cILLINOIS BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION

June 8, 1999 Aurora, IL

Technology, Higher Education and the Public Interest

Sir John DanielVice-Chancellor, The Open University, UKPresident, United States Open University

For text: http://www.open.ac.uk/vcs-speeches/

cFour issues:

- Why distance learning?

cFour issues:

- Why distance learning?

- Benefits of distance learning

cFour issues:

- Why distance learning?

- Benefits of distance learning

- Technology in Illinois

cFour issues:

- Why distance learning?

- Benefits of distance learning

- Technology in Illinois

- United States Open University

cFour issues:

What can distance learning do for you?

cTECHNOLOGY IS THE ANSWER:

WHAT WAS THE QUESTION?

c

COST

AC

CE

SS

QU

ALITY

THE ETERNALLY CHALLENGING TRIANGLE

cOR QUADRILATERAL...

COST

AC

CE

SS

FL

EX

IBIL

ITY

QUALITY

c

COST

AC

CE

SS

QU

ALITY

THE ETERNALLY CHALLENGING TRIANGLE

c WHAT

ABOUT

QUALITY?

?

cUK Quality Assurance Agency for HE

1. Audit of QA processes

2. Assessment of Teaching Quality

3. Assessment of Research

c CHALLENGES

• Access• Cost• Flexibility

c

QUALITY

THE ETERNALLY CHALLENGING TRIANGLE

FLEXIBILITY COST

c

COST

AC

CE

SS

QU

ALITY

THE ETERNALLY CHALLENGING TRIANGLE

cWhat is technology?

…the application of scientific and other organized knowledge to practical tasks by organizations consisting of people and machines..

c“new applications of technology

rather than

applications of new technology”

c Distance learning uses

hard and soft technologies...

the soft technologies of approaches and

processes

the hard technologies of bits and electrons

cTHE KEY soft TECHNOLOGIES

- DIVISION OF LABOR

- SPECIALIZATION

- TEAMWORK

- PROJECT MANAGEMENT

cMEGA-UNIVERSITYMEGA-UNIVERSITY

distance teaching 100,000+ students unitary structure

cTHE MEGA-UNIVERSITIES

CHINA: TV university system

FRANCE: Centre National d’Enseignement à Distance

INDIA: Indira Gandhi National Open University

INDONESIA: Universitas Terbuka

IRAN: Payame Noor University

KOREA: Korea National Open University

SOUTH AFRICA: University of South Africa

SPAIN: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

THAILAND: Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

TURKEY: Anadolu University

UNITED KINGDOM: The Open University

cCosts compared:

USA (1996)

3,500 institutions

14 million students

$175 billion spent on HE

= ~$12,500 per student

MEGA-UNIVERSITIES (1996)

11 institutions

2.8 million students

$ 1 billion total budgets

= ~$350 per student

cUnit costs per student expressed as % of

average unit costs in each national university system

CHINA

FRANCE

INDIA

INDONESIA

IRAN

KOREA

S. AFRICA

SPAIN

THAILAND

TURKEY

UK

China TV University system

Centre National d’Enseignement a Distance

Indira Gandhi National Open University

Universitas Terbuka

Payame Noor University

Korea National Open University

University of South Africa

Univ. Nat. de Educacion a Distancia

Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

Anadolu University

The Open University

%

40

50

35

15

25

5

50

40

30

10

60

c WHAT

ABOUT

QUALITY?

?

cBRITAIN’S TOP TWENTY

UNIVERSITIES(Quality Rankings of Teaching

Programmes)

1 Cambridge 12 Lancaster 2 York 13 St Andrews 3 Oxford 14 Loughborough 4 Imperial 15 Southampton 5 LSE 16 Cardiff 6 Warwick 17 Glasgow 7 Nottingham 18 Bangor 8 Durham 19 Birmingham 9 University College London 20 Bristol10 Sheffield11 OPEN UNIVERSITY

c United Kingdom 1998

Teaching Quality Assessment of

GENERAL ENGINEERING

24/24 The Open University

c United Kingdom 1998

Teaching Quality Assessment of

GENERAL ENGINEERING

24/24 The Open University23/24 Cambridge University

cFACT

The majority of all students in English universities studying in excellent-rated programs in:

Earth SciencesMusicChemistryGeneral Engineering

are Open University students.

cThe link between quality and exclusivity, that has tarnished

universities throughout history, has finally been broken.

cThe Open University?

- why

- what?

- who?

- when?

- where?

- how?

cQ: WHY?

Political input

1. Harold Wilson: Access; Use of broadcasting2. Jennie Lee Quality; Autonomy3. Margaret Thatcher Lower costs

cThe Open University mission

- open to people

- open to places

- open to methods

- open to ideas

c The Open University- degree students: 160,000

- graduate school: 30,000

- research degree: 1,500

- outside UK: 30,000

- annual budget ~$400m

c The Open UniversityTotal staff: 11,000

Full-time faculty: 800

Associate faculty: 7,500

Other full-time staff: 2,800

c The Open University

- outside UK: 30,000

- main examination session: 156,000 scripts; 111 countries

cSUCCESSFUL

SUPPORTED OPEN LEARNING

- Quality materials

cSUCCESSFUL

SUPPORTED OPEN LEARNING

- Quality materials

- Support for each student

cSUCCESSFUL

SUPPORTED OPEN LEARNING

- Quality materials

- Support for each student

- Good logistics

cSUCCESSFUL

SUPPORTED OPEN LEARNING

- Quality materials

- Support for each student

- Good logistics

- Roots in research

cTHE INSTITUTE FOR

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGY

THE INSTITUTE FOREDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGY

- advice on course design

- student surveys

- teaching effectiveness

- consultancy

c THE KNOWLEDGE MEDIAINSTITUTE

THE KNOWLEDGE MEDIAINSTITUTE

- Leading edge development of the Web;

- Scaling up Net technologies;

- Enabling technologies

- New Internet applications

cFour issues:

- Why distance learning?

- Benefits of distance learning

- Technology in Illinois

cRequisite Variety in Illinois

1. Illinois Video Education Network - extending into the home

cRequisite Variety in Illinois

1. Illinois Video Education Network - extending into the home

2. Online Library Services and DE

cRequisite Variety in Illinois

1. Illinois Video Education Network - extending into the home

2. Online Library Services and DE

3. Satellite-based instruction (N.Leigh)

cRequisite Variety in Illinois

1. Illinois Video Education Network - extending into the home

2. Online Library Services and DE

3. Satellite-based instruction (N.Leigh)

4. TechKnowledgy Project

cThe Open University

in the USA

- Partnerships: with FSU (Masters, Upper Division)

with CSU (CalStateTeach)

cThe Open University

in the USA

- Partnerships: with FSU (Masters, Upper Division)

with CSU (CalStateTeach)

- Sister University:

United States Open University

cUnited States Open University

- own programs:

Master’s, Upper Division

cUnited States Open University

- own programs:

Master’s, Upper Division

- partnerships:

universities; community colleges

cUnited States Open University

Competency + credit

Western Governors University

cILLINOIS BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION

June 8, 1999 Aurora, IL

Technology, Higher Education and the Public Interest

Sir John DanielVice-Chancellor, The Open University, UKPresident, United States Open University

For text: http://www.open.ac.uk/vcs-speeches/