Trends in International Online Higher Education

Transcription

1 Trends in International Online Higher Education November 2013 In the following report, Hanover Research analyzes trends in online higher education across several countries. The report examines MOOCs, blended learning, and other instructional tools used to facilitate online learning, as well as providing profiles of five institutions with exemplary online education programs.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary & Key Findings... 3 KEY FINDINGS... 3 Section I: Trends in Online Education... 5 DELIVERY AND ACCESSIBILITY... 6 MOOCS... 7 Trends... 7 Potential Benefits of MOOCs... 8 Potential Challenges with MOOCs... 9 Factors to Consider BLENDED LEARNING ONLINE LEARNING TOOLS Learning Management Systems Social Media Mobile Learning Adaptive Learning Platforms GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ONLINE LEARNING United States Australia United Kingdom Section II: Profiles of Online Education Programs AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY COVENTRY UNIVERSITY Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 2

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & KEY FINDINGS In the past decade, the online delivery of education has become a standard practice among higher education institutions. In a 2012 survey, the Babson Survey Research Group found that nearly 70 percent of U.S. institutions consider online education to be critical to their long term strategies. As improved digital technologies increase access to internet services, more students than ever are enrolling in online courses. 1 Institutions can deliver online courses in a variety of methods, including partial blended learning as well as fully online learning, and can restrict access to students paying fees or open courses to the public without charge. Through massive open online courses (MOOCs), higher education providers offer free web based instruction to anyone who wishes to enroll. While interest in MOOCs has surged in recent years, the debate over their effectiveness and sustainability continues among online education providers and higher education leaders. In this report, we offer an analysis of recent trends in online higher education across several countries, including Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Section I: Trends in Online Education, provides an analysis of trends that have emerged in online education programs in recent years. Section II: Profiles of Online Education Programs, provides profiles of five models of online education programs at institutions in Australia, Europe, and the United States. KEY FINDINGS Online education is critical to higher education institutions long term strategies. Nearly 70 percent of academic leaders consider online learning to be essential to their future strategies, and 77 percent of leaders consider online learning outcomes to be the same or superior to those of traditional learning environments. Recent trends in online learning include the development of mobile learning platforms and adaptive learning technologies, and the use of social media tools in learning environments. The Open Boundary model, pioneered by Coventry University in England, allows students to virtually participate in classes delivered on campus and to offer real time comments using social media tools. The university has also adopted mobile learning platforms to extend learning to a wide group of learners. Higher education institutions may choose to use MOOCs to experiment with online instruction, extend their brand, increase revenue, or provide a social good. Australian National University decided to offer MOOCs to demonstrate its commitment to innovation and signal its status among other prestigious institutions 1 Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States. Babson Survey Research Group, January p Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 3

4 that have adopted MOOC platforms. The University of New South Wales developed a computer science MOOC to attract high school students to the field. Only 2.6 percent of higher education institutions currently offer MOOCs, and fewer than 10 percent of institutions are planning to offer MOOCs. Despite the recent attention given to MOOCs in the media and the notion that these courses are growing rapidly, the majority of institutions are undecided on the issue of MOOCs. Common reasons that higher education institutions choose not to adopt MOOCs include the inability to award course credit, concerns about an unsustainable business model, and the inability to regulate intellectual property. MOOC providers admit that the platform may not lend itself to a profitable business model and that it may detract funding from traditional campus based learning. To continue the advancement of online education, several institutions have research centers devoted to the study of online pedagogical tools. Three out of five of the institutions included in this study support research on online learning. The University of Melbourne s elearning Incubator provides a forum for researchers to work on projects about the design, development, and implementation of e learning. Institutions often provide interactive support for faculty teaching online courses. The governments of the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom all recognize the value of online education and explicitly support its development. Australia s Federal Coalition has commissioned an Online Higher Education Working Group to examine Australian online higher education. The Coalition seeks to provide public policies that incentivize online education and ensure higher education institutions are able to adopt online opportunities Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 4

5 SECTION I: TRENDS IN ONLINE EDUCATION Online education is gaining an increasingly prominent role in higher education. Over the past decade, advances in streaming video, the development of smart phones and tablets, and the exploding popularity of social networks have fundamentally changed communication and learning. These changes have considerable implications for higher education institutions. For example, in 2012, 6.7 million U.S. students took at least one online course, increasing the proportion of students enrolled online to an all time high of 32 percent. Further, 77 percent of U.S. higher education leaders consider the learning outcomes in online education to be the same or superior to those in traditional, face to face education, compared to 57 percent of leaders in The Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education: report identified the 12 technologies to watch across the coming five years. As presented below, many of these topics will be addressed throughout this report as popular methods for offering some form of online learning, including MOOCs, social media, mobile learning and apps, and flipped classrooms. The following figure compares these 12 identified technologies to those included in the NMC Horizon Report: 2013 Higher Education Edition that encompasses international education trends. TIME TO ADOPTION HORIZON Figure 1.1: Comparison of Final 12 Technology Topics NMC HORIZON REPORT: 2013 HIGHER EDUCATION EDITION Flipped Classroom MOOCs One Year or Less Mobile Apps Tablet Computing Augmented Reality Games and Gamification Two to Three Years The Internet of Things Learning Analytics 3D Printing Flexible Displays Four to Five Years Next Generation Batteries Wearable Technology Source: New Media Consortium 3 TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK FOR AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY EDUCATION: Learning Analytics MOOCs Mobile Learning Social Media 3D Printing Badges Information Visualization Location Based Services Flexible Displays The Internet of Things Virtual and Remote Laboratories Wearable Technology Despite the increasing popularity of online education, higher education leaders express concerns about the need for more discipline among online students and low retention rates. Furthermore, only around 30 percent of U.S. academic officers believe that faculty accept 2 Ibid., pp Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education The New Media Consortium, p Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education.pdf 2013 Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 5

