1 VLE, Open Source, Open Content, Web 2.0: Recent Experience of the OUUK in eLearning. EDEN Conference 2007 Naples, Italy 16 June 2007

Dr. Paul Clark Pro-Vice-chancellor (Learning and Teaching) The United Kingdom Open University

3 Plan of Talk 1.Short Resume of the OUUK 2.Development of OUUK VLE 3.OUUKs Engagement with Open Source: Moodle 4.Open Content: the OpenLearn project 5.Web 2.0 and the OUUK 6.Conclusions

4 Overview of the Present Day OUUK 1.No required entry qualifications 2.218,000 students, different age profile 3.8 Faculties and Schools u/g courses; 179 p/g courses, 1500 doctoral research students 5.ODL research institutes; IET, KMi 6.Ranked 5 th out of 140 institutions for teaching 7.Ranked 1 st for quality of student support

5 Distribution of OUUK students with age (2005/06) UndergraduatePostgraduate Male : female ratio40:6053:47 Age profile Under 2513%3% %33% %38% %20% %5% 65 and over3%1% Median age of new undergraduate level students 32

6 Overview of the Present Day OUUK 1.No required entry qualifications 2.218,000 students, different age profile 3.8 Faculties and Schools u/g courses; 179 p/g courses, 1500 doctoral research students 5.ODL research institutes; IET, KMi 6.Ranked 5 th out of 140 institutions for teaching 7.Ranked 1 st for quality of student support

7 OUUK Model of ODL (95-05) High quality printed texts Websites (personal, course-based) , computer-conferencing (student-tutor, student-student) Computer-enhanced audio conferencing (Lyceum) Computer-based assessment; Secure online assignment handling Digital resources from OU Library online eBooks, simulations, A/V materials Student Record System – separate system

8 Building the OUUK VLE Major development project ( ) Integration of services to suit pedagogic and administrative needs New versions of existing applications (conferencing, , instant messaging) New functionality (blog, wiki, ePortfolio, eAssessment, mobile learning) Student tracking, AL-student communication Access to full range of OU information Release dates in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

9 Open Source Activity at the OU: MOODLE Open Source Movement: a collaborative production of software for the benefit of all potential users; Four reasons for adopting Moodle 1.Strong base for development of required functionality 2.Open architecture 3.Designed for co-operation and collaboration 4.Joining the Moodle community

10 VLE Functionality:2007 ForumsCalendars BlogsRSS Feeds WikisFederated search Instant messagingeAssessment DatabaseNews ChoicemyStuff (ePortfolio)

11 Staff and Student Development Academic staff: new modes of teaching Associate Lecturers (7500): New modes of support Many parts of OUUK have to change at once

12 OUUK Open Content: OpenLearn OCI, OER: Ambition to share, redevelop and reuse MIT initiative: Massive sharing, little redevelopment OUUK initiative: OpenLearn

13 OpenLearn Learning Space: 2700 hours of OUUK study materials 2300 hours of study materials to follow Lab space: download materials reversion and return Usage: 500,000 unique visitors URL:

14 Challenges to OCI, OER Reluctance to version, use and return open content – connection with same phenomenon with learning objects Financial sustainability of OER project – wheres the revenue stream to come from?

15 Web 2.0 and the OUUK Levels of discussion: Evolution of Web technology: AJAX, REST, Open APIs Business properties of Web 2.0 companies: Long tail, Network effects Web user behaviour and its educational consequences

16 Typical forms of Web 2.0 Behaviour Sharing information and experiences (blog, wiki) Delivering a personal broadcast: (video clip on YouTube Enlisting the Wisdom of Crowds to solve problems Building an online community (social bookmarking)

17 Web 2.0 world characteristics(1) Sharing user-generated content Harnassing collective intelligence Co-operative activity to build unique product (Wikipedia) Forming online communities Reusing and/or remixing content Exploiting network effects

18 Web 2.0 world characteristics (2) Users add value, seen as co-developers Exploiting large data sources (Amazon, student tracking) People-power Personalised delivery Open standards, open systems User becomes active, creative participant

19 Web 2.0 issues for higher education Integration of public domain software Web 2.0 and academic ethos OUUKs response to the opportunity and challenge of Web 2.0

20 Integration of Public Domain Software Security? Stability? Student-tracting? Integrated online experience?

21 Web 2.0 and OUUK academic experience Web 2.0 experience and structured learning experience? Web 2.0 and academic ethos Net generation and OUUK student profile BUT OUUK coming to grips with the impact of Web 2.0??

22 Bits of the way forward Use and research Web 2.0 tools in OUUK VLE Web 2.0 experiments already in operation (Biodiversity Observvatory Focus on student response to current activity

23 VLE, Open Source, Open Content, Web 2.0: Recent Experience of the OUUK in eLearning. EDEN Conference 2007 Naples, Italy 16 June 2007

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