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Attend our Global Forum

Ready or Not - The Role of Online Learning in Higher Education

11-12 December, London

For online higher education, it has been a rough ride. In the 1990's, champions imagined a near-future of dramatically better access to higher education, a wealth of online learning resources and plummeting costs. All over the world, students would be able to enrol at the best universities, and all but the top institutions would perish. Reality proved a bit more complicated.

Twenty years on, bricks-and-mortar universities are very much alive, and most international students still travel, but it is undeniable that online learning is growing in popularity. Internet access has surged, bandwidth exploded and smartphones are ubiquitous. MOOCs, adaptive learning and AI-based student advising are the latest examples of online education. A growing number of traditional universities are partnering with the private sector to launch online degrees.

Is online higher education about to realise its promise?

The OBHE's 2017 Global Forum will reassess the potential of online and blended learning in higher education, to meet the needs of domestic and international students. Drawing on a unique series of country studies from around the world, this event is an opportunity to engage with the latest data, learn from experience, and consider new models and technologies.

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***20% discount for new & renewing members until 31May17!!!***

11 May 2017

MOOCs to the Rescue -
Taking stock of 20 years of online HE in Malaysia

Doria Abdullah, OBHE Associate
Postdoctoral fellow, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Malaysia has a 20-year history with online learning, spanning infrastructure investment, new universities and, more recently, an effort to harness MOOCs.

Wave 1 (late 1990s): Cyber-infrastructure and integration of technology and education 

It all began with a vision to transform Malaysia into a knowledge-based society. The government aspired to integrate information technology across a broad range of sectors such as government services, commerce, education and urban planning, among others. The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), envisioned as a chain of tax-efficient industrial clusters and business incubators, was introduced in 1996. The centerpiece was Cyberjaya, a township thirty minutes away from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), attracting a range of multinationals, such as IBM, DHL and HP and housing new agencies such as the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDeC) and the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT).

The private Multimedia University (MMU) was established in Cyberjaya in 1999, tied to Telekom Malaysia (TM), the country’s communications service provider, to provide a steady stream of graduates versed in the latest technologies. MMU is a campus-based institution- now with three campuses in Malaysia- but has a growing presence in blended and online learning.

In mainstream education, at the primary and secondary level, selected schools were transformed into “smart schools” (‘Sekolah Bestari’) that prioritised multimedia courseware and online resources. Schools outside of the initiative were given special funding for laptops, broadband and teacher training. At the tertiary level, learning management systems (LMS) were introduced.

Full article available for members.

19 April 2017

Africa’s Online Journey:
Online Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Stephen Haggard
Director of Digital Learning Associates (UK)
Executive Chairman of Eneza Education, sub-Saharan Africa’s largest online school

Online higher education in the African continent is a tale of complexity, barriers, setbacks and thin pickings, offering the least development of any emerging market region. (I’m excluding South Africa from this article: the country has a pathway more aligned to mature markets).

With only 4% of the population outside South Africa accessing broadband, and endemic failure in basic education plaguing every African nation, it’s perhaps understandable that higher education institutions (HEIs) thinking about online may dismiss Africa entirely. Connectivity, bandwidth, devices and even power are often scarce, while the cultural and study foundations for independent technology-enabled learning are absent in schools. Staying away is the default option for most global higher education (HE) providers.

That complexity and relative immaturity is also why Africa merits attention. As edtech investor Henry Warren, formerly Pearson’s Director of Innovation puts it, "for organisations willing to take the time and roll their sleeves up, Africa should be a very attractive market. It's the last great blue ocean for education.”

Full article available for members.

13 April 2017

Too Much or Too Little?
Online Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

Dr Christopher Hill, OBHE Associate
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, The British University in Dubai

When it comes to education, Saudi Arabia may be a victim of its own success. Fueled by unmatched oil wealth, the government’s massive investment in the education sector, greatly expanding access, has generated a nationally unprecedented pool of talent. However, the labour market has not evolved at the same pace, limiting opportunities for graduates. Employment for Saudi nationals is heavily skewed towards the higher-paying public sector, and despite reform efforts the country remains dependent on large numbers of foreign workers, not least in many highly skilled occupations. In 2014, graduate unemployment stood at 16%, although 32% for women and only 4% for men.

Given growth in bricks-and-mortar capacity, the role of online higher education may be less about access to conventional colleges and universities, but is starting to emerge as a blended pathway, and helps accommodate the kingdom’s norm of gender separation.

What does online higher education look like in Saudi Arabia, how is it regulated and is there evidence that Saudi residents are turning to online degrees from foreign providers?

Full article available for members.

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