Open universities and innovation in higher education

Lebenslanges Lernen und Weiterbildung - Berlin 2015

Open universities and innovation in higher education

Alan TaitProfessor of Distance Education and

DevelopmentThe Open University UK


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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_London.svg


Open University: the term

• Where did the idea come from?

• Michael Young, social innovator


The Open University

• Foundation 1969• Prime Minister Harold

Wilson, walking back from church

• Social and educational context

• Political controversy


It takes a woman!

• From the idea to reality• Jenny Lee


It takes another woman!

• Margaret Thatcher as Secretary of State for Education


The conventions attacked

• Adults• Lower or no qualifications• Use of technology• Citizenship and democracy• Social justice and inclusion• Lifelong learning/ continuing education/

éducation permanente


The new student cohorts

• Social class• Gender• Ethnicity• Disability• Changing the assumptions about who can go

to university


Major arguments for

• Social justice: inclusion and social mobility• Skills and knowledge• Citizenship and personal fulfilment• Framework of ideas: lifelong learning


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


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


New media

• Print for learning• TV• Radio• Study centres• Residential schools• Innovation: existing resources in new

combinations


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


Innovation and curriculum

• Does mass higher education need same curriculum as élite higher education?

• Curriculum for social mobility: cases of pre-school workers; retail management; sports studies

• Bachelors and Masters degrees as currency: the case for intermediate qualifications


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


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


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


Student support

• Admissions and guidance• Tutor• Study counsellor• Learner centred• Intervention• Assumptions about student skills and

confidence


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


Other options to open universities

• No open university in• USA• Australia• Brazil


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


The transition to the digital world: decentering learning from the

campus


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


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?


• 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

Open movement


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


Future Learn

• Open University MOOC platform• Launched September 2013• 1 million registered learners by April 2015• MOOCs from 40 research led universities• Designed for mobile• Designed for social learning

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 Visitors since start: 16.8 million video views

Visitors 2011/12: 2.7 million video views

FutureLearn 750,000 registered learners by September 2014

iTunes U



30

Journeys from informal to formal learning through open media

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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?


1 Individual demand2 Combined with social and economic need3 Plus digital revolution4 Demands new response from Higher Education

as open universities did 45 years ago

What next?


Vielen Dank!

Open universities and innovation in higher education

Education

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