This presentation accompanies a paper examining the relationship between trends in workplace learning and training; the EU policy for lifelong learning; and describes the role that alternative forms of educational delivery such as MOOC can play in supporting future scenarios such as automation and digitalization.

2. MOOC and the workplace: key
support elements in
digital lifelong learning
Dr. Rob Farrow, The Open University (UK)
rob.farrow@open.ac.uk
@philosopher1978
Content contributions from BizMOOC partners (CC-BY)

3. Objectives
1. Contextualise BizMOOC research
outcomes
2. Identify key trends in workplace &
lifelong learning
3. Understand role of MOOC in
supporting future scenarios (e.g.
automation, digitalisation)

4. Method
Desk research
Review of BizMOOC outcomes
Models for Open, Online, Flexible and
Technology enhanced Learning project
(Orr et al., 2018)
Conventional synthesis (literature review)
Quantitative synthesis (aggregation)
Qualitative synthesis (metaresearch)
Emergent synthesis (critical interpretation, meta-narrative)
(Schick-Makaroff et al., 2016)

5. “open spaces, raise
questions, explore
possibilities, and
contest taken-for-
granted practices”
Suri & Clarke (2009)
Emergent synthesis

6. Yuan & Powell (2013)

7. Shah (2017) estimates 81 million MOOC learners
Udacity & Coursera valued at more than $1 billion (Knee, 2016)
Ferguson, Sharples & Beale (2015) and Dos Santos, Punie & Castaño Muñoz (2016)
argue that the MOOC acronym will fall from use
Jansen & Konings (ed., 2018)
- Lack of sustainable MOOC business models; still exploratory (Read et al., 2018)
- Rise in strategic partnerships and continuing professional development pathways
(Brown, 2018)
- MOOCs becoming shorter, more flexible to find sustainability (Lapworth, 2018)
MOOC in 2018: a mixed picture

8. MOOC in the workplace
Many authors find support for the use of MOOC to support workplace
and lifelong learning (e.g. Brandi & Iannone, 2015; Pouezevara & Horn,
2016)
Perceived benefits to employees:
1. Content is packaged attractively for online learners
2. The financial outlay is minimal
3. Engaging in learning enhances job performance
4. Less disruption to working/life duties
5. Supporting the autonomy and career direction of workers
(Sreeleakha and Manikandan (2015)

9. However…
MOOC claims to widen participation have been overstated (Steffens, 2015)
MOOC can entrench inequality (Stiglitz & Greenwald, 2015)
MOOC uptake remains relatively low in the workplace (Radford et al., 2015)
Disparity between higher education providers and business on whether
graduates have appropriate skills (Calonge & Shah, 2016)
40% of graduate employers have never contributed to curriculum (European
Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, 2015)
MOOC have higher procurement costs for non HEIs (Lambert & Hassam, 2018)

10. Workplace Trends
Four vectors of digitalisation:
1. Improved real-time measurement of business activity
2. Facilitated and more cost-effective business experimentation
3. Easier sharing of ideas more widely
4. The ability to replicate innovation more quickly
Brynjolfsson & McAfee (2014)
‘Smart’ operations (Hüther, 2016) – efficiencies across the workplace requiring
more rapid upskilling for roles that have a shorter life cycle as tasks are
increasingly automated

11. Industry 4.0
ChristophRoser CC-BY
Doxtador (2018) challenges the whole skills
narrative here, arguing that it has become a
trope used to justify neoliberalism

12. Future of Jobs
“By one popular estimate 65% of children entering primary schools today will ultimately work
in new job types and functions that currently don’t yet exist. Technological trends such as the
Fourth Industrial Revolution will create many new cross-functional roles for which employees
will need both technical and social and analytical skills. Most existing education systems at all
levels provide highly siloed training and continue a number of 20th century practices that are
hindering progress on today’s talent and labour market issues. […] Businesses should work
closely with governments, education providers and others to imagine what a true 21st
century curriculum might look like.”
World Economic Forum (2018)
The Future of Jobs: Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial
Revolution

13. Lifelong Learning
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be
those who cannot read and write, but those who
cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Toffler, A. (1970)
Future Shock
Global Human Capital Report (2017) suggests the
world has only developed 62% of human capital
Low confidence of global
CEOs in their own company
readiness for digital
activities: “The confidence
in their organizations’
digital abilities is at an all-
time low: Just over half
rate their Digital IQ as
strong or very strong (a
score of 70% or greater),
down from two-thirds of
executives in 2014 and
2015” (Curran et al., 2017)

14. OU UK Pilot MOOC: Learning to Learn
Target audience: those who do not usually engage with MOOC
Key outcomes of the evaluation (N=45):
1. It is crucial to ensure that MOOC promotion is targeted to those who have
most to gain from the learning experience
2. Ideally, learning in this kind of MOOC will be personalised as much as
possible in order to engage with the diversity of target audiences
See Pitt (2018) for a fuller account of the evaluation of the pilot MOOC

15. BizMOOC Roundtable
Tuesday 23 October 2018
Ambient Laboratory, Jennie Lee Building
Institute of Educational Technology
The Open University (UK)
N=16

