The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It received its royal charter in 1905 as a successor to Sheffield Medical School and University College of Sheffield
This course introduces you to Health Technology Assessment (HTA) as a concept (what it is, what it involves) and then takes you through the key stages in the HTA and decision-making process:Identifying technologies for development;Evaluating these technologies in trials and measuring key outcomes, such as Quality of Life (health economics)Appraising and pooling the evidence from these trials to determine the effect of a technology (clinical effectiveness review)Assessing the cost-effectiveness of those technologies (decision-analytic modelling)Considering how the results from this HTA process are used to inform reimbursement and pricing decisions in different countriesThis course necessarily only offers a simple and brief introduction to, and overview of each of these stages in the process. However, it uses materials adapted from the online, distance learning full postgraduate programme on International HTA, Pricing and Reimbursement.
Experts from The Careers Service here at The University of Sheffield share their top tips to help you write exceptional applications, CVs (or résumés), covering letters and personal statements.You’ll also hear from employers and admissions tutors to find out what they really look for in a candidate. And once you’ve written that perfect application, prepare for the next stage with our course: How to Succeed at: Interviews.This course is designed for anyone applying for jobs or courses. It will be of particular interest to those in the early stages of their career, or those who are out of practice and need to update their skills. No prior knowledge or expertise are needed.
This course from the School of Education at the University of Sheffield will encourage you to think differently about play.We’ll discuss definitions of play and current debates about how the nature of play changes. Does play help us to learn? Can it prepare young people to be successful in the adult world? Are all forms of play good for us?Play is a fundamental part of innovation and creativity across a whole range of subjects, careers, disciplines and industries, from fashion and engineering to teaching and business.This course will be of interest to you if you wish to work or study in the fields of psychology, playwork, childhood studies, play therapy, hospital play, teaching, childcare, or if you just want to better understand your relationship with the children in your life and your own play.
Being offered an interview is exciting but can be quite daunting. On this course, our experts from The Careers Service here at The University of Sheffield will make sure you are prepared for the big day.If you’re still at the stage of writing your CV and submitting applications for a job or course, join our courseHow to Succeed at: Writing Applications.This course is designed for anyone applying for jobs or courses. It will be of particular interest to those in the early stages of their career, or those who are out of practice and need to update their skills. No prior knowledge or expertise are needed.
Trace the history and context of country house literatureFor over 450 years, country houses have attracted the attention of celebrated writers like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. On this course we’ll trace this history with experts from the University of Sheffield’s School of English who will share with us the approaches that they take in their own research.Through the course you will investigate and discuss the role and representation of the English country house in literature, and learn how to build your own authoritative interpretation of these texts.This course is suitable for anyone who enjoys reading and discussing literary texts in English. It may also help those who are preparing for further study in English Literature, as it gives a good foundation in analysing texts. If you are already at degree level in English or another subject, this course could be a good supplement to your studies. Ultimately though, this course is suitable for anyone who loves country houses and great literature.
Explore the decision-making process behind healthcare technology assessmentWhy are some treatments made available to patients while others are not?On this course, you’ll explore how health technology assessment (HTA) informs whether we should have access to certain treatments on the NHS or other healthcare systems.You’ll learn how decisions are made about which treatments are made available and the considerations that made surrounding benefits and costs.This course is based on the University of Sheffield’s online distance-learning programme, the MSc International Health Technology Assessment. You can continue to learn about healthcare decision-making in our other online course Measuring and Valuing Health.This course is designed for anyone who works in a medical or pharmaceutical profession, or who studies a healthcare subject such as medicine, nursing, healthcare or health economics and wants to better understand HTA.This course will also be helpful for a patient or interested member of the public who wants to understand the HTA story behind the headlines.You should have an interest in healthcare decision making and economics aspects, as this is at the core of HTA.A basic familiarity with healthcare research will be helpful.
Explore how and why we decide what drugs and treatments should be fundedHealthcare systems around the world are increasingly under pressure to fund new drugs, treatments and other healthcare interventions.On this course, you’ll learn how health outcome measuring can help us to make more informed decisions about where to spend our limited healthcare budgets.You’ll find out how patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) are developed and calculated, and learn how they can be used to compare treatment benefits in practice.This course is designed for anyone interested in how and why choices about drugs and treatments have been made.It is ideal learning for anyone considering a career in healthcare, local decision-making or academia.If you wish to take your learning further, the University of Sheffield’s other Masters degrees and short courses address areas such as health economics, public health and international healthcare technology assessment.You can find out more about this subject in Dr Katherine Stevens’ post for the FutureLearn blog: “How do we make decisions in healthcare about which drugs and treatments to fund?.
Learn how to become a dentist and what that meansAre you fascinated by the world of dentistry? Try our 6-week course by the University of Sheffield and learn the essentials of dentistry from leading dental experts.You’ll explore the intricacies of what dentists do, learn how to become a dentist and discover the rich history of dentistry.Understand tooth anatomy and developmentTo start with, you’ll meet the dental team and receive a tour of the dental surgery. You’ll experience a dental check-up with experts and discover the basics of tooth anatomy and development by looking at 3D models.Find out if you’ve been brushing your teeth the right way, and glimpse into the different dental specialities. Learn what an oral pathologist does and experience a virtual tour of a tooth.Learn about dental treatments and different dental materialsYou may be familiar with dental treatments such as dentures and crowns, but you’ll discover more about dental restoration in this course.We’ll be thinking about dental materials that can be used to restore and replace teeth, including plastics, ceramics and metals such as gold and titanium.Discover the future of dentistry and dental public healthIn the final few weeks, we’ll be thinking about the future of teeth and how to care for the teeth of a population. From water fluoridation to diet effects, teeth are not immune to damage.Spark your curiosity and take a look at current research in dentistry, such as nerve regeneration and tissue engineering. The future of dentistry holds many exciting possibilities.To finish, you’ll get the chance to learn how to become a dentist and get a valuable introduction to studying dentistry degrees.This course is for anyone interested in dentistry or science and is designed to be enjoyed without prior knowledge.It would be especially valuable for dentistry professionals, or anyone thinking of entering the profession.Due to the highly visual nature of dentistry, a small number of exercises in the course, unfortunately, won’t be accessible to learners with visual impairment.
