Interview
Please could you tell us more about tech innovation in the education sector and the use of data, AI and automated models? One major innovation that the education sector can really utilise is data, AI and machine learning to help refine the online learning experience, especially as education shiſts to an ever more hybrid blend of digital and in-person. AI can be used to siſt through the wealth of learner data platforms like ours have, in order to deliver a more tailored learning pathway for each individual. Tese pathways could either be explicitly curated - much like our ExpertTracks, which are a combination of short courses designed to take you deeper into a particular subject area - or they can be implicit recommendations as learners browse through the platform, all informed by their previous choices, likes, dislikes and general learning behaviours. We’re constantly looking to gain more insight into what our learners want on an individual level, and implementing automation and AI will be a key part of this process.
“The current economic climate, coupled with long-foreseen trends around career-changers, has meant that learners are also constantly looking for new ways to upskill and reskill.”
How has education turned into a marketplace and what role does tech play in this? At FutureLearn we’ve certainly seen a global trend of learners seeking out more flexible, affordable and bitsized means of learning from some of the biggest higher education and industry providers to whom they may not ordinarily have access. Likewise, our partners are always looking to reach this more global audience and expand their portfolio of high quality online learning offerings. Tis has essentially formed the basis of the modern educational marketplace, and this model isn’t going anywhere. Customer expectations have changed rapidly as people can do almost everything, from getting a mortgage to buying a car, online and on demand - using technology and data to better understand the type of content and products that learners want from providers will form a fundamental part of the online learning experience moving forward.
Where do you see the future of education headed, through technology? Te importance of tech in education is already showing its influence today. We are no longer
42 | August 2022
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bound by our geographical location and instead have the choice through platforms like FutureLearn to gain a quality education from some of the most renowned higher education institutions and global brands in the world, at any time and with any mobile connected device. However, this does not spell the end of ‘traditional’ bricks- and-mortar education like some might fear. If anything, we’re seeing a more hybrid mode of digital and analogue learning emerging that’s bringing the two platforms closer together and hugely benefiting both learners and educators in the process. Tis ‘new learning’ is a blend of both online and in-person, so learners can upskill where they want to and oſten at their own pace.
How can partners look to improve upon their existing offerings to appeal to the education market? Current trends have already shown that learners, as with any other type of consumer, are going to continue looking for choice, flexibility and accessibility. Te current economic climate, coupled with long- foreseen trends around career-changers, has meant that learners are also constantly looking for new ways to upskill and reskill. Tis has prompted partners to take an even more learner-centric view of the ways that they deliver their learning resources and the types of learning content they produce. Te education sector has moved forward significantly in terms
of understanding how digital can be part of the fabric of everyday learning, but now is the time for higher education institutes, businesses and employers alike to really harness the opportunity that platforms like FutureLearn provide, and deliver career-relevant education in a more digitally-led, accessible way. With the depth of insight that marketplace platforms like ours - which has over 18 million learners in every country in the world - can bring in terms of evolving student needs and behaviour, you can imagine the rich data we can provide to our partners in terms of staying relevant and engaging for the current and future learner.
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