Free online course for workers uses neuroscience to improve professional learning

A new course from specialist online training providers Virtual College (@virtual_college) is utilising neuroscience to help online learners develop themselves both personally and professionally in 2021

At a time when many people are still struggling to effectively work remotely, this free course offers valuable insight into factors that can affect our attention, retention and productivity. Learners will also be advised on how to best work alongside these neurological limitations to get the best out of their brain and create a learning plan that greatly increases success.

The Neuroscience for Personal Development course is available for free on the Virtual College website. Included in the course is an in-depth look at ‘brain plasticity’ which is the process of how your brain actually grows and changes as you learn new information. The module also features a section on memory and attention, two factors which are incredibly important in maintaining productivity and staying focused on development.

As well as gaining an understanding of how the brain works and how this can actually limit learning, participants will also study the concept of holistic education. This is a relatively new approach that seeks to engage all aspects of the learner, including mind, body and spirit to explore the ways in which this approach can benefit personal growth. 

The e-learning course concludes with advice on how to create a personalised plan of action, applying what you have discovered about neuroscience and development. Additional resources are provided to help with this task, along with proven techniques for making the most out of the brain’s inner workings.

This online course is being provided as part of Virtual College’s participation in the Department of Education’s ‘An Hour to Skill’ campaign, which seeks to improve the job prospects of people up and down the country by providing ways to gain new skills. This initiative encourages an hour a week to be spent on online learning using The Skills Toolkit resource, which features over 70 free online courses including several from Virtual College.

By offering a range of learning resources in everything from personal growth and wellbeing to basic maths and coding, the scheme hopes to boost the careers of anyone who has been affected by the uncertainty and disruption of the last year.  

The ‘Neuroscience for Personal Development’ course is available to access from the Virtual College website here.