Enhance your knowledge of gender-based violence and the forms of domestic abuseDomestic violence is a global health issue that can take many forms and affect anyone.Health and social care professionals play an important role in recognising and helping victims of violent and abusive relationships.On this course, you’ll address the role of gender in domestic violence and learn to recognise the various forms of violence and abuse.You’ll reflect on the impact of domestic violence and understand your responsibilities as a health or social care worker.By the end of this course, you’ll feel more confident to help support domestic violence victims and survivors.This course is designed for health and social care professionals, including nurses, doctors, family support workers, and community workers.The course will also appeal to lawyers, school teachers, police, and anyone familiar with victims of domestic violence.This course has been designed to help practitioners who work with victims of domestic violence and abuse to provide effective support. We regret that we are unable to provide direct support to victims in this course.
Ever wanted to write a song, but not known how?This course will introduce you to the tools and techniques you need to write your first song. You’ll look at some of the fundamentals of songwriting, building your knowledge as you progress.By the time you’re done, you’ll have gone through the process of writing your own song, working with pitch, melody, chord progressions and more.Learn how to write a songThe art of songwriting is one that just about anyone can learn. Whether or not you’ve tried your hand at music composition in the past, this course gives you the opportunity to get creative.As you work your way through, you’ll learn how to make a song, exploring the main steps involved in the process.Explore the principles of songwritingWriting songs is an enjoyable and creative way to express yourself. With this course, you’ll discover the underlying principles of song composition.As well as looking at how to set words to a rhythm, you’ll examine what an effective melody looks like, and how to structure your piece. These techniques can help you write future songs on your own.Create a song of your ownIf you’re struggling with how to write song lyrics or what to write a song about, we’ve got you covered. Each week, using specially-commissioned lyrics, we’ll build up a song and encourage you to do the same.World-renowned musician, Martin Simpson, will use the same words and techniques and we’ll check in with him each week for inspiration and guidance on the songwriting process.We’ll also talk to experts in music and psychology as well as established musicians and songwriters to find out what makes a song successful.Whether you’re a complete novice who has never written a song in their life, a budding amateur looking to develop further skills or an accomplished professional brushing up on the basics, this course will deliver comprehensive practical and theoretical knowledge to help set you on your path.While it will be useful to have access to a musical instrument this is not a requirement, you can participate in the course just using your voice or with freely available music software.
Explore the importance of university research in a global contextBy the end of this century, it’s expected that the world’s population will reach 10 billion. What will it be like to live in a world with 10bn people? Global issues like climate change, migration, food security, and ageing will continue to cause problems for a growing population.On this course, you will discuss solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. You will learn how university researchers from different subject disciplines work together to address these issues. You will understand the importance of collaborative research and developing a broad range of knowledge.This course is for anyone interested in university research. You could be a current undergraduate or postgraduate student undertaking research or looking to study at university in the future.
The aim of any teacher in medical or health professional education is to become competent in all aspects of education and training. These skills include curriculum, module and session design and planning, lecturing, small group facilitation and assessment. To be a competent teacher an understanding of how adults learn and the instructional methods available is essential. Being a positive role model is key to all aspects of healthcare education.Teachers seek courses in healthcare education that provide an opportunity to blend their clinical expertise with current educational principles and practice. Having a sound educational background helps teachers to provide the best learning experiences for their students
Learn and debate with criminal justice academics and professionalsWhat should the role of the police be? How do victims experience criminal justice? Are there alternative responses to crime instead of prosecution and conviction?On this course, you’ll learn alongside specialists from the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Criminological Research and hear from those with firsthand experience of the criminal justice system, like the police, probation officers, former prisoners and criminal lawyers.This is an introductory course and anyone can enjoy it without prior knowledge or experience of the subject. A basic knowledge of criminal justice will be helpful but is not essential.The course will focus on criminal justice in England and Wales but is designed so that learners from any country can participate.The course will be useful for those considering an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the fields of criminology or criminal justice.If you are thinking about studying criminology, you may be interested to know that our BA (Hons) in Criminology has recently been ranked number 2 in the Guardian University Guide 2019, making Sheffield the (second) best place to study this subject.
Discover how robots will change every aspect of our lives in the future“Robots and autonomous systems are set to change our lives in the not-too-distant future; from travel (self-driving cars), to work (job automation), to medicine (biomedical robots), and even domestic life (household robots).On this course, we’ll look at current and future developments in the field of robotics. You’ll learn how robots sense the world around them, how robotics takes inspiration from nature, and how robots will work with humans.You’ll build up a picture of the principles and the fundamental challenges of robotic design, and demonstrate how research is working to overcome these.This course is designed for anyone interested in learning about the role that will be played by robots in the future.It will be of particular interest to aspiring mechanical, automotive, and robotics engineers, product designers, technicians, and enthusiasts who are keen to explore the role of robots in our everyday, economic, and industrial futures.
This course introduces you to sustainable diets as a concept (what might a sustainable diet look like, what does it not look like?) and then takes you through some of the challenges involved in choosing food which is both healthy and sustainable.