Presentation at EdTech Annual Conference, Irish Learning Technology Association, 26th June, 2022.

1. Mark Brown & Orna Farell
Thursday 26th May 2022
A New Era for Online Education:
The Challenge of Finding the Right Model

3. 2010

4. A New Era for Online Education:
The Challenge of Finding the Right Model
1. Early history
2. Responding to the digital era
3. Charting a new post-COVID chapter

5. https://www.icde.org/publications-and-resources

6. 1. Early history

8. • Established in 1982
• 4,000 students in 1998
• 900 student taking introductory modules
• Employed around 300 tutors around
Ireland
• Partnership with UK OU until 1992
• Collaborative model with courses
accredited by:
- NUI Galway
- NUI Cork
- NUI Maynooth
- Trinity College Dublin
- University of Limerick
- Dublin City University

9. Under the Chair of the Chief
Executive of RTE

10. €200K
from
Apple Inc
€90K
from
Guinness

11. PhD
study

12. 2. Responding to the digital era
Mark

13. Officially launched 28th November, 2013 by Ruairi Quinn, Minister for
Education and Skills, and Lord David Putnam, Ireland’s Digital
Ambassador.

23. Off-campus
85%

25. 3. Charting a new post-COVID chapter

32. Conclusion

33. • Defined mission
• Centralised support
• Traditional pack & post
• National Centre for Distance
Education
Collaborative Quasi-Competitive Competitive-Collaborative
• Laissez faire
• Mission creep
• Limited funding
• Immature edtech
• Bolt-on to core business
• Mission tension
• Decentralised support
• Maturing infrastructure
• Institutional mergers and
new funding levers
National Focus
International Influence
(Learning Society Drivers)
(Knowledge Economy Drivers)
Past
Present

34. • How is your institution responding to the post-COVID demand
for online flexible learning?
• What business model(s) does your institution adopt for online
flexible learning?
• Is the business and related delivery model in your institution for
online flexible learning still fit-for-purpose?
• How well aligned are the drivers and business model to your
institutional mission and strategy?
• How comprehensive are your support services and ecosystem
for online flexible learners?
Discussion Questions

36. Go raibh maith
agaibh!
Thank you