16. Roundtable Outcomes: Key themes
Culture shift: businesses think in terms of training, not learning; used to a
culture of competition, not peer collaboration
Solutionism: MOOC branding has a habit of trying to be all things to all
people but this means it’s not seen as solution to specific issue
Alignment: MOOC rarely aligned to direct business need and each
business perceives needs differently
Perceived value: Free/low cost branding still seen to imply low quality;
needs to be connected to concrete outcomes
Resourcing: Smaller businesses & voluntary sector could benefit most
from MOOC but have fewest resources to invest

17. Roundtable Outcomes: Key themes
Moderation: Any cMOOC or peer learning based approach requires a
moderator for interaction spaces which can affect cost savings
Trust: this is still a massive issue for connecting competencies and the
recognition of skills; undergraduate degree remains standard
Awareness: still low among human resource professionals; for whom the
distinction between elearning and MOOC is often opaque
Branding: make MOOC less “academic” and more corporate
Supported choices: make it easier to right the right MOOC course for a
specific need from the many choices

18. Roundtable Outcomes: Key themes
Adapting to change: Many businesses need to be more proactive about
lifelong learning as we move into automation & more flexible career
pathways
Culture in voluntary sector perhaps more aligned to lifelong learning,
collaboration, etc. than business
Lifelong learning: Tension between business objectives and lifelong
learning needs to be overcome in business strategies
Timing: Interest & engagement with MOOC seems easier earlier in
career

19. Roundtable Outcomes: Key themes
Heutagogy: Self-paced learning easier to integrate into business
activities
Certification: fast-tracking presents possibilities but differentiated
certification raises concerns about value
Closed by default: the idea that businesses will not make organisational
knowledge open was raised several times
True costs: more work is needed to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness
of MOOC as a training solution

20. How can MOOC maximise uptake for workplace lifelong learning?
Broadband Commission (2017) identifies action needed for digitalisation:
1. Identifying collaborative partnerships
2. Building policy frameworks
3. Allocating funding
4. Providing clear vision
5. Raising awareness
6. Addressing complacency
Sharples (2013) identifies three key factors:
1. Digital literacy
2. Independence
3. Being educated to degree level
Growth of ’nano’ open online courses (Lapworth, 2018)

21. "7 Cs" Positive factors that influenced success
Content  Up-to-date content
 Added value to existing expertise
 Relevance
 Taught by trusted instructor
Context  Learning content was relevant to practical situations
Curation and
Co-creation
 Co-creation of content
 Social construction of knowledge
 Working collectively
Communication  Consistent instructor presence
 Effective (concise) messaging
 Timely reminders
 Clarity of expectations
Collaboration  Reality-based learning activities
 Teams working together to deadlines
 Working offline with colleagues
Competition  Collective score-keeping of progress
Certification  An appropriate certification of learning
“7 Cs” for bridging skills gaps with MOOC (adapted from Albert & Sekhon, 2015)

22. The OOFAT Conceptual model
3 core processes
• Content development
• Delivery of learning
• Recognition of learning
2 dimensions
• flexibility (organizational openness)
• Inclusion (social openness of processes)

23. The specifications of the OOFAT model (Orr et al., 2018)
Category Sub-categories Flexibility Inclusion
Delivery of HE Access to content How flexible is delivery by
time/location/pace
How open is the institution
to all learners?
Access to guidance
and support
How flexible is access to full
support?
Who can access support?
Who can provide support?
Content Resources How adaptable is the
content to an individual
learner?
How open is the provision
of content?
Assessment Is assessment static, and
one size fits all?
Are there restrictions on
who can be assessed?
Who does the assessing (eg
peer review)?
Recognition Content and
process
Can different elements
contribute to recognition?
Are there flexible paths to
recognition?
Is recognition available
from multiple groups or
one body?

24. OOFAT: Global coverage
• The study covers 49 HEIs from 26 countries
• HEIs whose provision is: primarily online, primarily distance or primary
campus-based
• Mega-universities and small HEIs from public and private sectors
oofat.oerhub.net

25. OOFAT models – example

26. OOFAT models – different profiles

27. OOFAT business strategy – example
*Basedon:Miles,R.E.,&Snow,C.C.(1978).OrganizationalStrategy,Structure,
andProcess.McGraw-HillandTaran,Y.,Boer,H.,&Lindgren,P.(2015).A
businessmodelinnovationtypology.https://doi.org/10.1111/deci.12128
Products /
services
Target
group
Communication
channels
Value
chain
Competitive
advantage
Networks
Profitability /
sustainability
Open University of China
Defender-related characteristics versus Prospector-related characteristics

28. Summary of argument
1. Despite support for the concept, MOOC have yet to
be widely adopted by business
2. A greater need for more flexible workplace and
lifelong learning is anticipated for the future
3. Strategies for promoting MOOC uptake for workplace
lifelong learning were explored in evaluation;
peronalisation & customisation were highlighted
4. The OOFAT model may provide a route to a more
business friendly description of learning content,
delivery & recognition

29. Thank you!
www.bizmooc.eu
www.mooc-book.eu
facebook.com/Bizmooc
@Bizmoocbook
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the
contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein.