The New Curiosity Shop

What is the NCS Online College?

The NCS Online College was established to provide high quality online courses in a wide range of topics. At the NCS Online College we encourage learning for the sake of learning, and our short courses are designed to stimulate thinking, provoke questions and provide opportunities for our students to explore ideas.

We see the Internet as an ideal medium to connect people from all walks of life from all over the world and to learn together. At the NCS Online College we believe in learning enhanced by technology, not driven by technology. At all times students can contact the tutor and their fellow students, and many of the learning activities take advantage of the communication tools of the Internet: it’s ‘online learning with the personal touch’.

We are at the very beginning of this adventure and we are looking for online tutors to join us: you could be one of our tutors.

What kind of tutors are you looking for?

You could be a school teacher, college or university lecturer or professor looking for ways to develop and share your interest in your subject. You will be excited by the challenge of enthusing students who could be anywhere in the world.

This is an ideal opportunity if you work part-time as an educator.

You could be a writer who sees this as an opportunity to explore and develop your ideas expressed in your books.

You may be a consultant wishing to expand your services. Possibly you might run a small business and see this as a way to add value for your customers.

Essentially, you need:

• Subject knowledge
• Good communication and writing skills
• Teaching experience (need not be online teaching)
• Basic computing skills (you can use the Web, e-mail and a word-processor), and
• You will be educated to degree level

Where are you based?

The NCS Online College is based in Edinburgh, Scotland – but we are looking for tutors from all over the world.

What subjects are you looking for?

We are open to suggestions, anything from say, the origins of the Zyrian language back to Aardvark Appreciation. What we don’t want are basic computing courses, or yet another course on ‘How to use Microsoft Word’.

A course at the NCS Online College should explore the real world. For instance, we are actively looking for course tutors on topics related to the environment.

We do not currently offer qualifications or accreditation, but we are in discussion with relevant bodies with a view to including accredited courses in our catalogue in the future. So, if you have an idea for an accredited course we would still like to hear from you.

What does an online course look like?

A typical course at the New Curiosity Shop is a nominal 20 hours long. A student would be given three months to complete the course, but would be encouraged to work at a rate of around 4 hours a week. The course space is left open for a calendar year. A group of students begin together, and as the tutor you guide your group through the course.

A course consists of written materials, plus accompanying media and interactive multimedia. There could also be other ‘offline’ resources such as books or other materials. Each course has its own discussion space which you can use to set group activities. A vital factor in a course at the New Curiosity Shop is the range of activities that you set the students, both online and in the ‘real world’.

Part of your role as a tutor will be to advise your students on how and where to continue studying.

How do I develop a course?

Our approach is to build a course as a partnership between the New Curiosity Shop and you, the tutor.

If you are accepted as a tutor/writer we will send you our course development guidelines, and we will work with you to develop your course. In return we get a quality course that helps us build a reputation for providing exciting and thought provoking learning.

Who supports the students?

You do. You know your subject and material best of all, and you can bring your personality into your online teaching to support your students.

We provide guidelines on how to support a course when it is running, detailing what is expected from you as a tutor at the New Curiosity Shop.

How much do I earn?

Once your course is developed and published on the Learning Place, your income is drawn from your role as tutor. The income from the student fee is shared equally between you and the New Curiosity Shop.

What do I do now?

If you are interested in becoming an online tutor/writer we need to know a little more about you. Essentially we need to know that you have the skills, knowledge and commitment to write and support an online course.

We ask you to provide:
1) your CV (including the names of two referees) and a photograph, if possible;
2) a sample of your writing (minimum 500 words). This could be course notes you already use, articles or essays on your subject, or a sample chapter from your book;
3) a paragraph description of yourself which explains why you are the ideal tutor for your course, and what skills and experience you have to offer;
4) the title of the course (or range of courses);
5) a one paragraph description of each course you are proposing; and,
6) your contact details.
send an e-mail with this information: if you and your course are acceptable we will send you a copy of the New Curiosity Shop course writers’ guidelines, and contact you to discuss a course development plan.
If you have any further questions, Send an e-mail or phone +44 (0)131 208 1900 (UK office hours). We also use Skype: username, newcurioshop.

We look forward to hearing from you
- the New Curiosity Shop Online College