Whether you’re wondering how to vote in the Scottish referendum on 18 September or would simply like to know how the outcome could affect the UK and Europe beyond, this free online course from The University of Edinburgh will help.

Beginning three weeks before voting day, it’ll enable you to join the debate as it happens. You’ll get to engage critically and constructively with the arguments of both sides and other learners, and benefit from the input of leading academics.

Each week there’ll be a live-streamed Question Hour with a panel of experts, as well as video explanations of key issues, interactive debates and role play exercises. We’ll also be conducting regular opinion polls, to see whether you and other learners change your minds.

Taking part will help you answer six key questions:

Why is Scotland having a referendum? What does ‘Yes’ mean? What does ‘No’ mean? What do Scots think? The Day After What Next?

You can find out more about the course and its weekly live-streamed seminars in Lead Educator, Alan Convery’s, blog post: “What does ‘independence’ mean for Scotland?”

And you can see the results of one of the course’s weekly opinion polls in: “Too close to call: what FutureLearners think of the Scottish referendum.”

Alan has also blogged about some of the challenges of running this course, as the debate unfolds.