History of Orkney in 100 Sites Evening Class

FAQs

• How is the course delivered? It will be taught using Microsoft Teams.  You do not need to download any software, but should have a suitably big screen to appreciate the class and access the materials, so a laptop or large iPad would be preferable to a phone.  You will need a good enough broadband connection to allow connection each week.   Microsoft Teams can run through your browser, you do not need software to run it. We will also use the UHI virtual learning environment, Brightspace.  All your course materials will be hosted on this site.  You will be able to read online or download materials as you wish.  Some weeks there will be supplemental pre-recorded videos for you to watch if you desire.
• Who is this course for? This is a leisure course aimed at anyone interested in Orkney. It carries 10 SCQV credits, so although it is an academic course, no level of prior knowledge or experience is required. Some weeks we will look at some sites in detail, some give more of an overview of sites within an era.  More than 100 sites will be investigated throughout the course.
• Do I have to have any prior knowledge? Not at all, this is an entry-level course and you will learn about sites across all of Orkney, not just the Mainland. Everything will be explained, and you will be be able to access guidance materials throughout the course.
• How long does it take? It is taught over ten weeks, and no class will take longer than two hours, though it is anticipated most will be one and a half hours long.  There may be some discussion after class, which might take it to two hours.
• Is there an exam? There is no exam, but you will be asked to produce a personal portfolio detailing three sites in Orkney in some detail if you want to gain academic credits for the course.  If you don’t want to do any assessment you will be enrolled as an auditing student and will have no requirement to produce any work.
• How many hours of work outside the class will I need to do? There will be some additional work outside of class hours to prepare your personal portfolio if you wish, but it is up to you how long you spend on preparing it.  We find that once you start investigating Orkney, you cannot stop.
• What if I miss a week? The class will be recorded and will be available to all participants throughout the course and for a few weeks after, so you will be able to catch up at your leisure.  Only those with a relevant ID and password can access the material, and you will be enrolled as a student with UHI with university credentials.  The recordings are not public, and nobody else will be able to access them. 
• Is material available for download? Most materials in Brightspace will be available for download.  Videos will not be available for download.
• Do I get a certificate at the end? If you successfully complete the assessment you will also gain 10 academic credits, which you might like to use towards a further qualification in the future. If you choose not to complete the work for credit, you will gain a certificate of attendance. 
• What technical equipment do I need? You need a reliable broadband connection, and a device with a camera and microphone.  A laptop or desktop PC, or iPad would be preferable. It would be difficult to follow the class on a phone. 
• I have not done assessment for years. What do I have to do? It will be pretty relaxed and informal.  You will do a bit of research on three sites that you are interested in. Lots of materials will be provided within the course, but any local information you can gather, from photographs of the interpretive panels at the sites, to information leaflets or copies of pages from books, you will soon find you can pull together suitable material for assessment.
• How much does it cost? The cost is £152.50. You will be invoiced via Orkney Islands Council after the course has begun. 
• How long will I have access to the material after the course is complete? You will have access to the materials until around Christmas-time, but the materials will stay in your Brightspace account so if you choose to enrol on any subsequent programmes with INS or UHI in the future, you will find the materials waiting for you.
• What else can I do after this course? There is a similar course for Shetland – The History of Shetland in 100 Sites.  If you would like to continue your education, then how about Cert HE Highland Heritage for Tourism, a full-time (one year) or part-time (two or three years) course giving you a thorough introduction to the North Highlands history, heritage, archaeology, folklore, literature and more.  Or, you might like to sign up to a degree programme,  Displaying the Past: Museum Studies Short Course or to single modules within BA (Hons) Culture and Heritage.