Social LearnSocial LearnWidening participation and Widening participation and
sustainability of Higher sustainability of Higher EducationEducation
Tony Walton, Tony Walton,
Martin Weller and GrMartin Weller and Gráinne Conoleáinne Conole
12th June 2008,12th June 2008,
Eden Conference, LisbonEden Conference, Lisbon
The personal digital environment
Weller, 2008
Key QuestionsKey Questions
How can widening participation be
sustainably extended?
How can HE respond to global learning needs ?
Can existing HE meet emerging
learning needs ?
OpennessOpenness
Ovecome Exclusion
Create Bridges to Learning
Be Non-Hierarchical
Emerging Learning NeedsEmerging Learning Needs
Developed countries have high Developed countries have high expectations about participation rates expectations about participation rates for 18-23 year-oldsfor 18-23 year-olds
Half of the world’s population of 6.5 Half of the world’s population of 6.5 billion is under 20billion is under 20
In an era of lifelong learning the In an era of lifelong learning the demand for education is also high demand for education is also high among adultsamong adults
Lifelong learning requires provision Lifelong learning requires provision that is closely connected with work that is closely connected with work and everyday lifeand everyday life
Not all learning needs can be or need Not all learning needs can be or need to be met through formal accredited to be met through formal accredited coursescourses
Rapid social change and globalisation- Rapid social change and globalisation- competent citizenship and competent citizenship and participation in the culture participation in the culture
The ‘informated’ digital age - a need The ‘informated’ digital age - a need to provide people with the structure- to provide people with the structure- ‘scaffolding’ – with which to manage in ‘scaffolding’ – with which to manage in that worldthat world
Sustainable Widening Sustainable Widening Participation - challengesParticipation - challenges
Public funding under pressurePublic funding under pressure Profit driven private institutions will Profit driven private institutions will
miss some key (excluded) groupsmiss some key (excluded) groups The costs of educational provision The costs of educational provision
need to be driven down to enable need to be driven down to enable fees that are affordablefees that are affordable
New forms of access are neededNew forms of access are needed
Widening Participation Widening Participation Globally - challengesGlobally - challenges
Growing number of online students - but Growing number of online students - but some failures (UK eUniversities some failures (UK eUniversities Worldwide)Worldwide)
For-profit Phoenix successful -but high For-profit Phoenix successful -but high costs restrict participation and markets costs restrict participation and markets generally serve elitesgenerally serve elites
Global higher education dominated by the Global higher education dominated by the US, the UK and Australia - may not sit well US, the UK and Australia - may not sit well with new geopolitical configurationswith new geopolitical configurations
Higher education global activities are Higher education global activities are not yet significantly impacting on social not yet significantly impacting on social justice and inequality - a key source of justice and inequality - a key source of global instability in the post 9/11 world.global instability in the post 9/11 world.
1 in 5 adults worldwide lack minimum 1 in 5 adults worldwide lack minimum literacy skillsliteracy skills
Women worldwide face exclusion from Women worldwide face exclusion from educationeducation
Web 2.0??Web 2.0??
If traditional higher education is unable to meet the learning needs of the first part of the 21st century, can Web 2.0
provide alternative solutions ?
From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0
CentralizedIndividualContentReadableTransmissionDeliberateStaticRigid
DistributedSocialServices & APIsWritableSyndicationSpontaneous, emergingConnected, dynamicLoosely coupled
O’Reilly ModelO’Reilly Model
Web 2.0 Features: O’Reilly+Web 2.0 Features: O’Reilly+ Trusting users as co-developers – e.g. Trusting users as co-developers – e.g.
integrating learners’ content and integrating learners’ content and experiencesexperiences
Harnessing collective intelligence - e.g. Harnessing collective intelligence - e.g. collaborative development among collaborative development among educators through decentralised educators through decentralised cooperationcooperation
Leveraging the long tail - e.g. meeting the Leveraging the long tail - e.g. meeting the needs of specific learning communitiesneeds of specific learning communities
Web 2.0 Features: O’Reilly+Web 2.0 Features: O’Reilly+ A rich user interface - learning in a rich A rich user interface - learning in a rich
interactive environmentinteractive environment Disaggregation of services- the availability Disaggregation of services- the availability
of selected educational services of selected educational services Personalisation and customisation of Personalisation and customisation of
services - learners defining their own services - learners defining their own learning needslearning needs
Sustainable income generation - derived Sustainable income generation - derived from large-scale multiple educational from large-scale multiple educational transactionstransactions
SummarySummary
Decentralisation
The Long Tail
DisaggregationRevenue
Generation
Personalisation
Harnessing the power of the Harnessing the power of the netnet
Can we Can we apply web 2.0 principles to education?apply web 2.0 principles to education?
develop new web 2.0 pedagogies?develop new web 2.0 pedagogies?
How would it align with existing How would it align with existing provision?provision?
What would the business model be?What would the business model be?
Socialearn: realising the visionSocialearn: realising the vision
SociaLearn
Web 2.0 for education
Web 2.0 architecture
Learning applications Open API
Walton, Weller, Hirst, Buckingham Shum et al.
Today’s OU
E-learning research &
developments (OpenLearn)
Existing technical & pedagogical support models
(VLE, etc.)
Existing OU SOL model
Chan
ging
edu
catio
nal
cont
ext
Changing technical
context
Changing societal context
business
applications
API
organisation
VignettesVignettes
Microlearner
Profile
2Learner
Cloudworks
Writes to and imports goals, resources, stream
Create goals, tasks
Pull in and publish relevant content
Pull in and publish relevant courses/designs
Publicise study and learning story
Making connections
Thinking &reflection
Communication & interaction
Experience & activity
Evidence &demonstration
Four inter-connected facets of learning
Dyke, Conole et al., (2007)
Can we use this as a framework for mapping
different forms of Web 2.0 pedagogies?
PrinciplesPrinciples Thinking & reflectionThinking & reflection Experience & Experience & activityactivity
Conversation & Conversation & interactioninteraction
Evidence & Evidence & demonstrationdemonstration
Harnessing the net Harnessing the net (social scale, user (social scale, user
generated content)generated content)YesYes YesYes
Aggregates learning Aggregates learning events, resources events, resources and opportunitiesand opportunities
YesYes
Encourages Encourages mentorshipmentorship YesYes
Provides access to Provides access to expertiseexpertise
Formalises the Formalises the informalinformal
Informalise the Informalise the formalformal
Built on Built on relationships relationships
between peoplebetween peopleAllow users to build Allow users to build
reputation in the reputation in the systemsystem
Supports a range of Supports a range of pedagogies and pedagogies and
stylesstyles
UsesUses
Means of Means of visioningvisioning
Mapping Mapping principles principles
to pedagogyto pedagogy
Checklist for Checklist for new new
innovations innovations
Mapping Mapping tools tools
to pedagogyto pedagogy
Technical Educational
Business models
Social LearnSocial LearnWidening participation and Widening participation and
sustainability of Higher sustainability of Higher EducationEducation
Tony Walton, Tony Walton,
Martin Weller and GrMartin Weller and Gráinne Conoleáinne Conole
12th June 2008,12th June 2008,
Eden Conference, LisbonEden Conference, Lisbon