OERs and MOOCs - Exploring the potential for Wales presented by Paul Richardson of Jisc RSC Wales at Open Scotland, Edinburgh, 27th June 2013.

1. June 28, 2013 | slide 1
OERs and MOOCs: Exploring the
Potential for Wales
Paul Richardson
Jisc RSC Wales
With thanks to The Welsh
Government, Andrew Green,
and members of the Online
Digital Working Group

2. June 28, 2013 | slide 2
http://wales.gov.uk/about/cabinet/cabinetstatements/2013/onlinedigitallearning/?lang=en

3. Terms of Reference of the Working Group
To advise the Welsh Government on:
the potential competitive threat posed by global technology-based
developments to the higher education sector in Wales;
the potential opportunities afforded by technological development for the
Welsh higher education sector at a time of constrained public expenditure;
to what extent the Welsh higher education sector is working collectively
to bring economies of scale to maximise the opportunities afforded; and
to what extent technological development may provide a platform to
increase participation in part-time and full-time higher education, again in
a period of constrained public spending.
June 28, 2013 | slide 3

4. June 28, 2013 | slide 4
Membership of the Working Group
 Andrew Green (Chair): National Librarian of Wales (retired)
 Dr Dafydd Trystan ; Registrar; Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
 Dr Bela Arora : Manager; Newport Graduate School
 Professor Dylan Jones-Evans: Director of Enterprise and
Innovation Education, University of Wales
 Rob Humphreys : Director of the Open University in Wales
 Professor Patricia Price : Pro Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff University
 David Jones: Principal and Chief Executive, Deeside College
 Jo Caulfield: Former NUS National Executive Committee
 David Kernohan: Programme Manager, Jisc

5. HEIs in Wales
June 28, 2013 | slide 5
HEI Number
University of South Wales 34,000
Cardiff University 30.000
Swansea University 19,000
Bangor 18,000
Aberystwyth 14,000
Cardiff Met 11,000
Glyndwr (Wrexham) 9,000
Trinity St David* 9,000
Swansea Met* 6,000
Student numbers to nearest 1,000 (2012)
*These two institutions are now merged

6. June 28, 2013 | slide 6
Advice to
Government
Consultation
with
providers
Desk
Research
Discussion in the
Working Group

7. June 28, 2013 | slide 7

8. Straw Poll
Which position is closest to where you stand? (Show of hands)
A.Education is broken. We need MOOCs to fix it. 0
B.MOOCs will disrupt education, and force it to change 1
C.MOOCs are just one of many interesting current developments. We can
learn from them, and incorporate these lessons into the full range of our
practice 20
D.MOOCs are just a passing fad. I plan to ignore them until they go away.
4
E.What is a MOOC? 1
June 28, 2013 | slide 8

9. Mixed sector Feedback (informal)
 Are MOOCs just another kind of OER?
 Academics may perceive MOOCs as a threat to their jobs.
 Are MOOCs an alternative to the textbook?
 Senior managers will be looking for commercial opportunities
 Need to look at how data is tracked, to support quality management.
 Learners also value the social bit
 No clear business model for FE; no data
 There is potential use as CPD for staff
 Value as a marketing tool?
 Funding and completion rates are key
 High drop-out rates may reflect low barriers to entry
 Open Badges may have value for recognising informal learning
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