70 | INTERVIEW: FUTURELEARN | EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
W:
www.universitybusiness.co.uk | T: @UB_UK
educational imbalances internationally.” Many sceptics have voiced concerns
that MOOCs are an atempt to replace the traditional degree model, but FutureLearn strongly argues that online courses can never replace teachers, classrooms or campus life. Nelson responds: “We are owned by the OU which has a blended model of distance and personal learning, and our partners are universities who want to enhance and expand what they do. We are not a replacement service, we are an additional service for students.” Before FutureLearn, Nelson spent 15 years
at the BBC, where he helped launch the BBC iPlayer. “Did on-demand television mean the death of live TV? No. Has TV had to adapt to online technologies? Absolutely,” he says. “On-demand enhanced a once-traditional
service for users. I think this is a parallel with higher education as it goes through its digital transformation. And I’d like to say to people, you can sit there and fear the atacks on your traditional business and what’s made you strong, or you can embrace a whole new range of opportunities.”
Completion controversy MOOC providers have been subject to criticism in recent months, due to low completion rates on some online courses. “We are finding the biggest drop off is from the time when people sign up to a course to the time they start it,” explains Nelson. “You can sign up to a course up to three months before it starts, so by the time it comes around, life has sometimes got in the way or you’ve forgoten about it, so that’s an area we are working to understand beter. “But we then benchmark ourselves
against the people that start a course. Of those in our first set of data, 15% of learners were fully participating – this means that they have completed all of the assessments.” FutureLearn’s latest courses have seen 22%
of learners fully participate, and in some courses this rises to over 40%.
Atracting an audience The company’s first set of data suggests they’re onto something. So what’s next? More courses, more sign ups and more developments for a company that has seen massive success but is still very much under construction. From catching up with Nelson, it seems
obvious that higher education needs to adapt to embrace the opportunities the web now offers. MOOCs have the ability to reach those who haven’t taken part in higher education before. Nearly a quarter of FutureLearn’s learners do not have degrees, highlighting a potential new revenue stream for universities across the globe. UB
UNI V E R S I T Y 27 PA R T N E R S
OF LEARNERS ARE BEHAVING SOCIALLY AND LEAVING COMMENTS AROUND THE COURSE MATERIAL
40% 85% 90%
ALMO S T ARE 'A CTIVE LE ARNERS '
MEANING THAT THEY HAVE MARKED STEPS IN A COURSE AS COMPLETE
RATE COURSES G O O D TO E X C E LLENT WOULD RECOMME N D
FUTURELEARN: THE FIGURES
350,000 REG I S TERED LE ARNERS 700,000 COURSES
CULTURAL PARTNERS: THE BRITISH COUNCIL, BRITISH LIBRARY
3 AND THE BRITISH MUSEUM 95% FUTURELEARN TO A FRIEND
ALMO S T
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102