Most institutions are able to run an online course as a one-off, or a special project. Few, however, have managed to convert this capability into ongoing capacity; whether to quickly design and run courses in response to identified market needs, or to scale up provision to meet demand and help the UK stay ahead in the global higher education marketplace.
About this project
We worked with the UK academic community to understand the barriers stopping institutions from adopting more online learning and find the best solutions to address those problems.
Following on from this, working closely with a group of early adopter institutions, we'll build pilot versions of the most promising solutions.
Project outcomes
We have developed a beta online learning readiness tool which:
- Takes you through some key questions which will identify your personal or teams readiness for creating, delivering or supporting online learning
- Offers a reflective process by providing a brief synopsis of your experience levels and will offer further resources to take you forward
- Points you to key topic areas where you can review selected resources within our three guides and other resources
We have also produced a series of guides to help your staff understand the decisions they need to make and the processes involved around scaling up online learning at an organisational level:
- Scaling up online learning provides a strategic view of different models and the implications of implementing online learning at an institutional level
- Curriculum design and support for online learning helps you make decisions around curriculum design and determine support needs when scaling up online learning
- Technology and tools for online learning provides guidance, resources and case studies around the use of technology to support online courses and distance learning programmes.
Project team
The project working group is made up of a mixture of early adopter universities taking an innovative approach to online learning and universities who are yet to tackle online learning in a co-ordinated way. The aim is for this group to be representative of the sector as a whole.