6 the value and legitimacy of online education. 4 Online education experts caution institutions to carefully choose online tools that are aligned to their comparative advantage. 5 Similarly, the Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education: report offers the following three main challenges to implementation of online learning: Faculty training still does not acknowledge the fact that digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession; Most academics are not using new and compelling technologies for learning and teaching, nor for organising their own research; and The demand for personalized learning is not adequately supported by current technology or practice. 6 Before delving into a discussion of trends in online education, we first outline the general categories of online course delivery below. DELIVERY AND ACCESSIBILITY Online learning tools vary in methods of delivery and accessibility. The Babson Survey Research Group classifies online courses as those in which at least 80 percent of the course content is delivered online. 7 In contrast, traditional courses offer zero percent of content online, web facilitated courses deliver one to 29 percent of content online, and blended/hybrid courses deliver 30 to 79 percent of content online. Figure 1.2 summarizes four main online delivery methods identified by the Babson Survey Research Group. Figure 1.2: Delivery Methods of Online Courses PROPORTION OF CONTENT TYPE OF COURSE DELIVERED ONLINE Traditional 0% Web Facilitated 1 to 29% Blended/Hybrid 30 to 79% Online 80+% Source: Babson Survey Research Group 8 DESCRIPTION Course where no online technology used content is delivered in writing or orally. Course that uses web based technology to facilitate what is essentially a face to face course. May use a course management system (CMS) or web pages to post the syllabus and assignments. Course that blends online and face to face deliver. Substantial proportion of the content is delivered online, typically uses online discussions, and typically has a reduced number of face to face meetings. A course where most or all of the content is delivered online. Typically have no face to face meetings. 4 Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p Gallagher, S. MOOC means more time for different types of learning. The Australian Higher Education, March 20, education/opinion/mooc means more time for different typesof learning/story e6frgcko # 6 Bulleted points taken verbatim from: Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education Op. cit., p Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p Ibid Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 6

7 Online learning programs can also be classified by their level of accessibility. Restricted access courses limit access to students who register for or pay fees for the course. Restricted access courses often offer instructor interaction and assign grades to students upon completion. On the other hand, open educational resources are free for all students and do not require students to apply to enroll. 9 Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are open access courses that many institutions and private companies are developing in an effort to provide free online education opportunities. 10 MOOCS Though it is often applied to various forms of online learning, the term MOOC refers specifically to courses that are open and delivered online. 11 MOOCs have received significant interest from higher education institutions and students around the world, especially in rapidly developing countries such as China, India, and Brazil. 12 EdX and Coursera are leading providers of MOOCs. Nearly three million students have registered for courses and 62 institutions have entered into agreements with Coursera. 13 EdX, a MOOC provider launched by Harvard and MIT in May 2012, has 29 partner institutions. 14 While courses in the STEM subjects have been popular, the demand is also high in other disciplines such as philosophy. 15 TRENDS Though MOOCs have received significant attention in recent years, a 2012 survey of American higher education institutions found that a minority of institutions have actually adopted or plan to adopt the trend. Only 2.6 percent of institutions currently offer MOOCs and fewer than 10 percent of institutions have plans to offer them. One third of all U.S. institutions report they have no plans to offer MOOCs, and a majority of institutions (55.4 percent) remains undecided about their position. 16 Prestigious universities, such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, are leading providers of MOOCs, and research universities are almost twice as likely to offer or plan to offer MOOCs in comparison to specialized and master s level institutions. 17 More public universities offer MOOCs than private universities, though private, for profit institutions are most likely to be in the process of planning to offer a MOOC Marques, J. What is a Massive Open Online Course Anyway? MOOC News & Reviews, June 7, is a massive open online course anyway attempting definition/ 10 Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p Kernohan, D. Making Sense of MOOCs. JISC Inform, 36, Spring p Lue, R. edx s Expansion and Issues. Harvard Magazine, April 10, edx venture growth and challenges#faculty members 13 Gallagher, S., Op. cit. 14 Schools. EdX Gallagher, S. Op. cit. 16 Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p [1] Dodd, T. Free online courses will change universities. Financial Review, September 24, p [2] Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 7

