Slides I used to overview "Canada's Open University" to a faculty and staff at a LARGE open university in Nanqing China

1. Athabasca University-
Canada’s Open University
May 21, 2107
Jiangsu Open University
Terry Anderson
Professor Emeritus,
Athabasca University

2. Presentation overview
• Introduction to Athabasca University
• Course Production Process
• Innovations at Athabasca
• Your questions and comments

3. Mission
Athabasca University, Canada’s Open University,
is dedicated to the removal of barriers that
restrict access to, and success in, university-
level studies and to increasing equality of
educational opportunity for adult learners
worldwide.
We are committed to excellence in teaching,
research and scholarship, and to being of service
to the general public.
rededicated by Athabasca University Board of Governors October 21, 2011

4. History
1970 Established by Province
(June 25, 1970)
1973-75 Pilot Project
(First Course ‘World
Ecology’ Opened in 1973)
1975 Approval in Principle
1978 Permanent Mandate
1984 Relocated to Athabasca

5. History
1992 Revised Mandate
(Masters Programs)
2005 First Canadian
university regionally
accredited in U.S.
2006 EdD approved
2011 Academic &
Research Centre
opened
2014 Architecture
Program opened

6. Size of Canada

7. Student Locations in Canada
Athabasca
University

8. Historic Enrolment Trends
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
1990-91
1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
Graduate Undergraduate

9. Registrations (3 credit equivalents)
56,519 66,023
66,414
68,624
67,759
67,682
7,834
9,617 9,936 9,931 10,020 10,425
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
Graduate Undergraduate

10. Undergraduate Age &
Gender 2015-16
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
Under
25
25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 64 65 +
Female Male

11. Graduate Student Age & Gender
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Under 25 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 64 65+
Female Male

12. Graduate Students by Discipline
Faculty 2013/14 2014/15 2015/ 16
Business 865 834 911
Distance Ed 400 348 431
Health
Disciplines 1,919 2,076 2,202
Hum. & Soc.
Sciences 653 630 575
Science &
Technology 254 238 252

13. Convocation – First time students meet each other (F2F)
and their professors

14. Main Delivery System

15. Learner Support
Student Support
Centres
Library
Counselling
Advising
Services for Students with Disabilities
Write Site / Math Site
Academic support from
Tutors – all with PhDs

16. Skills Acquired by Graduates
Top Five % Bottom Five %
Learn Independently 88% Speak in Public 27%
Writing 81% Develop Math Skills 32%
Work Independently 80% Resolve Conflicts 43%
Analyze Information 80% Computer Skills 46%
Research Skills 75% Interpersonal Skills 47%
2014 AET Graduate Outcomes

17. Staff Complement By Type
16%
3%
31%
21%
2%
22%
5%
Academic Full Time
Academic Part Time
Part time Tutors &
Markers
Professional
Management &
Executive
Support & Temporary
Casual
As of March 31, 2016 there were 1,163 employees.
All full time academics expected to be active researchers!

18. Staff Complement By Location
36%
7%
2% 3% 1%
52%
AU Athabasca
AU Edmonton
AU Calgary
AU North Edmonton
Partners
Heritage Resource
Management
Working from Home

19. Revenue by Sources
30,113
44,125 46,940 43,182 44,994 46,424
43,563
61,871 63,207 64,757 64,989 65,952
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
$ thousands
Other
Sales
Fees
Gov't

20. Part 2 Course Development

21. Undergraduate
Course Development Process
Program
Plan
Evaluation
Revision
Course
Plan
Course
Production
Delivery
Faculty
Plan
Open Courseware
Principles:
Learning
 Quality
 Timeliness
 Flexibility
Accountability
Appropriate use
of technology
Design
Policy

22. Course Team
• Core Team
– Subject Matter expert(s) – professors
– Learning Designer
• Added near end
– Media staff
– Editor
– Peer reviewers

23. Course Development
• Preparation & Design
– 1. Assess all relevant information
including Open Access Sourcs
a. Review course evaluations
b. Solicit input from instructors, tutors
and learners
c. Review other university offerings.
Review course outcomes in relation to
the overall program. Discuss course
styles and ideas.

