British Museum to generate new research and an understanding of the Viking Age in areas of the country where that period is important but rarely discussed. Jane worked with project leads Professor Heather O'Donoghue (University of Oxford), Dr Pragya Vohra (Aberystwyth University) and PhD students Ellie Rye, Jo Shortt Butler and Nik Gunn (from Nottingham, Cambridge and York Universities).

In addition to the runic discovery, the team produced a research booklet, spoke at a conference and performed public engagement work with local societies.

For full information on the Languages, Myths and Finds project, please see the programme website, at languagesmythsfinds.ac.uk On the website you can download and enjoy the booklets produced by each of the project teams, including Jane's team's work in Cleveland, which can be found at: languagesmythsfinds.ac.uk/north-east-england/

For information about the Department's courses in Archaeology, please see a listing of current courses at:

www.conted.ox.ac.uk/archaeology

Dr Ruhs is our University Lecturer in Political Economy.

The Price of Rights (Princeton University Press 2013) analyzes how high-income countries restrict the rights of migrant workers as part of their labor immigration policies and discusses the implications for global debates about regulating labor migration and protecting migrants. It comprehensively looks at the tensions between human rights and citizenship rights, the agency and interests of migrants and states, and the determinants and ethics of labor immigration policy.

Martin has a new online course, 'International Labour Migration: Economics, Politics and Ethics'. To read about this course, please see www.conted.ox.ac.uk/L100-38.

For more information about Martin's book, blog and online course on international labour migration, visit www.priceofrights.com

Sandra was one of four women interviewed about a life-changing event that prompted them to take on some new and fulfilling course in life. For Sandra, the initiating event was her son's departure for university. And her new course in life was to go to university herself.

Sandra decided to apply for our two-year Foundation Certificate in English Literature. It was a decision she didn't take lightly.

'I'd left school with a handful of O-Levels believing I was nowhere near clever enough to go to university - it wasn't even on my radar,' Sandra told the editors at Good Housekeeping. 'When I got the letter telling me I'd been given a place on the course, I was so surprised and overwhelmed that I cried.'

The Foundation Certificate in English Literature is a two-year, part-time course, equivalent to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree. Many students go on to complete their English Literature degrees, some in Oxford, others elsewhere, applying for entry in year two of a degree course.

Sandra's photo and interview appears in the October 2014 issue of Good Housekeeping (UK), on page 46.

To learn more about the Foundation Certificate in English Literature, please see: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/fcel
To learn more about our part-time undergraduate and graduate award programmes, please see: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/qualifications

The book includes an extended essay on the history of the instrumental solo in popular music from the late 1950s with specific reference to the rise of the guitar solo. It comes with a CD of 40 example solos composed and recorded by the author.

Songs and Solos is Dr Rooksby's 12th song writing title since 2000, in a series which has sold over 300,000 copies. This practical knowledge informs his popular Oxford Experience course The Beatles, Popular Music and Sixties Britain. He is currently working on a book for the general reader on the C20th symphony.

'Songs and Solos' is available at Blackwell's Bookstore and many other places.