Open learning – the inevitable future?

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Megan Quentin-Baxter sent me this link about Harvard and MITS launching edx – a platform providing courses online for people all around the world… at no charge. Obviously, they are very rich institutions but the potential this unlocks and the challenge it poses to traditional study…… are worthy of comment?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18191589

and now edinburgh are joining thier forces

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=420598&c=1

4 thoughts on “Open learning – the inevitable future?”

  1. Both sides of the Threat/Opportunity coin. Can we afford not to do this as an institution (probably gaining revenue with assessments/accreditation)?

    It will require a major step-change from our current teaching models, but maybe that’s already in progress with our Far-East Campuses. Then, of course, there’s the IT infrastructure required to set all this up.

    We’ve already discussed is ‘Bandwagon Jumping’ and ‘Bandwagon Clinging’ – we need a flexible approach and a responsive, well drilled IT setup in order to make the most of these opportunities when they arise. That means that there has to be a reasonable amount of adaptable resilience in the resourcing of IT Staff and budgets …

  2. I was staggered by the sheer size of the initiative – 500,000 students on the first courses? Our existing models of IT delivery would buckle under anything approaching that load.

    As Ian says, we would need to radically change our models (not just teaching!) to accommodate this level of activity, and we would surely look to partner with other institutions? OER models may help to point the way – partnerships with publishers for example?

    In terms of the IT provision, perhaps we could look to having ‘learning apps’ on devices which are pre-loaded with material, with only small amounts going back and forward to the servers. It’s certainly a different model from the BlackBoard/Medical VLE route.

    After all, we live in a world where 100 million Androids, iPhones and iPads are sold each year – and we know people want ‘more mobile’.

    I see this as an opportunity to re-evaluate our existing models and think about what we would need to support 500,000 students. That would radically change the landscape (even if we *only* settled for 100,000 remote students).

    Thanks for setting this blog up Jane – it’s really helpful to keep in touch with Digital Campus activities.

    Cheers,
    Tone

  3. Some extracts from BBC article on Alan Turing that may have some relevance:

    Technology has leapt forward year by year.
    We today must not fail the future golden talent that could revolutionise our technology industry and change the world as a result.
    It is young people who are adapting the quickest of all to new technologies and, crucially, the practices they facilitate. They tweet, download apps and buy online with astonishing agility and speed.
    The UK has a wealth of untapped talent, but to grow the Turings of the future we need to set the right educational ecosystem in place to allow young people to question our technological landscape, not just live in it.
    Society’s narrow-mindedness failed Turing – we must not fail today’s students with limited school curricula.

    Original article:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18440557

  4. It is worth seeing the Creative Commons license picker, just updated:
    http://creativecommons.org/choose/

    One of the aims is to make it easier for authors to understand and choose appropriate licenses.

    Appreciate our University isn’t currently going down this route and any large-scale use of CC would need institutional management/policy. However, worth keeping an eye on for the future….

    Cheers,

    Simon

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