8 In Australia, MOOCs have only recently been adopted by any higher education institutions. In March 2013, Open Universities Australia launched Open2Study, Australia s first MOOC provider. Two Australian universities also recently began to develop MOOCs: the University of Queensland announced the development of 12 courses in the coming years, and the University of Melbourne joined Coursera, one of the largest international MOOC providers. 19 POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF MOOCS Higher education leaders must consider a variety of factors when deciding whether their institution should offer MOOCs. MOOCs provide institutions with new learning environments and allow them to experiment with online instructional tools. They can increase revenue by extending the institution s brand and reducing the costs associated with educating students on the home campus. Many institutions consider MOOCs to be a social good, broadcasting formerly exclusive knowledge to the public. 20 We explore these potential benefits of MOOCs in depth below. Only 2.6 percent of institutions currently offer MOOCs and fewer than 10 percent of institutions have plans to offer them. MOOCs give institutions the opportunity to experiment with instructional methods on and off campus. A 2012 survey found that a majority of chief academic officers at U.S. institutions agree that MOOCs are an important way for institutions to learn about online pedagogy. 21 Online communities of interactive learning with computer grading and peer assessment provide alternative ways to teach and learn concepts. 22 According to Phil Long, Director of Educational Innovation and Technology at the University of Queensland, MOOCs allow the university to explore new opportunities for its on campus learning environment. By adding MOOCs to the curriculum, universities can liberate staff from lecturing and they can get back to traditional contact with students. 23 Institutions such as Duke University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Southampton in the UK are experimenting with online education for the knowledge that they gain about the effects of online instructional tools on all levels, from senior leadership to students. 24 Further, a majority of chief academic officers agree that MOOCs are useful for students to determine whether online instruction is appropriate for them Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education: Op. cit., p What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs. Educause, p Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p Gallagher, S., Op. cit. 23 Dodd, T., Op. cit., p Gallagher, S., Op. cit. 25 Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 8

9 Next, institutions may use MOOCs to extend their brands and attract potential students to campus. Because of their scale, MOOCs can extend the institution s reach and reputation internationally. Especially among research institutions, MOOCs have become a way to signal innovation, and extending the institution s name can create new opportunities for collaboration. 26 According to the Babson Survey Research Group, 43 percent of chief academic officers in the United States believe MOOCs have the potential to attract students to their institutions. 27 Though the business model for MOOCs is still undetermined, MOOCs may become a source of revenue for institutions by reducing the costs associated with traditional higher education. 28 MOOCs are often cited as a potential solution for students who need cheaper alternatives to traditional higher education. Furthermore, the low cost and large scale of content give MOOCs the potential to provide a social good for the public. Many dedicated professors are motivated by imagining MOOCs as a social good: by providing a MOOC, they are educating the globe and bringing great teaching to a larger share of humanity. 29 POTENTIAL CHALLENGES WITH MOOCS Though MOOCs present higher education institutions with several promising opportunities, academic leaders identify several issues surrounding MOOCs, including concerns about course credit, unsustainable business models, and intellectual property. While students have access to a variety of courses from many providers, not all courses are accepted for credit or count towards a degree. Institutions are exploring alternative credentialing systems to determine how MOOCs can fit into degree programs. Furthermore, to award credit for courses, institutions must be able to confirm students identities. Students enrolled in MOOCs may not remain anonymous. 30 However, efforts to help MOOC learners receive credit have only been marginally successful. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, an organization that helps non traditional students earn college credit, has reported that no students have tried to redeem MOOC certificates for credit. 31 Next, critics of MOOCs suggest that they have an unsustainable business model. Currently, MOOCs do not have a single, standard business model and it is unclear how revenue will be generated. MOOC platform providers and institutions currently bear their own costs and agree to split any future revenue. 32 In an article for Harvard Magazine, the Harvard faculty director of MOOC provider edx notes that the MOOC approach, promulgated globally, may not be the foundation for a business plan, and it may undercut residential universities 26 What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs. Op. cit., p Allen, I. and J. Seaman. Op. cit., p What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs. Op. cit., p Lue, R., Op. cit. 30 What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs. Op. cit., p Kolowich, S. The MOOC Revolution May Not Be as Disruptive as Some Had Imagined. The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 8, May Not Be So Disruptive/140965/ 32 What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs. Op. cit., p Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 9

10 economic model. 33 Furthermore, offering online courses for free risks the loss of fees gained from international students, a group that comprises one fifth of Australian universities revenue base. Phil Honeywood, Executive Director of the International Education Association of Australia, worries that the pipeline of international students could be compromised when elite Australian universities embrace MOOCs, and show that these courses are an acceptable option in Australian higher education. 34 Finally, copyright management of course materials can pose a challenge for institutions interested in providing MOOCs. The higher education technology association Educause notes that educational fair use claims are unlikely to hold when courses are open, and few can afford to license content when it is accessed by many thousands of students. 35 FACTORS TO CONSIDER An Executive Briefing by Educause urges educational leaders to consider their institutional capacity to deliver a MOOC, and the extent to which the MOOC model fits into their e learning strategy. Educause notes that MOOCs require integrated course support, which may be self hosted or hosted by a commercial platform. Support requirements include technical resources for videography, editing, and graphic design; instructional design and teaching assistant support; and library resource discovery and copyright clearance. In addition, institutions that produce their own MOOCs need a sophisticated Learning Management System (LMS) platform, the ability to effectively market courses, and the capacity to offer technical support remotely and at scale. 36 Furthermore, MOOCs should fit into the overall portfolio of an institution s course offerings. Higher education leaders should consider whether MOOCs complement or substitute for current course models. They must also consider the faculty s perception of MOOCs. One leading question to ask is, if the institution chooses not to offer MOOCs, will faculty use their talents on MOOC technology outside of the institution? 37 Jonathan Churchill, Director of Information and Technology Resources at James Cook University, underscores the importance of higher education institutions understanding of their niche when deciding whether or not to offer MOOCs. Institutions must consider their size, greatest strengths, and location to determine whether or not offering MOOCs at the university is sustainable Lue, R. Op. cit. 34 Dodd, T. Op. cit., p What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs. Op. cit., pp Ibid. 37 Ibid. 38 Winterford, B. Australian universities embrace the age of the MOOC. IT News for Australian Business, July 30, universities embrace the age of the mooc.aspx/ Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 10

