THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
Driving the recovery post pandemic
It ’ s been a tumultuous year for students ; the dramatic pivot last year from a campus model to scaled online learning brought unexpected disruption for many .
At The Open University ( OU ), where we have been leaders in the field of flexible , high quality distance learning for more than 50 years , we ’ ve witnessed the impact of the pandemic prompting a significant growth in our student numbers . The total number of students enrolled for study at the OU for the 2020 / 21 academic year is 15 % higher than what it was this time last year , to over 163,000 .
Our percentage rise in new students is even greater , up 25 % from nearly 47,000 in 2019 / 20 to nearly 60,000 in 2020 / 21 .
Marnie from Kent is one of those new students . She ’ s completing a full-time HE Certificate in Psychology which she began in October 2020 . She says studying with the OU has allowed her to stay at home and do her studies in a way she wanted to do them .
In terms of postgraduate study , we have more than 9,000 students studying over 180 postgraduate courses as well as career-boosting short courses like our new microcredentials : professional development courses , suited to those wishing to upskill ,
The total number of students enrolled for study at the OU for the 2020 / 21 academic year is 15 % higher than what it was this time last year , to over 163,000 .
with workplace relevance .
Despite our increase in numbers , we ’ re acutely aware that changes to tuition fee policy in England means we still don ’ t reach as many people as we used to ( the total number of new undergraduate students in England is still 40 % lower before government policy change in 2010 / 11 ).
The cost of part-time study in England means many people are still losing out and face a barrier to their aspirations and ambition to learn and improve their career prospects . With uncertainty in the economy set to continue into 2021 and beyond , we know that many people will be facing a need to upskill or reskill in a way that is affordable and flexible .
Government policy makes a difference as we ’ ve seen with the support for parttime study in Wales . It ’ s encouraging to see change coming too in England with new legislation proposed this month to introduce a lifelong loan entitlement . The aim is to get more people into work and offer more flexible funding for higher and further education – wherever people live – to enable skills and career progression throughout life .
The devil is always in the detail of course , but at the OU we hope this is a change that helps to drive the recovery post pandemic and offer more opportunity for all .
About the author Professor Tim Blackman is Vice-Chancellor at The Open University
CAREERMAG FOR GRADUATES ISSUE 5 | 29