Open universities and innovation in higher education. Alan Tait Professor of Distance Education and Development The Open University UK

Transcription

1 Open universities and innovation in higher education Alan Tait Professor of Distance Education and Development The Open University UK

2 University of London 1858: University of London External Studies: first university to be open to place 1878: University of London: first university to be open to women

3 Open University: the term Where did the idea come from? Michael Young, social innovator

4 The Open University Foundation 1969 Prime Minister Harold Wilson, walking back from church Social and educational context Political controversy

5 It takes a woman! From the idea to reality Jenny Lee

6 It takes another woman! Margaret Thatcher as Secretary of State for Education

7 The conventions attacked Adults Lower or no qualifications Use of technology Citizenship and democracy Social justice and inclusion Lifelong learning/ continuing education/ éducation permanente

8 The new student cohorts Social class Gender Ethnicity Disability Changing the assumptions about who can go to university

9 Major arguments for Social justice: inclusion and social mobility Skills and knowledge Citizenship and personal fulfilment Framework of ideas: lifelong learning

10 Teaching Adult students Focus for first time on teaching in higher education Open entry: no entry qualifications asked for Reversal of selection by institution Reversal of quality of input to quality of outcomes One third with less than minimum university entry qualifications Flexibility: student centred systems Use of term pedagogy Innovation on curriculum

11 The course team Open not private teaching Co-operative not individual Equality of academic status within course team Peer review of academic work Capital intensive for high quality and innovation

12 New media Print for learning TV Radio Study centres Residential schools Innovation: existing resources in new combinations

13 Behaviourism v. constructivism Programmed instruction Educational technology perfect teaching materials remove need for student support Reality of student lives Student support Role of tutor as mediator and scaffolder of knowledge

14 Innovation and curriculum Does mass higher education need same curriculum as élite higher education? Curriculum for social mobility: cases of preschool workers; retail management; sports studies Bachelors and Masters degrees as currency: the case for intermediate qualifications

15 Open universities worldwide Now more than 60 Majority in Commonwealth Also Spain 1972 and 5 others in Europe Thailand Costa Rica China Japan - Korea And new open universities still being created

16 Scale and economics of distance teaching Instructor led Small scale Extension of current model USA Low cost Course led Writers and tutors Industrial model Otto Peters High capital cost Amortised over large numbers and years

17 Student drop-out Greater in part-time than full time Greater in distance than part-time Selection at entry Student educational histories Cambridge and Open Universities Different educational missions

18 Student support Admissions and guidance Tutor Study counsellor Learner centred Intervention Assumptions about student skills and confidence

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20 Student Success framework Learning design as framework Pre-study information, advice, guidance and admission Curriculum or programme for student success Intervention at key points and in response to student need Assessment Personalised support Information and logistical systems Managing for Student Success

21 Other options to open universities No open university in USA Australia Brazil

22 Dual mode Strengths Range of modes available to students Strong brand of qualification from conventional university Strong development at Masters level Challenges Real priority on distance education Staff engagement Developed expertise Quality

23 The transition to the digital world: decentering learning from the campus

24 What else is new? Ability to make learners responsible for sourcing (some) material Capacity for peer and collaborative work Richness of learning with multi-media Ability to deliver near-constant updating of learning materials OERs

25 Digital learning on and off campus 20 years after start of digital revolution LMS on campus Learning off campus with LMS, tablet and wifi Blended models of technology supported study End of separate worlds of distance and conventional modes of study?

26 Open movement Opening up education from 1970 s with Open Universities Open software from 1990 s Open publishing from 2000 s Open educational resources from 2000 s MOOCs from 2010 s

27 Oer s and MOOCs Passion and demand for learning is huge Current model of HE is unsustainable Crisis of confidence re price and value Technology and on-line learning may offer different solutions Interest in e-learning in research-led universities on different scale

28 Future Learn Open University MOOC platform Launched September million registered learners by April 2015 MOOCs from 40 research led universities Designed for mobile Designed for social learning

29 itunes U Open Learn Visitors since launch: 22 million Visitors 2011/12: 5.4 million I Tunes Visitors since start: 2.9 million Visitors 2011/12: 63.3 million You Tube FutureLearn Visitors since start: 16.8 million video views Visitors 2011/12: 2.7 million video views 750,000 registered learners by September 2014

30 Journeys from informal to formal learning through open media 30 30

31 To conclude Digital revolution now well advanced on as well as off campus Mobile learning now normalised and ubiquitous What is campus for? Learning design now dominant paradigm Capacity challenge now matched by funding challenge How to manage scale quality affordability?

32 What next? 1 Individual demand 2 Combined with social and economic need 3 Plus digital revolution 4 Demands new response from Higher Education as open universities did 45 years ago

33 Vielen Dank!