Keep curious, whatever age
Learning shouldn’t stop when you leave university.
According to Michael Osborne, Professor of Adult & Lifelong Learning at Glasgow, research in the field of adult education recognises the vital importance of lifelong learning. “Not only is there an economic payoff in achieving higher qualifications,” he says, “but there are clear social and health benefits in providing learning opportunities in various forms to all sections of society.
“There are, for example, strong associations between engagement in learning and health, and these associations are linked to creating ‘good’ places, socially, economically and environmentally. Good places contain healthy people, who are more likely to enter learning, gain qualifications and become employed. Similarly, those who engage in learning are likely to benefit in terms of health and wellbeing, and become more civically minded, engaged citizens.”
There are certainly lots of opportunities for you to keep learning long after university.
MOOCs
You could take a MOOC. It stands for Massive Open Online Course and is a short, online university course open to anyone in the world, usually free and with no entry requirements. Designed to be studied by large numbers of participants, the course usually runs over a set number of weeks with study materials posted online. Forums and discussion boards are an important part of the learning process and there are also quizzes and assignments. While a MOOC does not usually provide a qualification upon completion it can often be a springboard for further learning. MOOCs are provided on a number of platforms; at Glasgow they are offered via the FutureLearn platform.
Adult short classes
If you prefer to learn in a physical rather than virtual space then check out university and college adult learner classes which usually run in the evenings or at weekends. At Glasgow we offer general interest short courses in, for example, art and art history, creative writing, languages and politics as well as courses that lead to professional qualifications. Alumni are entitled to a 10% discount.
Postgraduate degree
You can take your learning further with a postgraduate degree. We have more than 300 postgraduate taught programmes on offer at Glasgow, some of which can be taken online, and we offer a 10% discount on fees to alumni for our PGTs too.
Get creative
And if formal learning isn’t for you, why not revisit a favourite childhood pastime. Adult colouring in has become popular with claims that it helps reduce stress and aids mindfulness. Download the pdf of a line drawing of the University by Alasdair Gray, Scottish novelist, playwright, poet, painter and illustrator and pick up your coloured pencils or felt tips and get creative. Download illustration "Drawing of Hillhead" by Alasdair Gray.
