Merge creativity with digital in the new programme from FutureLearn, Creative Computing Institute and Lancaster University
There is a huge amount of creative potential in digital. In this blog, we cover our new Creative Technologies programme from FutureLearn, University of the Arts London (UAL) and Lancaster University, and explain why the opportunity to merge creative and digital skills together is not to be missed.
In our recent research with Deloitte, we found that women at all stages of life and career – whether that be teenagers, university students or women in work – agreed that digital careers would be more attractive if they knew there was the opportunity to be creative. At the Institute of Coding, we’ve taken steps to show the creative opportunities in digital through our CTRL Your Future campaign, which includes events, videos and blogs from those who know digital creativity best.
Now we’ve taken it a step further. As we want digital skills education to be accessible to everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from, we’ve partnered with FutureLearn, the Creative Computing Institute (UAL) and Lancaster University to bring you the Creative Technologies programme. This is a set of courses developed by educators and industry experts, and is focused on some of the most exciting new technologies in today’s world.
Each topic has an introductory course and a more advanced course, so you can get involved and build your skill level. If you’re a beginner to creative technology, five of the courses in the programme will introduce you to topic areas like artificial intelligence and computing. The introductory courses will teach you the fundamentals and the basic application of these subjects, and will also show you the career paths and creative opportunities available in each area. If your interest has been piqued, you can then go onto the more advanced courses which go deeper into each topic.
The higher-level courses on offer allow you to put your new-found knowledge into practice as you go through the process of creating your own projects with the help of specialists. For example, Create a Feminist Chatbot has been developed with Charlotte Webb, co-founder of Feminist Internet, a non-profit that aims to make the Internet more equal by combining feminism, technology, art and design. In her course, you’ll actually get to prototype and code a chatbot – two practical skills that are essential in many digital and creative workplaces.
If you’ve also been inspired by videos from our CTRL Your Future campaign that showcase the career opportunities in gaming, the Introduction to Indie Games and Create Expressive Video Games courses are for you. Starting from 29 June, you can gain knowledge on how the gaming industry works and take your first steps towards constructing your very own video game.
Once you’ve explored the Creative Technologies programme, the rest of our course catalogue is a useful place to continue your digital skills journey. More advanced courses that merge creativity and digital like UAL’s BSc in Creative Computing or UWE’s Designing the User Experience short course could be your next stepping stone to a career in the digital sector.