If I was to sum up this year I’d describe it as one of transition, a year in which the scramble of the pivot to emergency remote teaching was left well behind, but not one in which we’ve seen universities radically transform their educational model. Online education whilst still viewed as suboptimal for some, is now being valued and prioritised by more decision makers in higher education.
Read MoreIf you were involved in the world of online education before the pandemic, then the past 18+ months have been...well….interesting to say the least. The debate and dialogue around the efficacy of online education or the pandemic version often referred to as emergency remote teaching has been at times a little fractious. Much has been lost in the fog of significant and challenging events and the many words that have been generated in light of them.
Read MoreAs we enter into a somewhat different phase of this period, universities might reflect on how online or distance education is a more robust and resilient mode of teaching and study than the residential model. They might also reflect on what so many of us working in online education before the pandemic knew well - that online education can result in as good outcomes as any other mode of teaching and study. It’s not the mode that makes the difference.
Read MoreMOOCs are meeting a demand that obviously isn’t being met elsewhere and universities as major education providers would be wise to reflect deeply on that. In reality, there are still only a handful of UK universities strategically engaging in partnerships with MOOC platforms and this has been the case since the start.
Read More
