OPEN COLLEGES
OpenSpace platform . It works rather like LinkedIn in that it suggest other people who are at the same stage in a course . Once connected both students will be updated on each other ’ s activity and can share each other ’ s experience . “ We are developing that concept to build a sense of community among the students ,” says McDougall . “ Online study can be a lonely experience , and this is one way to make students feel less isolated .” And since every paragraph in the study content is accompanied by a ‘ discussion ’ annotation , students are able to start a conversation at any point – study buddies though will receive an alert every time that happens . It is a way of creating a community of interest among students who have reached a bottleneck . Another feature about to be released is a study planner . Most students will set themselves goals , and most fail to meet them but OS will understand exactly what actions are needed to meet these goals and where necessary subtly nudge the student when it detects any deviation from the plan . “ It ’ s not as if they are expected to meet rigid timedetermined deadlines , more that from their profile we will understand how much effort they have put in and figure out when they need to progress more . It ’ s not an exact science but it does help us direct our limited resources to where they are
194 July 2016