24. Course Development
2. Create course map
• a. Measurable learning outcomes
– i. Collecting measurable learning outcomes and
assigning them to course units
• b. Determine evaluation and assessment tools for the
outcomes
• c. Learning Activities for each unit
• d. Content Topics Determine content needed for each
outcome and unit.
• e. Learning Materials
• f. Team feedback and approval.

25. Course Development
3. Develop Unit 1
a. Team lead develops first unit based on the
course map and standard requirements provided
by the learning designer.
4. 20% presentation to interested faculty and
instructors

26. Production
• 5. Continue Unit Development
– a. Incorporate feedback from team and interested faculty
and develop several more units.
• 6. Team Review
– a. Team reviews units and the course map before
approving continued development.
• 7. Develop Remaining Units
• 8. Editor Review
• 9. Evaluation and Assessment Development
a. Evaluation and Assessment development including all
assignments and test instructions.
• 10. 80% presentation

27. Online production
• 11. Create Moodle Shell
• a. Create unit web pages
• b. Create media
– i. Video and audio
• c. Create graphics
ii. Graphics, photos, animations
• d. Copyright clearances
• e. Create test items

28. Types of Course Development
1. Major development
• change course title, course aims, course
description, learning outcomes / learning
objectives / competencies
• redesign course structure and assessment
• substantially change the Study Guide (text,
images, figures, tables, multimedia,
interactivity, etc.) and Course Orientation
• transfer course from one media format to
another (e.g., print to online, desktop to
mobile, etc.)

29. Types of Course Development
2. Minor development
• change questions in assessment: quizzes,
assignments, Lab or projects
• insert new required readings in some units
• for new edition of textbook or eText: change
references to a new edition of the same
textbook or eText in study guide.

30. Types of Course Development
3. Maintenance
• correct typos, grammar, broken links.
• rewording, clarification, or elaboration
• add or delete items in Supplementary Materials
• replace exam without affecting marking scheme (Note:
Exam unit must be involved)
• open a paced course in a new semester but does not
require any changes to the content or layout

31. Final Testing
• User testing
• Final proofing
• Syllabus update

32. Part 3.
Innovations At Athabasca
• Prior Learning
Assessment and
Recognition
(PLAR)
• see Conrad, D. (2008).
Situating Prior learning
assessment and
recognition (Plar) in an
online learning
environment. The theory
and practice of online
learning, 75.
Free online Course on
PLAR for Educators

33. Innovations At Athabasca
• AU Press –
AUPRESS.CA
• Canada’s First
Open Access Press
• Books in Paper for
$$ or downloaded
for free.

34. Continuous Enrollment
• Students enroll whenever they want
• Have 6 months to complete course
• Arrange to write test at a learning centre
when they chose
• More freedom and flexibility for students
• Attracts students enrolled in
conventional universities
• Higher drop our rate
• No summer holidays for teachers/tutors

35. Doctoral Programs -not PHD
Designed for those who
will likely not be
researchers or university
professors.
Designed to help
practitioners make a
major, research-orientated
contribution to a
profession.

36. From Tutor support (old model)
to Call Centre
Slide from D. Annand

38. Advantages of Call Centre Model
Tutors paid by work done- not for waiting for student
Interaction results cost savings to the University.

39. Home lab kits for Science
Courses

40. IRRODL
• Most widely Cited and widely read Distance Education
Journal in the World
• Only Open Access and SSCI Journal in Distance Education
• Readers, reviewers and contributors needed
• Irrodl.org

41. Social Network to Create
Community

42. Challenges facing Athabasca
• Decreasing government funding
• Staff effective use of new technologies
and new pedagogies
• Increased pressure to research.
• New competition from traditional
universities (1 in 4 students takes at
least one fully online course)

43. Terry Anderson terrya@athabascau.ca
Blog: virtualcanuck.ca
Your comments &
questions
most welcomed!