For the UK to enter the global online university race, new skills and competencies need to be explored
This week, the FutureLearn MOOC project has launched, with more than 20 British Universities supporting the initiative. As the provision of online higher and professional education continues to gather pace, WillowDNA has been exploring what this means for the providers and how to avoid some of the pitfalls.
One of the criticisms of MOOCs has been the lack of support and structure, a feeling of isolation that can work against the potential benefits of online learning. Opportunities to converse, learn and share with others is increased exponentially because these courses are no longer restricted by physical boundaries. However, to maximise this advantage, a new skillset for learning including the skill of online facilitation is becoming one of the hottest topics.
Prior to the launch of FutureLearn, the UK's answer to EdX and Coursera, significant changes to the higher education landscape have already been taking place. WillowDNA customer BPP was the first private university given awarding powers and to coincide with this, the launch of its first fully online degree marked a shift in the way professional education is being designed and delivered. Having previously supported the BPP team in the initial learning design and development of online degree materials, Willow continues to work closely with BPP to ensure students have the best experience possible.
Dr Judy Payne, specialist online curriculum advisor to WillowDNA, has been working closely with BPP to explore the changing role of tutor, lecturer and subject matter expert in the online environment. The BPP VANTA programme, the brand that delivers its online learning degrees, encapsulates the core philosophy behind the offering of: "a unique combination of online teaching, work-based projects and personalised development coaching - our programme provides your employees with the ability to study with no impact on their work commitments". To deliver on this promise, support from their online tutors and faciltators is essential in ensuring learners progress, contribute and engage fully with the experience.
Says Lisa Minogue-White, Director of Sales and Marketing at WillowDNA: "It's changing the nature of the learning professional in both academic and corporate settings, which is why our online learning design consultancy services is in ever more demand. We have seen a dramatic increase in enquiries from organisations looking to transform their learning provision, and at the heart of this is supporting them in the skills of online learning design and online facilitation." Key demand areas are:
- Online learning strategy consultancy and support
- Curriculum development for online delivery
- Multi-media policy and design authority support
- Repurposing of content for online delivery
- Platform hosting, configuration and design service
Willow has published a commentary on the challenges facing UK Universities and many of the challenges will be recognisable to any organisation wanting to take its more substantive programmes online.