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The Open University UK in Europe

The Open University UK in Europe. Professor Alan Tait Pro Vice-Chancellor The Open University UK MESI Moscow, March 2012. Open University Mission. The Open University is open to people, places, methods and ideas.

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The Open University UK in Europe

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  1. The Open University UK in Europe Professor Alan Tait Pro Vice-Chancellor The Open University UK MESI Moscow, March 2012

  2. Open University Mission • The Open University is open to people, places, methods and ideas. • It promotes educational opportunity and social justice by providing high quality university education to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential. • Through academic research, pedagogic innovation and collaborative partnership it seeks to be a world leader in the design, content and delivery of supported open and distance learning.

  3. Outcome of OU Mission 250000 students Age range segments Range of Undergraduate, Masters and Doctoral students No obligatory educational qualifications on entry for undergraduates

  4. Graduation Statistics

  5. Quality Standards • National Student Survey: top 3 of all UK universities • Research Assessment Exercise: 42nd out of 160 universities

  6. Distance Education and the Internationalisation of Education • Distance education has courses in material form that can move across frontiers • Digital world makes that easier • Demands outstrips supply of Higher Education on global basis • On-line world makes study across borders more acceptable

  7. Main Approaches to International Teaching • Direct teaching: OU qualifications • Teaching through partnerships for OU qualifications • Validated teaching for OU qualifications

  8. The Context of Europe • The European Union project • Freedom of movement of labour and capital • 27 member countries, 500m inhabitants and 23 main languages • 51% claim understanding of English • Education not EU level responsibility • But role of Higher Education as training in support of labour market

  9. Higher Education Qualifications in Europe • Bologna framework for HE from 1999 • The ‘Higher Education area’ in Europe • To support mobility of labour • To create regional HE achievement in global competition, especially USA and Asia

  10. Bologna Aims • To make it easier to move from one country to another • To attract talent from outside the EU • To support knowledge and research base in Europe

  11. Bologna: Concrete Initiatives • Common qualifications framework of Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral levels • First Bachelors degree of 3 year cycle • ECTS: European Credit Transfer system • European dimension to Quality Assurance

  12. Higher Education in Europe: Some Issues • Fees: no UK government subsidy for OU outside UK • Fees culture in HE in Europe variable • Quality of teaching in European HE variable • Reputation of OU UK, and of distance education • HE national legislation and employment

  13. Beginnings in Europe • Armed Forces in Germany and Cyprus • Civil servants and their families in EU institutions • First build in Benelux • 1990-1993 Eurodesk project to build OU UK throughout EU • By 1993 in all EU countries, c. 5.500 students • Administrative Co-ordinators • Face to face tuition as student numbers permitted

  14. Student Numbers

  15. Registered Students in Mainland Europe - 2012 41 Finland 60 3 Estonia Sweden 10 Latvia 87 8 Denmark Lithuania 431 35 Netherlands 1392 371 Poland Belgium Germany 203 67 Czech Republic 56 Luxembourg Slovakia 270 34 18 421 780 Austria 27 Hungary Switzerland Romania France Slovenia 419 18 519 Bulgaria 56 Italy (& Malta) 758 Portugal Spain (& Gibraltar) Greece (& Cyprus)

  16. Open University in Europe • Relevance of curriculum • From Social Sciences to Mathematics • Central has been Management and Business Studies • Internationalisation of faculty • Quality of service to students • Direct services versus partnerships • Employment issues and consumer rights

  17. European Audiences • Expatriates and their families • English speaking international communities, e.g. Geneva and UN organisations • Local communities, e.g. Greece • MBA, e.g. in Germany

  18. OU and Russia • From 1991 OU partnership with LINK in Moscow • 2012 c. 3,200 students on Certificates and Diplomas in Management, and MBAs • Licensed teaching and directly taught • In Russian and English

  19. Another Example: the FernUniversität,Germany • Expansion to other German speaking countries, Austria, Switzerland • Hungary • Partnership working outside own ‘Land’ • 80,000 total students • 6071 students, including 86 in Russia with study centre in Smolensk

  20. La Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) Spain • 200,000 total students • 2134 outside Spain • Mostly in Latin America

  21. More Widely…. • Significant offering of on-line programmes internationally in English • Most popular programmes in professional areas, e.g. Business and Management, Computing, Health etc • For profit and sometimes only for profit • Globally demand for Higher Education outstrips supply

  22. Summary: Essential Issues • Distance education works across frontiers • Common language or translation • Higher education cultures • Recognition of qualifications • Brand in crowded landscape of providers • Governmental permission and regulation • Legal compliance is key • Quality student service and support

  23. Thank you!Спасибо!Alan Tait

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