An unconventional success, with insights for the future.

1. IT Sligo Online
An unconventional success…with insights into the future.
Brian Mulligan, BE, MEng Design,
Head of Online Learning Innovation
Centre for Online Learning,
Institute of Technology Sligo
bit.ly/brianmulligan brian.mulligan@gmail.com

2. Institute of Technology Sligo
• ~3,500 campus students
• ~5,000 online students

3. Digitisation of Continuing Education
• Nineties – “interactive multimedia”
• Expensive (boring?)
• Noughties – “YouTube” and “Live Online Education”
• DIY – anyone can do it – “user generated content”
• 2002 IT Sligo Online starts
• “live online evening classes”
• 5 students in BSc in Quality Management
• 2012 “Year of the MOOC”
• Free, online, no accreditation
• 2020 – IT Sligo reaches 4,500 online learners
• COVID!!! – everyone’s evening classes go online
• no way back???
Digitisation NOT Digital Transformation

4. How online learning
developed in IT Sligo
• 2000 – Continuing Education
• Evening classes
• Small scale, low development costs,
limited choice
• Distance Learning
• Large scale, high development costs,
limited choice
• Commercial multimedia
• Large scale, high development costs,
limited choice
• 2002 – Add-on BSc in Quality
• No funding
• PC based video-conferencing
• “Evening classes online”
• Synchronous / asynchronous
• Attendance only when required
• QA similar to classroom teaching
• No instructional design
• No “sections”
• Class size: 15 - 120
• No content development
• No multi-media (or other cool tech)
• Low development costs
• Rapid growth of new programmes
• Moderate delivery costs
• Larger catchment – class sizes
• Incremental teaching allocation
• Breakeven ~ 20 students
Quality
Access
Cost

5. Emerging Business and Teaching Models

6. Pause and Rewind
The Power of
Simple Video

7. Digital Transformation
Traditional
• Classes
• Practicals
• Assignments
• Exams
Digitisation
• Zoom classes
• Recordings
• Simulations
• Electronic submission
• Online Quizzes and
exams
Digital Transformation
• Low-cost/scale
• AI / “adaptive”
• Micro-credentials
• Competencies
• Work-based
• Project-based

9. Future of lifelong learning?
At scale providers
• Georgia Tech, MIT, SNHU, TU Delft, U. Derby
• Large class sizes – lower fees
• Automated administration, Robust efficient
assessment, at scale learning support
Smaller players in niches
• Low-cost development techniques
Alternative Credentials
• Micro-credentials
• Acceptance by employers, learners, universities?
• Stackable
• Requires digital infrastructure
• Certification + evaluation

10. Future of Campus Learning?
Flipped Learning
(less classes)
Project Based Degrees
(no classes)
Work Based Degrees
(no campus)

11. Where’s it going?
Campus
Lifelong
Learning
Classes
Self-
directed
Low-cost
High Cost
Authentic
Alternative
Credentials

12. Some Principles to
guide us!
Pareto Principle 80/20 Rule
Agile Development
Continuous Improvement vs QA
(less rules – more trust)

13. Take the opinions of experts with a pinch of salt!
• Distance Learning
• Multimedia Developers
• Audio Visual (TV)
• Technophiles
• Instructional Designers
• Educational Researchers
• Teaching and Learning
• IT Departments
• Quality Assurance
• Lecturers / Teachers
• Conference Presenters
To a hammer…
… everything looks like a nail

14. IT Sligo Online
Thank you! Any Questions?
Brian Mulligan, BE, MEng Design,
Head of Online Learning Innovation
Centre for Online Learning,
Institute of Technology Sligo
bit.ly/brianmulligan brian.mulligan@gmail.com
Feel free to contact me!

15. Barriers
• Decision making processes
• Collegiality?
• Representative groups
• Academic Committees, Trade Unions
• Risk aversion(personal / organisational)
• Existing Processes (e.g. QA)
• National Regulations
• E.g. No funding for new models
• E.g. fulltime online, WBL
• Expectations
• Employers, Parents, students
• Workload
• Funding?
• Communicating new ideas
• Persuading academics
• Time, Hubris, Skills, Tenure
• Existing professional biases
• IT specialists
• Instructional Designers
• Multi-media developers
• QA professionals

16. Institutional Policies
• QA and decision making to prioritise
agility over accuracy
• lean processes, tolerate risk
• QA to emphasise outputs not inputs
• e.g. learning outcomes not contact hours
• Teaching allocation based on credits
• More autonomy freedom for lecturer to
blend/flip etc.
• Self-study / Challenge exams / RPL
• Embedded external training and
education
• New credentials
• New models of learning
• Work-based degrees, Project based
degrees, Degrees at scale, independent
learning
• Liaison with Employers
• Agile responsiveness to continuing
education needs
• Influence design of programmes
• Student placement (e.g. WBL)
• Use of quasi academic / teaching
assistants
• Incentivisation of Innovation
• Ownership of materials, toleration of
risk, share “profits” with departments

17. National / Supranational policies
• Allow failure of institutions
• Incentivise competition
• Incentivise innovation
• Encourage risk taking
• Fund outputs not inputs
• Learning outcomes, employment
• Reduce (or equalise) subsidy
• Work based Degrees
• Incl. competition in
apprenticeship/ traineeship
provision
• New institutions
• Degree granting without research
• Teaching at scale
• Disaggregation of roles (and
appropriate employment
contracts)