11 BLENDED LEARNING As an alternative to MOOCs, institutions may offer blended learning in courses on campus. Blended or hybrid learning combines face to face classroom instruction with web based activity in which classroom time is partially replaced with online work. 39 Blended learning uses a variety of web based tools, including learning management systems, multimedia content, and interactive platforms. Combinations that instructors use for blended learning include the following: Blending classroom instruction with online instruction Blending online instruction with access to a coach or faculty member Blending simulations with structured courses Blending on the job training with brown bag informal sessions Blending managerial coaching with e learning activities 40 By combining classroom and web activity, blended learning serves a broader spectrum of learning styles than either one model alone. Blended learning courses accommodate student preferences for convenience, access, and control. Mobile devices such as ipods and tablets enable remote access and interaction. While the convenience and accessibility of blended learning courses benefit students, institutions and faculty must ensure that blended instruction maintains the same level of quality as traditional pedagogy. 41 The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation has identified four blended learning models, including Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual. In the Rotation Model, students rotate between different learning modalities for a given course. At least one modality is online learning, while other modalities include small group or full class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil and paper assignments. The Rotation model includes station rotation, lab rotation, flipped classroom, and individual rotation. A summary of each rotation is as follows: In Station Rotation (also referred to as Classroom Rotation or In Class Rotation), students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher s discretion among classroom based learning modalities, with at least one station for online learning. Some implementations involve the entire class alternating among activities together, while others divide the class into smallgroup or one by one rotations. In Lab Rotation, students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher s discretion among locations on the campus. At least one is a learning lab for predominantly online learning, and the other(s) are classroom(s) for other learning modalities. A Flipped Classroom implementation model allows students to rotate on a fixed schedule between face to face teacher guided practice (or projects) on campus during the standard school day and online delivery of content and instruction of the same subject from a remote 39 Albrecht, B. Enriching Student Experience Through Blended Learning. Educause Research Bulletin 2006:12, June 6, p Bulleted points taken verbatim from: Ibid., p Ibid., p Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 11

12 location (often home) after school. The primary delivery of content and instruction is online, which differentiates a Flipped Classroom from students who are merely doing homework practice online at night. The Flipped Classroom model accords with the idea that blended learning includes some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace because the model allows students to choose the location where they receive content and instruction online. The Individual Rotation implementation model allows students to rotate on an individually customized, fixed schedule among learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning. Either an algorithm or teacher(s) sets individual student schedules. 42 In the Flex blended learning model, online learning is the backbone of instruction, though students may complete offline activities at times. Students follow an individually customized schedule among learning modalities, and the teacher provides support as needed. Activities in other modalities include small group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring. Flex models have varying levels of face to face student/teacher interaction. The A La Carte model allows students to take one or more courses entirely online while continuing to have on campus educational experiences. Students may take the online courses either on campus or off site. In contrast, the Enriched Virtual model is a wholeschool experience in which all students divide their time between attending classes on campus and learning remotely through the online delivery of content and instruction. 43 Leading universities commonly use the flipped classroom model of blended learning, as previously described above. Institutions can incorporate MOOCs into a flipped classroom model, in which students study the course material through an interactive MOOC and then come to class to interact with the instructor. A San Jose State University engineering course used this model with an edx sponsored MOOC, and found that the retake rate dropped from 41 percent to 9 percent Bulleted points adapted from: Blended learning Model Definitions. Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, learning model definitions/ 43 Blended learning Model Definitions. Op. cit. 44 Gallagher, S. Op. cit Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 12

13 ONLINE LEARNING TOOLS Institutions use a variety of web based tools to create web facilitated, blended, and online learning experiences. After reviewing institutions online learning programs, we identified a number of tools commonly used to support online learning. Tools that facilitate online learning include learning management systems, social media, mobile learning, and adaptive learning technologies. Institutions may combine these tools with classroom learning to create blended learning environments, or they may use these tools exclusively in an online course. LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS A Learning Management System (LMS) is a technology that allows instructors to manage groups of students, provide collaborative learning tools, and deliver content. In addition to providing digital content, LMS s enable institutions to conduct administrative functions, such as allowing students to register and pay for courses, and providing access to course syllabi, reading lists, class times, examination dates, and results. Centrally hosted systems provide instructors with a way for students to submit assignments online and for instructors to return graded assignments to students. Further, a LMS allows instructors to restrict access to content and services to students enrolled in the course, and to facilitate frequent contact among groups of learners through the LMS s communication tools. 45 Institutions may also use an LMS to track data that can inform future instructional decisions. Overall, an LMS enables institutions to provide a consistent quality of service to all students. 46 According to Edudemic, a leading education technology website, the five most commonly used learning management systems are Moodle, Edmodo, Blackboard, SumTotal Systems, and Skillsoft. Sakai, Instructure, and Mzinga also rank in the top 20 systems most commonly used. 47 SOCIAL MEDIA Universities can use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, as well as blogs and wikis as online learning tools. While social networking sites initially focused on producing and uploading media, they have evolved to environments for starting conversations and forming relationships. 48 Accordingly, social media sites offer students opportunities to create and share educational content and to interact with others. 49 According to a report by the New Media Consortium, the use of social media in educational 45 Sclater, N. Web 2.0, Personal Learning Environments, and the Future of Learning Management Systems. Educause Research Bulletin 2008:13, June 24, p Ibid., pp Dunn, J. The 20 Best Learning Management Systems. Edudemic, October 27, best learning management systems/ 48 Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education Op. cit., p Sclater, N. Op. cit., p Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 13

