New Channel Thinking

2

Peter Scott

Director, Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University, UK.

New Channel thinkingTencompetence Winter School, Innsbruck

February 2009

[email protected]

We now have a very rich mix of channels that we can use to communicate with students. Some are new forms of broadcast; and some are significantly more interactive.

In the Open University we are adding new elements into our VLE, with a learning mix to include iTunes U., YouTube, Podcasts, our own OpenLearn materials and more.

In the context of Tencompetence, some of this work directly maps to helping users to measure and develop their competences.

1Monday, 9 February 2009

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Presentation

Books, etc.LecturesDVD, video, etc.

Interaction

SeminarsTutorialsLabsProjects

Assessment

AssignmentsTests, Exams

What Channels do Unis use to reach students? Where are these going …

The webA Virtual Learning Environment

A world of web-services…A world of open resources…A world of co-production…

WikisBloggingPodcasting

Audio/Video bloggingSocial Network ServicesMobile ServicesMeeting Online / Conferencing

RateMyTeacher


• ʻMega-universityʼ withall students at-a-distance

• International learning innovators for 40 years

• UKʼs largest University with >220k students

• Large central production facility in Milton Keynes, admin, warehousing, distribution, quality control, broadcasting, tutors, …

• 13 UK regional centres; >300 study UK centres; >4,000 exam venues (in >90 countries)

• Around 8k ʻmentorsʼ (ALs)• Cost effective (~50% of UK

ave. grad. cost)• > 70% of students in full

time employment• Global learning community

with >70k students• Part of international family,

e.g. Arab OU has >30k students

• Accessible: 37k students have fee assistance; 10k disabled students

The Open University


A classical Open Learning Calendar; in 2006“Channels to students embedded in Events”


A wealth of online and

‘open resources’

And in 2009 some of your students still sit in lectures? You are kidding, right …


Over 500 units published, totalling over 5,000 learning hours

Zero ‘lectures’; all units designed from scratch for Open Learners

Over 1,700,000 unique visitors since launch

Over 50,000 registered users since launch

Over 4,500 registrations on OU courses

Users from over 160 countries

Translations into Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese…

3-20 hours study time for each unit

Course creation and management tools

Community building and supporting tools included as an ‘Open Participatory Learning Infrasctructure’


http://labspace.open.ac.uk/


Oct 2007live

Oct 2007replays


Podcast feed syndication hub

http://podcast.open.ac.uk

Control your own podcasts

Staff and Students submit podcast feeds

Users subscribewe connect with them here


YouTube ‘stations’

http://www.youtube.com/ou

Experimental publish July 07Launch August 2008

Headlines, Dec 08

31, 575 channel views133, 906 video views616 subscribers382 videosApprox 1800 video views a day in October 2008Approx 18 hours of video content from 40 coursesApprox 3 hours of non-course related video


• The iTunes music store, open 6 years & sold 6 Billion songs

• 75 Million credit card accounts

• Powerful mobile synch

• iTunes U. open ‐2007June 2008 UKOU + 2 …Oct 2008 OxbridgeJan 2009 Europe

To Jan 2009, The Open University is prominent in every “category” in which we have contributed courses (Science, Engineering, Languages, etc); 5‐7 of top 12 albums in these areas; and in other subjects at least 1‐3/12 featured albums…

Peter Sco/, KMiNick Watson, LTS


Open University on iTunes U


We are very impressed by the potential of this channel;But Higher Education has a VERY small slice of this …

Why iTunes U.?Unlike some Web 2 channels we have very good

control;zero geek; high brand; good with audio,has great potential for other integrated

mobile power;and our stuff belongs to us.



Summary of acXvity in the first 224 days (32 weeks)

96 collecXons of audio or video tracks (albums) 78 from courses currently in presentaXon.

• 2,459,128 downloads• 140,134 hours of audio and video downloaded• Over 324,500 visitors downloaded files• Currently averaging over 85,000 downloads a week• 88% of visitors from outside the United Kingdom• 1 in 6 downloaders go on to visit the OU website• >1 new visitor every 55 secs




Simple systemsAccessing the OU from your iPod and iPhone

Assistive InterfacesIf you can tap, you can type

Latest App in the OU storeVirtual Microscope for S276Measuring Mars and the Moon


S276 GeologyOpen University

http://kmi.open.ac.uk/projects/microscope




WebCEFEU funded project :

Benchmarking language

Performance

• Learners upload “performance videos” for assessment; or use live meeting recording

• Assessment framework common to mentors and students

• Mentor assessment benchmarking

Learner proficiency in the Common Framework http://webcef.eu


http://www.stellarnet.eu


iCoperEU funded project :

Best Practices forOpen Educational

Resources

• Provide an iCoper Content Space accessing 12.5k+ hours of OERs

• Systematic review of Delivering Competency-Driven Learning Content

• A generic ICOPER Reference Model for OER standards

Capturing Best Practicesfrom the OER community in Europe http://www.icoper.org




SocialLearnbe your own worst enemy… right now

millions of people are online and finding identity via large scale collaboration — including learning

http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/wp-content/uploads/shop/EBY_FooBar_35t.png

FEEDS and SERVICES

ExcitingFast

DisruptiveSocial







STELLAREU funded Network of

Excellence :Technology

Enhanced Learning

• Step beyond Prolearn and Kaleidoscope Networks

• Focus on TEL Strategy• 5M Euro;

Open University Coordinating

February 2009 http://stellarnet.eu


http://stellarnet.eu


New Channel Thinking for Higher EducationDisruptive, Cool and Dangerous …

http://www.open.ac.uk

http://labspace.open.ac.uk

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk

http://itunes.open.ac.uk

http://youtube.com/theopenuniversity

http://webcef.eu


http://icoper.org









http://webcef.eu

http://webcef.eu

