Invited presentation at 2nd EADTU and European Commission Summit on Open and Online Learning, Brussels, Wednesday 2nd April 2014

1. A cutting-edge digital learning strategy
A BOLD Agenda for Higher Education:
Leading in Uncertain Times
Professor Mark Brown
Director, National Institute for Digital Learning
2nd European Summit on Open and Online Learning
Brussels
Wednesday 2nd April 2014

2. Background…
• Director of Ireland‟s new National Institute for
Digital Learning at Dublin City University
• Previously Director of the National Centre for
Teaching and Learning, Massey University, New
Zealand

3. Background…
• Director of Ireland‟s new National Institute for
Digital Learning at Dublin City University
• Previously Director of the National Centre for
Teaching and Learning, Massey University, New
Zealand
• Previous Director of Distance Education and Learning
Futures Alliance (DELFA)
• Led New Zealand‟s first university-based MOOC initiative
• Major leadership role in establishing Massey University
Worldwide
• Past President New Zealand Association for Open, Flexible
and Distance Learning

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Professor Mark Brown
B O L D
Blended | On-line | Distance
A BOLD Agenda…

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Professor Mark Brown
B O L D
Blended | On-line | Distance
“The New Normal”
A BOLD Agenda…

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Professor Mark Brown
A BOLD Agenda…
2012

7. An avalanche is coming. It‟s hard of course, to
say exactly when. It may be sooner than we think.
Certainly there is no better time than now to seek
to understand what lies ahead for higher education
– and to prepare (p.8)
Barber, M., Donnelly, K., & Rizvi, S. (2013). An avalanche is coming: Higher education
and the revolution ahead. Institute for Public Policy Research. London.
2. The discourses of persuasion

8. 1. What is the crisis?
2. What opportunities exist?
3. What still needs to be done?
Outline
A BOLD Agenda…

9. A BOLD Agenda…
Key message…

10. 1. What is the crisis?

11. 1. What is the crisis?
Harvesting began in 1806
The story of ice…

12. 1. What is the crisis?
Patent 1888 | Biro 1938 | Bic 1960s
The story of the pen…

13. 1. What is the crisis?
In 1976, 89% market share
The story of Kodak…

14. 1. What is the crisis?
The story of higher education…
Yes, we need to modernise!

15. 1. What is the crisis?

16. Infusing innovation throughout the learning ecology
On Campus
in Class
Acquisition
Participation
Synchronous Asynchronous
Digital
Learning
Culture
1. What is the crisis?

17. Off Campus
in Class
Off Campus
out of Class
Infusing innovation throughout the learning ecology
On Campus
in Class
Acquisition
Participation
Synchronous Asynchronous
On Campus
out of Class
Digital
Learning
Culture
1. What is the crisis?

18. 1. What is the crisis?
In the era of the MOOC, we need to remember
that unlike previous disruptive innovations…

19. 1. What is the crisis?
In the era of the MOOC, we need to remember
that unlike previous disruptive innovations…
Higher education is not a commodity!

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Professor Mark Brown
2. What opportunities exist?

21. The current emphasis on education in change
needs to shift to the language
of education for change.
2. What opportunities exist?

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Professor Mark Brown
“It will not be possible to satisfy the rising
demand for Higher Education, especially in
developing countries, by relying on traditional
approaches”
Sir John Daniel
Past President, Commonwealth of Learning
Vancouver
2. What opportunities exist?
Basic premise…

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Professor Mark Brown
2. What opportunities exist?
Three examples…
1. Open2Study
1. Massey Worldwide
2. DCU - X

24. 2. What opportunities exist?

25. • Indigenous Cultures
• Emergency Management
• Agriculture and the World Around Us
Initially three online subjects…
2. What opportunities exist?

26. 2. What opportunities exist?

27. 2. What opportunities exist?

28. 2. What opportunities exist?
• Profile signature platforms
• Address significant challenges
Why join a MOOC platform…

29. 2. What opportunities exist?
• Profile signature platforms
• Address significant challenges
• Enhance student retention by selecting the right course
• Promote student readiness – learning to be an online learner
Why join a MOOC platform…

30. • Profile signature platforms
• Address significant challenges
• Enhance student retention by selecting the right course
• Promote student readiness – learning to be an online learner
• Help shape development of the MOOC platform
• Learn from the experience – promote innovative disruption
2. What opportunities exist?
Why join a MOOC platform…

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Professor Mark Brown
2. What opportunities exist?

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Professor Mark Brown
Now we can go to them…
Previously international students
had to come to us
2. What opportunities exist?

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Professor Mark Brown
2. What opportunities exist?

34. Taking the best of DCU to the world…
A growing range of transnational activities and programmes in
countries throughout the world, including a strategic partnership
with Arizona State University.
TRANSNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
CUSTOMISED PROGRAMMES
OPEN COURSES AND RESOURCES
Participate in freely available open courses or take advantage of
some of our fully online study resources and public lectures on
YouTube.
ONLINE DEGREES
A growing suite of fully and partially online modules and
qualifications in areas of research excellence which address some
of the grand challenges facing the world.
We can develop customised short courses and full degree
programmes to meet your specific needs. Courses are available in
our key areas of expertise anywhere in the world.
2. What opportunities exist?

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Professor Mark Brown
3. What still needs to be done?

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Professor Mark Brown
3. What still needs to be done?
• Strategy
• BOLD partnerships
• Significant Investment
• Grow institutional capability
• Develop 21st century pedagogies
• And lots more…
L
E
A
D
E
R
S
H
I
P

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Professor Mark Brown
3. What still needs to be done?

38. Professor Mark Brown
2013
Final comment

39. “Technological developments are unavoidably
linked to broader social imaginaries: our ideas
about the role of technology in education are
shaped and reshaped by our ideas about what
constitutes the „good society‟ (Morgan, 2013,
p.5).
Final comment

40. Learning to change and
transform
Learning to live
together
Learning to do
Learning to
know
Learning
to be
Digital
Inclusion
Digital Citizenship
Digital
Identity
Final comment

41. “A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.”
Francis Bacon
http://www.slideshare.net/mbrownz/
Questions

42. Professor Mark Brown
Director, National Institute for Digital Learning
mark.brown@dcu.ie
@mbrownz
Contact details