14 environments enables two way dialogues between students, prospective students, educators, and the institution that are less formal than with other media. 50 In considering whether social media is an appropriate tool for online learning, institutions may consider the following questions: Can we bring some of the social networking facilities that students find so appealing inside the institution? Should we use tools hosted elsewhere on the Internet by others? Should we simply allow learners to select appropriate tools for themselves? 51 MOBILE LEARNING A 2013 study by the New Media Consortium found that 136 experts agree that mobile learning will enter mainstream use in the next year. Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, allow users to connect to the internet wherever they go. The mobile market included over 6.5 billion subscribers in 2012, and is expected to grow. Accordingly, educational institutions are increasingly developing ways to make educational materials, resources, and opportunities available online and optimized for mobile devices. A wide variety of apps for learning and productivity have developed in recent years, enabling users to learn and experience new concepts wherever they are, often across multiple devices. 52 As predicted, in September 2013, the United Kingdom based CM Group launched a mobile learning app called Luminosity Motion. The platform supports the delivery of educational content such as HTML5 courses, responsive HTML5 courses, performance support tools, videos, podcasts, assessments, ebooks, and Microsoft Office documents to smartphone and tablet devices. Float Mobile Learning, a consulting company that develops custom mobile learning solutions, similarly predicts an increase in new technologies in coming years. 53 ADAPTIVE LEARNING PLATFORMS Adaptive learning platforms provide free online content while simultaneously tracking and correlating data generated from students. For example, tools provided by Knewton and the Khan Academy collect data about students, such as time of day, clicks, and response patterns, to tailor instruction to the individual learner. Experts predict that future learning platforms may adopt this technology that adapts instruction to the learner Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education Op. cit., p Bulleted points taken verbatim from: Sclater, N. Op. cit., p Technology Outlook for Australian Tertiary Education Op. cit., p Woodill, G. Luminosity Motion Debuts New Mobile Learning Platform. Float Mobile Learning, September 12, motion debuts new mobile learning platform/ 54 What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs. Op. cit., p Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 14

15 GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ONLINE LEARNING The demonstrated capacity of online learning tools to reduce the cost of higher education and make educational resources available to a larger scale of people has led the federal governments in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom to support online education programs. UNITED STATES The United States government announced its support for MOOCs, hybrid learning, and three year accelerated degrees in August In order to promote innovation and competition in the higher education marketplace, the federal government plans to publish better information on colleges performance, help demonstrate that new approaches can improve learning and reduce costs, and offer institutions the flexibility to innovate. In President Obama s announcement, he encourages institutions to use technology to redesign courses and use technology for student services. 55 AUSTRALIA In Australia, the Federal Coalition has formed an Online Higher Education Working Group to explicitly examine the state of online education in Australia. Led by Alan Tudge, the working group aims to determine how Australian higher education can capitalize on the potential of the online education revolution and seize the opportunities it provides. 56 According to its Terms of Reference, the Federal Coalition understands that the possibilities and benefits of online learning opportunities are enormous for all involved in higher education. The Coalition commits to providing public policies that incentivize online education and ensure higher education providers are able to embrace online opportunities. The Coalition believes that online learning has the capacity to increase access and choice for students and enable a better balance between work and family demands. 57 UNITED KINGDOM The Higher Education Funding Council for England s Online Learning Task Force (OTLF) issued a report in 2011 in support of online learning. The report concluded that online learning affords UK institutions the opportunity to develop interactive material that can deliver quality and cost effectiveness while meeting student demands for flexible learning. The OTLF recommended using online learning to enhance student choice, realigning training and development, and developing and exploiting open educational resources Fact Sheet on the President s Plan to Make College More Affordable: A Better Bargain for the Middle Class. The White House, August 22, press office/2013/08/22/fact sheet president s plan make college more affordable better bargain 56 Online Higher Education Working Group. Alan Tudge MP. US/Default.aspx 57 Terms of Reference. The Coalition s Online Higher Education Working Group. p HEFCE Online Learning Task Force. Higher Education Funding Council for England, October 24, Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 15

