Biographical note

Stella Cottrell is an international bestselling author, with over a million sales worldwide. Her other titles include The Study Skills Handbook, Critical Thinking Skills, Skills for Success, The Macmillan Student Planner, The Exam Skills Handbook and Mindfulness for Students. Stella was formerly Director of Lifelong Learning at the University of Leeds, and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at the University of East London. She has an international reputation for teaching and learning with her publications for staff and students being used by universities and colleges around the world. First published in 1999, The Study Skills Handbook is now in its 5th edition and has sold more than ¾ million copies worldwide. Stella has authored a number of other bestselling study skills guides as part of the Macmillan Study Skills series including Critical Thinking Skills and The Macmillan Student Planner. Macmillan International Higher Education’s interactive e-learning study skills resource, Skills for Study, is also based on her work. Professor Neil Morris is a National Teaching Fellow, and has won a number of national awards for teaching excellence. Neil has a research background in neuroscience and current research interests in educational technology, online learning and blended learning. He has conducted a number of published research studies on the impact of mobile technologies on student learning and engagement. Neil has led a number of strategic technology projects at Leeds, including MOOCs for FutureLearn, lecture capture, Open Educational Resources, Virtual Learning Environment and student response handsets. In his current role, Neil has strategic and operational responsibility for the Digital Learning Team which is responsible for the University's iTunesU site and delivering MOOCs for the FutureLearn platform. Neil has authored a number of strategies and policies for the University, including the Digital Strategy for Taught Student Education, the Blended Learning Strategy, the Audio and Video Recording policy, the MOOC vision and strategy and the Open Educational Resources policy. Neil has given a number of keynote talks at UK and international events, and is a regular speaker at conferences. In addition to Study Skills Connected, Neil has authored Studying a MOOC: a Guide, which is free to download from www.palgravestudyskills.com/studyingamooc