policy & reform
not cheap to develop an excellent online offering.
Education is about learning, about expanding and developing individuals and peoples of the world. The number of people, young and old, who need learning is enormous.
The current university models are expensive and labour intensive, combining the creation of knowledge through research with the dissemination of knowledge through teaching and learning. Instead, MOOCs put learning out there for anyone with access to the internet and English language ability.
The rising adoption of smart phones and tablets suggests that developing countries may leapfrog older technologies of online access, just as mobile phones have become ubiquitous in some regions which never had landlines.
The big question is, though: why are top universities distributing their courses for free?
At the moment, there is no clear answer. There are advertising benefits because students participate in these courses and then may wish to enrol in the institution.
There are social benefits since good students from disadvantaged backgrounds can access knowledge; and there are research benefits as educators can
gather extraordinary amounts of data on participants and their engagement with learning.
How money can be made from this is still being explored, as is how to use all that data.
For traditional universities, MOOCs pose an intriguing threat to centuries of entrenched practices and a strong business model.
Physical universities will probably persist because of the research agenda and because they work extremely well for those students who are privileged to be able to attend.
But MOOCs offer a way to disseminate higher education around the globe to enable learning for groups and individuals who have not previously had access.
We will all have to engage in one way or another. Open online courses will expand and the quality of production and learning activities will increase dramatically.
The data collected from participants will help the design of better online learning and also benefit students studying on campus.
Advances in platform development and learning design will spread quickly around the globe and, as content becomes ubiquitous, universities will respond by
focusing on areas of strength. Some may offer assessment-only programs where students will do their learning online using free resources, and then be tested by the university to qualify for an award.
One of the key challenges of 21st-century university education is to sustain the motivation to engage effectively and deeply with learning.
There is a lot to learn and our problems are not simple. We need deep and effective learners to tackle the issues of the planet and our place on it. MOOCs can be part of the solution.
In the end though, we believe universities are supporting open learning because they can.
The technology is available and staff are willing and energised. The possibility of disseminating your discipline and research around the world is thrilling and the interaction with large numbers of students is invigorating.
Watch this space! n
Professor Leigh Wood and Professor Sherman Young are associate deans at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University.
The 2013 ATEM / Campus Review Awards for Best Practice in Tertiary Education Management
ATEM and Campus Review are seeking entrants to the 2nd annual Best Practice awards.
These exciting awards will once again showcase the wonderful work being achieved by our professionals in tertiary education management
The awards will be presented at the Awards ceremony of the TEMC conference in September 2013 in Hobart.
To find out more phone: 9351 9719 or visit: www. atem. org. au / awards
Join ATEM and check out our catalogue of professional development courses.
Bulding professionalism and advancing your career.
The categories are:
u The LH Martin Institute Award for Excellence in Leadership
u Excellence in Student Administration and Customer Service
u The Knowledge Partnership Award for Excellence in Marketing, Communication and Public Relations
u The DragonNaturally speaking Award for Excellence in Innovation
u The Research Master Award for Excellence in Research Management
u The HES award Excellence in Financial Management
u The Global HR Innovations Award for Excellence in Human Resource Management
u Excellence in IT Management
u The CPSU award for Excellence in Community Engagement
u The Campus Living Villages award for Excellence by a New Entrant in Tertiary Education
www. campusreview. com. au March 2013 | 19