16 SECTION II: PROFILES OF ONLINE EDUCATION PROGRAMS In the following section, we provide profiles of institutions that exemplify the recent trends in online education discussed in Section I of this report. We provide profiles of five institutions in Australia, the United States, and Europe that use open and restricted access online education tools either delivered fully online or through blended learning. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Australian National University (ANU) offers online courses for credit to students in the Graduate Studies Program and free online courses for all students and staff, as well as MOOC courses for the public through the MOOC provider edx. ANU launched online Graduate Studies courses in January 2013, and partnered with MOOC provider edx in February ANU plans to fully implement the MOOCs in Through the Graduate Studies Program, ANU offers flexible online learning opportunities. ANU offers graduate studies courses in the following disciplines: Anthropology and Development, Indigenous Australian Studies, History, Art History and Curatorship, Museums and Collections, Ethics and Philosophy, Social Research, Law, Languages, Computing and Related Technologies, Environmental Sciences and Resource Management, Biology, Health and Medicine, Culture, Health and Medicine, and Natural and Physical Sciences. 60 Online courses at ANU use learning management systems such as Wattle, Digital Lecture Delivery, Alliance, ANU TV and WebCT. 61 Students taking online courses at ANU use an online learning module called Pulse, which allows them to access self paced courses that can be completed at any time or place. The university offers all students and staff free access to Pulse modules as a means of exploring personal and professional development. 62 Through the partnership with edx called ANUx, ANU will offer an Astrophysics course and a course called Engaging India through the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. University faculty were key advocates for ANUx, and the university invites students and staff to nominate lecturers and propose courses for future MOOCs [1] ANU online courses. Australian National University, December 3, [2] ANU joins edx online education revolution. Australian National University, February 21, joins edx online education revolution/ 60 ANU online courses. Op. cit. 61 Australian National University Online Courses. OnlineEducationHub.com, September 6, university australia/australian national/ 62 Pulse online learning. Australian National University, April 9, onlinelearning 63 ANU joins edx online education revolution. Op. cit Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 16

17 ANU chose to partner with edx because they believed that the partnership fits the institution s goals and supports their mission. ANU was attracted to edx s non profit model and views MOOCs as an opportunity to reach students who otherwise might not have access to education. ANU shares edx s commitment to the connection of world class research and education, to the enhancement of online and on campus learning, and to writing the future of learning and teaching. The university prides itself in being at the forefront of new knowledge, and sees MOOCs as an opportunity to participate in the development and promulgation of new learning. Moreover, by joining other prestigious international universities in partnering with edx, ANU signals its status as an innovative, premier research intensive institution. ANUx offers the university a platform to engage alumni, current and future students, and other individuals around the world. ANU faculty consider MOOCs to be an opportunity to make up for some of the deficiencies in secondary education around the country due to shortages of highly qualified teachers. 64 UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE The University of Melbourne offers e learning services to both students and staff at the university, as well as to the general public. E learning resources at the university include blended learning in campus based courses, e learning specialist support services, free online courses for staff professional development, and an elearning incubator. 65 In 2012, the university partnered with online course provider Coursera to offer its first MOOCs. 66 The University of Melbourne offers a variety of online and blended learning services for students and faculty to enhance interaction and collaboration in existing campus based courses. 67 Melbourne s Learning Environments office sponsors all of the university s e learning initiatives, and serves students and faculty with support for the Learning Management System, Lecture Capture tools, virtual collaborations, digital media, and other special events. 68 Teaching staff at the university use LMS technologies from providers BlackBoard, TurnItIn, and Learning Objects. 69 Through the Lecture Capture tool, students or faculty can record audio and visual content from lectures and stream or download recordings from their web page in the LMS. The university offers an Echo360 Personal Capture application that allows individuals to record videos and publish them online as vodcasts or podcasts. 70 The university also offers students and faculty a variety of online tools for virtual collaboration, including desktop video conferencing through applications 64 Ibid. 65 [1] Learning Environments. The University of Melbourne, September 12, [2] elearning. The University of Melbourne, October 3, Melbourne leads Australia in free online education. The University of Melbourne, September 19, Ibid. 68 Learning Environments. Op. cit. 69 Learning Management System. The University of Melbourne, September 17, Getting started with Lecture Capture. The University of Melbourne, July 9, Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 17

18 such as BigBlueButton, Skype, Mirial Softphone, and Evo; video conferencing at special facilities; web based large file transfer services through Cloudstor; and collaborative research services through the Australian Research Collaboration Services (ARCS). 71 University facilities accommodate the use of digital media in classrooms and other learning spaces. 72 In addition to providing tools for blended learning on campus, the University of Melbourne offers elearning courses to provide staff with training and professional development. The elearning tool allows participants to complete courses at their own pace and to access the content from any computer using internet access. 73 To demonstrate their commitment to online education and continue the development of elearning tools and technologies, the university has opened an elearning Incubator. According to the university, the incubator is a design and development hub that focuses on fostering innovation in teaching, learning and assessment with technology, driven by the university s elearning Strategy. 74 Faculty, staff, and students share their expertise in the Incubator physically and virtually to work on research and innovation projects. Incubator researchers focus on the following topics: The design and development of leading edge elearning, online learning and mobile learning resources, applications and programs. The design, development and implementation of the University's open learning agenda, through the provision of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offered in partnership with Coursera. The development, use and refinement of learning analytic techniques using data repositories from enterprise University systems and the University's Coursera courses. 75 Current incubator projects include Enhancing access to learning resources and activities with smartphones, Developing efield trips and epracticals in physical geography: a new paradigm of field science learning, Adapting urban environments fieldwork guide for use on LMS mobile app, and Accelerating learning independent thinking in interdisciplinary law subjects. Melbourne s elearning Incubator seeks to build faculty understanding of the role of technology in teaching, learning, and assessment, and to encourage more agile and rapid development of learning technologies. 76 In addition to its extensive campus based blended learning resources, the University of Melbourne provides free online courses through a partnership with MOOC provider 71 Virtual collaboration. The University of Melbourne, February 21, Learning Environments. Op. cit. 73 elearning. Op. cit. 74 The elearning Incubator. The University of Melbourne, September 5, incubator.html 75 Bulleted points taken verbatim from: Ibid. 76 [1] Ibid. [2] Melbourne leads Australia in free online education. Op. cit Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 18

