Transcript Slide 1

Emerging Technologies
OU perspective on ICT in skills delivery
Keith Williams
[email protected]
The Open University in 2010
•
At 40+ officially middle aged
•
Over 2 million students since 1971
•
200,000+ students each year
•
40,000 outside UK
• Network of over 300 UK study centres
• Part-time remote learners – modules:
10–15 hours a week for 32 weeks
UK four nations presence
• The University is funded in England and NI, Wales and Scotland
– centres in each nation plus 10 English regions.
– staffed by Director, student support and administrative staff
• Staff in these centres are responsible for:
– the practical support and advising of students: learning advisors,
tutors
– the recruitment, training and supervision of
8,000 part-time Associate Lecturers (ALs)
– face-to-face tutorials, residential schools, examinations and events
The Open University in 2010
•
Distributed institution built on scaleability
•
Changed Student Socio Demographic context
•
Technological Legacy
•
Changing markets, Changing competition
Scaleability in the OU
Central Faculty
Design and develop course, set
assessments exam and marking
schemes
x20
Media Design
+
Production
Reg
Acad
Recruit, develop and
performance monitor tutors
x75
Teach, support and assess
students to standard
procedures
Tutor Team
Admin
Syst
x20
Distributed students study to
same pattern and standards
Student
Total 30,000 per faculty
Scaleability – Mega-universities
• Mega Universities
– Sir John Daniel circa ’95
– Institutions teaching 100,000+
– Invest heavily in
• Content Development
• Administrative Systems
• Distribution and Logistics
– Scaleability delivers high quality
at low cost per individual
– Industrial scale teaching
Conventional
Cost
Distance
Learning
Student Number
Changed Context and Markets
• Does the mass market
still exist?
• Increased participation in
HE reduces market for 2nd
chancers
• Increased participation in
HE increases market for
graduate lifelong learners
Conventional
Cost
Distance
Learning
Student Number
Changing Technologies
• E technologies reduce costs
of
– Content Development
– Administrative Systems
– Distribution and
Logistics
• Cross over point at lower
student numbers
• Convergence of
Conventional and Distance
Learning
Conventional
Cost
Distance
Learning
Student Number
Milestones to convergence ?
Systems stable
DL text led
Conv classroom
led, some video
classroom
outreach st
1 standalone
PC use in OU
course
1985
1990
1st online
conferencing
in OU course
1st Fully
online OU
course
Intro to
WWW
11,000 studs
pa
WWW
raises
profile of
text
resources
1995
MIT
Open
courseware
launched
OU
selects
Moodle
VLE
Distribution of course
materials PDFs,
quizes etc via VLEs
reduces barriers of
entry to distance
learning for
conventional univs
2000
Openlearn
Facebook
i-Tunes
U
2005
OU technology policy
The Vision:
We lead the learning revolution taking innovation to the heart of learning
and research.
We continuously seek new and better ways to inspire and enable
learning.
The reality:
Knowledge Media Institute and Institute of Educational Technology lead
technological and pedagogic research.
Mainstream teaching exploits stable, domestically available
technologies.
Dimensions of flexibility
Time
Place
-ve
Classroom
teaching
+ve
Resources/Interactivity
What’s needed in the skills and
CPD market ?
• HEFCE funded study of market potential for online CPD
• Employer and Professional Body membership survey
– Small blocks of learning ( 20-30 hours max 2-3 credit)
– Rapid availability, flexible study time
– Work relevant and instantly applicable
– Credit not essential but a nice to have extra
– Acceptance of e-learning but limited experience
– Access to HE academic staff
Centre for Professional Learning
and Development
• Seeks to meet employer demand for both generic and
custom programmes exploiting
• OU course inventory
• OU systems
• OU networks
Who for? Practising professionals
wishing to extend and update their
skills with quality CPD
Members of professional bodies
that require CPD evidence
Promotion/job seekers
who want to prove their
CPD
Alumni who want postqualification career-long
learning
Staff in organisations which are
pursuing organisational
development
Practising professionals wishing to
extend and update their skills with
quality CPD
Challenges
Flexibility and
availability
Relevance
Short online modules
Work based context
and activities
Scalability
Continuity
Scale up and
down
Routes to credit
and qualification
Skills Coverage
• Leadership Skills
• People Management
• Project and Programme
Management Skills
• Analysis and Use of
Evidence
• Financial Management
Skills
• Strategic Thinking Skills
• Communications and
Marketing Skills
• Creative and Problem
Solving Skills
• Key Corporate Skills
• Change Management
Skills
• Ethical Practice Skills
• IT Skills
• Numeracy Skills
OU-Housing and Communities
Academy
Transfer of a face to face workshop based course to online environment
Five days of collaborative workshops to be replaced by 5 workplace base
sessions supported by remote online facilitator
Desktop based conferencing
Using the commercial Elluminate system,
•multiple participants,
•Audio, video and online chat channels
•whiteboards,
•application sharing,
•breakout rooms etc
OU-Housing and Communities
Academy
Trial with HCA and Stoke on Trent Council
Facilitator led sessions during working hours
Challenges:
online use of rich picture techniques
defaulted to text based post it techniques
corporate firewalls
advance planning and negotiation needed
priority conflict
if you’re in the office you can’t be on a course
The Executive Reading Group
90% of Professionals report “ Reading” as a Professional
Development activity
50% report use of internet for discussion with fellow professionals
Exec Reading Group based around “must read” books
University Guru led
Trialled using Elluminate system, synchronous discussion,
whiteboard slides as scene setters
Flexible in direction, follow on via blog
Returns University to academic roots, students at the e-feet of the
professor
Working with Employers and
SSCs
• IT Professional Development Programme working with
e-skills and major employers
– 6 modules leading to PG Certificate
• Certificate of Nuclear Professionalism, working with
National Skills Academy –Nuclear and major employers
– 7 industry defined modules
– Accessed through company, university and other
providers
– QCF registered qualification through OU Awarding
Body
Routes to Credit
Flexible user led development
Open Educational Resources
• OER movement provides flexible resources licenced
under Creative Commons licencing to allow users to
use, modify and share learning resources
• Open Learn
– http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn
• i-Tunes U
– http://www.open.ac.uk/itunes/
Openlearn
Openlearn
Openlearn
Conclusions
• OU conservative but bold in its use of new technologies
• The principles of scaleability are under challenge
• Our resources and capable of supporting a range of
novel skill development models
• We are a networked and networking institution.
• Innovation is in our life blood