Presentation at Ulster University Business Learning and Teaching Conference June 2017 (via Collaborate Ultra)

1. Unbundling Higher Education
Professor Neil Morris
Chair in Educational Technology, Innovation and Change, School of Education
Visiting Professor, University of Ulster

2. Overview
Leeds case study
Impact
Definitions
Examples

3. Definitions
In North America, unbundling is primarily perceived as credit
accumulation, credit transfer and more recently micro-
credentials (e.g. Nanodegrees from Udacity and MicroMasters
from edX); as predicted by Selingo a few year ago (Selingo,
2013).
In the UK, unbundling is currently viewed as the
disaggregation of learning into smaller parts which offers, in
theory at least, opportunities for HEIs to separate traditionally
integrated components and reimagine new products and
services (Yuan et al., 2013).

4. Types of unbundling
Learning and teaching
Student support services
Qualifications

5. Unbundling scenarios
School
College
University
Employment
Higher Education
School Employment
Degree apprenticeship (employment and F2F/online study at College / University)
F2F course at
University
Online course
at University
F2F course at
University
Employment
Managed curriculum with College + University + Alternative provider (mixture of F2F,
blended and online only courses) [rebundled]
Online course
with alternative
provider
F2F project
course at
University
Online course
at University
Qualification
through
accreditor

6. Why is unbundling happening
now in the HE sector?
• Influence of ‘disruption’ in other sectors (e.g. music, shopping,
business)?
• Ability to offer flexible learning opportunities as a result of advances in
digital technology?
• Government pressure to increase access, reduce inequality, raise
employment, improve flexibility?
• Institutional strategies to diversify student cohort, grow student body,
retain student markets?
• Pressure from private / alternative providers creating an alternative HE
market?
• Pressure from students for more flexible learning pathways to meet
their diverse needs?
• Created by actors within organisations who are just making it happen?

7. Evidence of unbundling in the
sector

8. Unbundled degrees

9. Role of external players

10. Role of digital technology
Access Collaboration
Assessment Global
Interaction Content

11. Flexible pedagogies
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/npi_report.pdf

12. Future of universities?
Clayton Christensen, the Harvard Business Professor termed
the ‘father of disruption’ holds extreme views about the future
of universities as a result of unbundling, marketization and
digital technology:
“Some will survive. Most will evolve hybrid models, in which
universities license some courses from an online provider like
Coursera but then provide more-specialized courses in
person. Hybrids are actually a principle regardless of industry.
If you want to use a new technology in a mainstream existing
market, it has to be a hybrid.” (Christensen 2013)
Extract from blog at unbundleduni.com

13. “Recent developments have spurred critical commentaries,
pointing to a problematic ‘darker side’ of marketisation . This
darker side might include, for example, the ‘selling’ of
pedagogy to the (sometimes) highest bidder; the fragmenting
of the educational offering and the packaging of ‘learning’ into
byte-sized attractions (Nixon, Scullion and Hearn, 2016);
ultimately, this could lead to the trivialisation of the challenge
of learning and the casualisation of academic labour.”
Darker side of marketisation?
Extract from blog at unbundleduni.com

14. Elements of Higher Education provision
being unbundled and rebundled
Learning
materials
Supporting
content
Teaching Tutoring
Learning
pathways
Peer-to-peer
learning
Learning
support
Learning
services
Assessment Feedback Accreditation Qualifications
Learning
platforms
Informal
learning
services
Training /
skills support
Equipment
(generic and
specialist)

15. Commercialising learning
materials
Teacher
produced
content
Student
produced
content
Licensed
content
Open
Educational
Resources
Open
access
content
Commercial
content

16. Potential benefits and risks of
unbundling
Benefits
Access
Flexibility
Inclusiveness
Student-focused
Market-led costs
Risks
Fragmented curriculum
Quality / regulation
Misalignment with employer
requirements
Cannabilisation of HE sector
Further inequality

17. Web: http://unbundleduni.com/
Twitter: @unbundledHE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unbundledHE/
Email: Laura Czerniewicz (laura.czerniewicz@uct.ac.za)
This research project, led by Laura Czerniewicz (UCT) and Neil
Morris (Leeds), examines changes in higher education that,
according to some, are leading to the “unbundling” of educational
provision – the intersection of increasingly disaggregated
curricula and services, the affordances of digital technologies, the
growing marketisation of the higher education sector itself and the
inequalities which characterise both the sector and the contexts in
which they are located.
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK)
and the National Research Foundation (South Africa)
Image: PeterG, used under licence from Shutterstock.com
Logos: Copyright University of Leeds and University of Cape Town

18. Leeds’ journey to unbundled and
rebundled Higher Education provision

19. Rationale
• Strategic (Maintaining competitive edge; protecting /
growing cohorts; Obtaining ROI on digital investment
through re-purposing; utilising in-house expertise; focus on
internationalisation and employability)
• Student demand (Flexible learning pathways requested;
supporting diverse student population across many levels)
• Changing policy landscape (UK HE Bill; UK visa situation;
Brexit; focus on skills training; Degree apprenticeships)
• Commercial partnerships (Shared risk; shared values;
external expertise; speed to market; innovation)

20. Digital learning online portfolio

21. Massive Open Online
Courses

22. Online standalone credit-
bearing courses
10 credits
awarded by
University of
Leeds
Over 60,000 joiners on these ‘programs’ since September 2016
First credit awards issued February 2017 from learners around the world

23. Online CPD courses with
industry partners
• Delivering demand led
CPD courses for
professionals
• Partnering with
organisations to deliver
internally facing online
staff development
courses

24. Partnership with Pearson
Education
• Masters level Online
Distance Learning
programmes
• University responsible for
design, development,
delivery and award of
degrees
• Pearson responsible for
marketing, recruitment and
some student support

25. © University of Leeds
Email: n.p.morris@leeds.ac.uk
Twitter: @neilmorrisleeds