19 Coursera. MOOC courses last six to nine weeks and include video lectures, interactive content, discussion forums, course wikis, and peer assessment. The university s Video and Media Production group has filmed over 265 video lectures. Titles of courses offered in 2013 include Principles of Macroeconomics, Exercise Physiology: Understanding the Athlete Within, Climate Change, and Animal Behaviour, among others. The University of Melbourne s MOOCs have over 214,000 subscribers. 77 According to the university s Provost, Margaret Sheil, the university was pleased to join Coursera and leading universities such as Stanford and Princeton in offering courses to a broad new audience that otherwise may not have access to educational materials. The university would like to be at the forefront of developments in online opportunities that challenge traditional ways of delivering education. Melbourne s decision to offer MOOCs was part of the institution s greater efforts to open online offerings for the public and to improve interactivity and enhance the learning experience for our students on campus. 78 UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is an Australian university with campuses in Kensington, Paddington, and Canberra. 79 UNSW offers online undergraduate and master s courses, training in online and blended instruction for faculty, and MOOCs through the provider Open Learning. UNSW s College of Fine Arts (COFA) Online offers online undergraduate and graduate courses, open learning training tools, and a center for online research. COFA Online offers fully online undergraduate electives in disciplines such as graphic design, advertising, architecture, and visual sociology. Students may count COFA Online electives toward their degrees. 80 COFA Online further offers a graduate diploma, graduate certificate, and master s degree in Cross Disciplinary Art and Design. 81 COFA Online courses are highly interactive, allowing students to connect and collaborate with students from different disciplines, rather than independently downloading and completing assignments. 82 In addition to online courses, UNSW s COFA Online also offers resources for students and teachers to improve the quality of online learning. The site Learning to Teach Online offers video episodes on topics related to online teaching, as well as case studies from faculty s online learning experiences and a glossary of technical terms MOOCs at Melbourne. The University of Melbourne, September 18, Melbourne joins free online learning provider. University of Melbourne Voice, 8:10, November 11, /number 10/melbourne joins free online learning provider 79 UNSW at a glance. UNSW Australia, January 29, us/unsw glance 80 Undergraduate Online Courses Available. UNSW COFA.online Gateway. courses available 81 Master of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design Program Overview. UNSW COFA.online Gateway. online/program overview 82 Undergraduate Online Courses Available. Op. cit. 83 Learning to Teach Online. UNSW COFA.online Gateway. to teachonline/ltto episodes 2013 Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 19

20 In addition to online courses through COFA, UNSW hosts a YouTube channel called UNSWelearning that provides free instructional content. 84 The university also partners with itunesu to offer free content. 85 In 2012, UNSW launched its first MOOC through the platform Open Learning. UNSW faculty and alumni founded the MOOC platform, which differs from other MOOC providers by providing collaborative features such as social networking to create an online learning community. The course is an introductory computing course that includes programming activities and assignments, and is offered through the School of Computer Science and Engineering. Students will not receive credit for the MOOC, as its primary purpose is to attract high school students to the field of computer science. UNSW chose to offer the MOOC after noting the success of their YouTube channel, as computer science professor Richard Buckland had developed an international following of two million viewers. 86 To continue advancing the university s online learning initiatives, COFA Online sponsors an Online Research center. For its innovative projects, COFA Online has won awards and received grant funding to continue online pedagogical research. The Online Research center regularly gives conference presentations and contributes to refereed publications. 87 COFA Online began in 2003 with the goals of training academic staff in online learning and teaching pedagogies, developing online and blended courses, and teaching in online environments. By providing comprehensive staff training and course evaluation and establishing a supportive infrastructure, COFA Online has become a leader in online learning. 88 ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY Arizona State University (ASU) offers online degree programs, uses blended learning in courses on campus, and is in the process of developing MOOCs. To support online teaching and learning, ASU offers a website for faculty called TeachOnline that provides instructors with resources for instructing online courses. 89 ASU offers online degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level, and offers seven online graduate certificate programs in the Teachers College, School of Business, School of Engineering, College of Nursing, and College of Public Programs. 90 Each online course generally lasts seven and a half weeks, and students can expect to spend six hours a week on coursework for every course credit. Online courses are administered through Pearson LearningStudio, a LMS that allows students to access course content, interact with 84 UNSWelearning. YouTube itunes Preview. itunes.com. u/learning to teach online/id Dodd, T. Brave new free online course for UNSW. Financial Review, October 15, Online Research at COFA. UNSW COFA.online Gateway. research/grantsand awards 88 About our courses and Programs. UNSW COFA.online Gateway TeachOnline. Arizona State University ASU Online Certification Programs. ASU Online, degreeprograms/certificates 2013 Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 20

