More than 25,000 people have signed up for a free online course that helps demystify the complex messages we hear about diet, health and lifestyle designed and delivered by the University of Aberdeen.
The Nutrition and Wellbeing course is known as a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), which is hosted by FutureLearn, starts today (August 17) but users can still sign up to take part.
The video-based course is hosted by the University’s world-leading nutrition experts and aims to present the scientific basics of nutrition and an outline of current nutrition concepts and controversies.
The course is split into four themes which will run over four weeks:
- The makings of a ‘healthy diet’
- Why do we eat what we eat?
- Food and disease
- Nutrition, fads, myths and the plain truth
The course is delivered by Dr Mavroeidi from the Institute of Medical Science and Dr Alex Johnstone from the University’s Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health – the UK’s longest-established Centre of Excellence for Nutrition research - whose work formed the basis of Marks & Spencer’s ‘Simply Fuller Longer’ food range.
Interested students are expected to put in up to six hours of study per week with the weeks made up of different activities based around the subject of study such as a video, article, discussion, test, quiz or assignment.
FutureLearn was initiated by The Open University in December 2012. The website went live in September 2013 as social learning platform, connecting learners from all over the globe who learn by interacting with each other and with globally renowned academics.
The University of Aberdeen’s membership brings FutureLearn’s total to 72 partners, comprising of 35 world-leading higher- and specialist education institutions and three cultural organisations – the British Council, British Library and the British Museum.