Open Online Courses

About Open Online Courses[edit | edit source]

Open online courses are courses running purely in an online environment that is open for anyone to participate in. These online courses are referred to as "open" because:

  • the course takes place in an area that is open for anyone to read, reflect and comment upon,
  • they are free,
  • the content and work done in the course are shared between all people taking the course.

These courses are often referred to as MOOCs - massive open online courses - as they can generate huge participation.  

Open Online Courses in Physiopedia[edit | edit source]

Part of the Physiopedia objectives is to provide at least one free course each year. These are the courses that have been delivered:

Professional Ethics - June 2013[edit | edit source]

In collaboration with the University of Western Cape in South Africa, Physiopedia ran the worlds first ever physiotherapy or physical therapy MOOC. The course was a huge success and has provided us with a very workable model for running future MOOCs in Physiopedia.

Physiotherapy Management of Spinal Cord Injuries - June 2014[edit | edit source]

This course was created and delivered in collaboration with the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS).  It had around 4000 participants and was accredited by the WCPT for 15 IPT-CEUs (International Physical Therapy Continuing Education Units).

Lower Limb Amputee Rehabilitation - June 2015[edit | edit source]

This course was a workforce training initiative for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Over 7000 participants registered to participate and it was accredited by the WCPT for 24 IPT-CEUs (International Physical Therapy Continuing Education Units).

Physiotherapy, Exercise and Physical Activity - July 2016[edit | edit source]

This course, is a collaboration with Exercise Works in the UK, was designed to help healthcare professionals understand the size of the problem of physical inactivity in populations globally, the role of physical inactivity in the causation of a number of conditions and the benefits of exercise in treatment and prevention, and to encourage those who access the course to perform and evaluate interventions to increase physical activity in their settings.

Managing Children with Cerebral Palsy - September 2016[edit | edit source]

This course was run in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It provided a framework to develop introductory level principles of the management of children with Cerebral Palsy relevant in all contexts. The global network formed through this course will allow for shared knowledge and experiences to support good health care and better quality of life for children with Cerebral Palsy around the world.

Managing Children with Clubfoot - November 2017[edit | edit source]

This course was run in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Global Clubfoot Initiative (GCI). It aimed to provide a basic theoretical understanding of clubfoot and to align global understanding of the theoretical principles underlying the management of children with clubfoot.

Wheelchair Service Provision - October 2018[edit | edit source]

This course was run in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Humanity & Inclusion who provided the french translation, and the World Health Organisation who provided the wheelchair service training packages. It aimed to provide a basic theoretical understanding of wheelchair service provision.

Future Open Online Courses in Physiopedia[edit | edit source]

  • Early Trauma Rehabilitation in Disaster and Conflict Settings - November 2019

Run an Open Online Course in Physiopedia[edit | edit source]

We now have a successful workable model for running more open online courses in Physiopedia in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, educational establishments and professional networks. The collaboration basically runs like this:

  • Physiopedia provides all the administration for the course including e-learning development, hosting, promotion, registrations, accreditation, certification etc.
  • The partner (organisation, university, professional association, clinical network) provides the content and the instructors. 

If you would like to run a MOOC please contact us by email: [email protected] We will discuss your ideas with you and collaborate with you to present one of the worlds very first physiotherapy or physical therapy MOOCs.

Resources[edit | edit source]

Looking for more online courses? Look no further[edit | edit source]

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