21 professors, and submit assignments. ASU also partners with Google to offer students Google Apps for Education. Online students use tools such as Google calendar and Google Drive for collaboration and organization, as well as Adobe Flash Player or Windows Media for viewing multimedia content. To introduce students to the program, ASU Online offers step by step video orientation. 91 Tuition for the undergraduate program ranges from $460 to $523 per credit hour, and graduate tuition ranges from $482 to $852 per credit hour. The university offers online students the opportunity to apply for scholarships and financial aid. 92 In addition to offering online degrees, ASU integrates blended learning in courses on campus. Blended courses at ASU use LMS tools, adaptive learning technology, and digital textbooks and assessments. Two examples of blended learning courses at ASU are College Algebra (Math 117) and College Mathematics (Math 142), which enroll a total of 3,000 students. Blended courses at ASU create a guided, self paced environment in which live instruction is optimized around targeted group sessions. Adaptive learning tools give students instruction in as much material as they need before moving on to the next topic. Lessons include video tutorials, online textbook selections, and lesson quizzes, and students earn badges when they master all lessons in a unit. ASU blended learning courses use the Pearson Learning Studio LMS, Knewton Adaptive Learning Platform, Knewton Gradebook, and other Knewton tools for student engagement. Phil Regier, Dean of ASU Online, expresses an interest in using blended learning in all disciplines. 93 TeachOnline, a website sponsored by ASU Online, provides resources for faculty teaching blended or online learning courses. The site offers articles on different aspects of online course design, tutorials for using digital tools in courses, and provides a forum for faculty to discuss topics related to their online courses. Recent posts on the website cover topics such as peer to peer feedback, online first impressions, and the role of videos in active learning. 94 The site also directs visitors to ASU Online New Media Studio, a studio that films and produces ASU s online course content. 95 Additionally, ASU is developing MOOCs to supplement its online degrees and blended learning tools. ASU officials decided to offer MOOCs because of the potential that the platform offers for new learning; ASU President Michael Crow believes that MOOCs offer an excellent learning platform, and he hopes to integrate them into a curriculum. Phil Regier, Dean of ASU Online, believes that the development of MOOCs is part of a greater movement toward online learning, proving that students may obtain excellent education online. ASU hopes that providing MOOCs will make the institution a pioneer in the future of higher education [1] Learning Online at ASU. ASU Online, it works/learning online at asu [2] Online Student Orientation. ASU Online, it works/online studentorientation 92 Tuition. ASU Online, it costs/tuition 93 Blended Learning Infographic. Knewton, Inc., learning/ 94 TeachOnline. Op. cit. 95 New Media Studio. ASU Online, Mendoza, N. P. ASU technology officials developing massive open online courses. The State Press, November 13, technology officials developing massive open onlinecourses/ 2013 Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 21

22 COVENTRY UNIVERSITY Coventry University is based in Coventry, England. The university offers online and blended learning, mobile learning, and is a pioneer in offering Open Boundary or open classroom courses. Coventry invested in online learning in 1998, adding an online component to over 2,000 modules. The institution initially partnered with WebCT to provide a virtual classroom experience. 97 In 2013, Coventry offers a variety of online and blended learning classroom options at the bachelor s and master s degree levels. Some examples of online courses at Coventry at the undergraduate level include the Paramedic Studies Foundation degree, the Pre Hospital Paediatric Complex module, the Life Threatening Care module, and the Principles of Health Assessment module. Graduate courses offered online or through blended learning include Peacebuilding, Occupational Psychology, and Social and Health Care Management. 98 In addition to its online course offerings, Coventry has developed mobile online learning platforms. In 2012, the university partnered with the technology company Ericsson to provide mobile applications that make it possible for instructors to give live lessons to up to a half million students online. Using the mobile platform, students can interact with the lecturer and tutors, who are also online. The mobile learning platform is cloud based, and uses the IMS architecture, IP Multimedia Subsystem. According to Tim Luft, Director of the Serious Games Institute at Coventry, the university wanted to provide an interactive experience for several thousands of mobile learners, allowing them to listen to live keynote speeches or share notes with tutors using their smartphones. The platform combines gaming technology with academics to take online education to a new dimension. 99 Coventry University has pioneered a new model in MOOC learning, called Open Boundary or open classroom learning. Through the Open Boundary model, thousands of online students may virtually join fee paying students at traditional, on campus classes. Students interact with one another and with tutors using social media tools and the instructor can see comments from students both in the room and online via Twitter or Facebook in real time. Students suggest links to relevant material and the instructor can allow others to drop in. In an Open Boundary course called Phonar (photography narrative), 35,000 students virtually interacted to share knowledge and media about photography. While the Open Boundary model evolved organically at Coventry University, the institution sees the potential of the model to save money while providing instruction that has real life applications and the capacity to connect with a large group of students Deepwell, F. and A. Syson. Online learning at Coventry University: You can lead a horse to water Educational Technology & Society, 2:4, p Find a Course. Coventry University. at coventry/coursesearch/?searchtext=&pagesize=10&page=5&showall=true&filters=129, Live online learning from Coventry University with Ericsson solution. E Learning Now, January 10, learningnow.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=299:live online learningfrom coventry university with ericsson solution&catid=29:product news 100 Coomes, P. Photography and open education. BBC News, December 3, Hanover Research Academy Administration Practice 22

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