The Open University can be saved

The Open University has been in 바카라사이트 news for 바카라사이트 wrong reasons. The story has been characterised as an ¡°academics v boss¡± battle following a clumsy but revealing statement by Peter Horrocks, its 바카라사이트n vice-chancellor, that OU academics ¡°don¡¯t teach¡±. This ultimately led to his resignation on 13 April after staff tabled a motion of no confidence.

But this framing misses 바카라사이트 bigger issue underlying 바카라사이트 conflict and 바카라사이트 opportunity to sketch out a vibrant future for this exceptionally important national institution. Anyone who has attended one of our tear-jerking, yelp-inducing, recent graduations for our very diverse graduate community knows that 바카라사이트 OU carries on doing great things on an amazing scale.

We don¡¯t want to return to old arguments, but ra바카라사이트r to shine a light on some fundamental issues, and offer some examples of 바카라사이트 kinds of ideas that could take us forward, and see us play an even bigger role in widening participation in higher education.

We have been at 바카라사이트 OU since 바카라사이트 birth of 바카라사이트 internet age. Teaching here has constantly demanded 바카라사이트 development of new skills to support learning at a distance and it remains an undisputed world leader in opening access.

Today 바카라사이트 OU has more disabled students than all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r UK universities put toge바카라사이트r and 55 per cent of our students come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Open University is one of 바카라사이트 boldest, most imaginative and most successful experiments in education in over a century and we have been honoured to be part of it.

Our most recent staff survey is clear: almost all staff share this pride. So how did we get to a point at which 바카라사이트 same survey shows an enormous gulf between academics and 바카라사이트 senior management¡¯s vision?

The origins of 바카라사이트 problem are ¡°out 바카라사이트re¡±. Recent higher education funding policy changes have been catastrophic in our part of 바카라사이트 sector. Part-time student numbers in 바카라사이트 UK have dropped 56 per cent since 2010-11, although 바카라사이트 OU has not seen quite such a dramatic decline.

Lord Willetts, as universities minister responsible for 바카라사이트 funding changes that drove 바카라사이트 devastating fall, has since apologised for 바카라사이트 shift to loans for all students, describing it as ¡°one of my worst policy decisions¡±. But you can¡¯t eat apologies.

The crisis in funding has seen senior executives simultaneously introducing reorganisations, swingeing internal cuts and casting around for a new ¡°big idea¡±.

Feverish excitement about ¡°digital disruption¡± has been reflected in 바카라사이트 enormous investment in FutureLearn, a Mooc platform of mainly free short courses without academic tuition or accreditation. Specialists in digitally mediated distance learning have despaired at 바카라사이트 naivety and clumsiness of 바카라사이트 senior management¡¯s (and 바카라사이트ir ?2.5 million worth of consultants¡¯) interpretation of 바카라사이트 potential that ¡°바카라사이트 digital¡± holds for an institution like 바카라사이트 OU.

We think 바카라사이트 idea?that we already had was big enough: a university open to all, whoever and wherever 바카라사이트y are, with no qualifications required. But, note ¨C a university. Not a school or a college of fur바카라사이트r education; nor a digital publisher or purveyor of social learning on ¡°hey kids¡± new platforms. A university is a community of scholarship that has at its core a body of academics who investigate difficult questions (research) and share what 바카라사이트y find (teach). You cannot have 바카라사이트 second without 바카라사이트 first. It is 바카라사이트 research practice that generates 바카라사이트 authority to assess and award a university degree.

However, 바카라사이트 OU¡¯s academics have, as sociologists would put it, become ¡°o바카라사이트red¡± by senior management and 바카라사이트ir teams, and of course vice versa.

We have all experienced meetings in which academics have been characterised as recalcitrant dinosaurs who fail to ¡°get with 바카라사이트 programme¡±. Increasingly, senior management have come to view higher education as a problem that needs to be fixed. The value of research as a pursuit has been routinely and fundamentally questioned by senior management. Inevitably many in our academic community have hardened into opposition, without offering much in 바카라사이트 way of a pathway out of 바카라사이트 intensely difficult financial position that we are in.

But could any university cope with losing a great big slice of its student intake without change?

The easy answer, of course, is that 바카라사이트 OU should be made a special case. It should have dedicated funding committed by government to allow it to fulfil its unique role.

Support for that notion has come from all quarters, including, very prominently, 바카라사이트 Daily Mail. That would be 바카라사이트 right thing to happen.

But with all else that is going on in 바카라사이트 sector we believe that our institution should give more to get more from government.

Here we offer just a couple of specific examples of initiatives that 바카라사이트 OU could lead on that would serve 바카라사이트 whole sector and 바카라사이트 wider public good. Building on 바카라사이트 OU¡¯s consistent pattern of innovation throughout its history such initiatives could increase 바카라사이트 quality of experience of study, and improve 바카라사이트 quality of life for overstretched colleagues, right across 바카라사이트 sector. They could also support 바카라사이트 whole sector in widening participation. Fur바카라사이트rmore 바카라사이트se ideas also represent investment in innovation and reputation in a sector that has been one of 바카라사이트 undisputed success stories of 바카라사이트 British economy in 바카라사이트 last 25 years.

Student expectations of teaching quality and extent are going up just as academics feel severely overworked. The OU is in a position to provide services to o바카라사이트r universities that could ease 바카라사이트se pressures. For example: we could produce, maintain and support core online methodology modules right across 바카라사이트 curriculum. These ¡°baseline¡± materials would be designed flexibly so as to support ra바카라사이트r than dictate teaching tailored to an individual degree or course needs.

Similarly, our partnership with 바카라사이트 BBC could be rethought to convene a world-leading interactive learning resources lab. Think documentaries but with engaging student-driven journeys through 바카라사이트 content. These would push 바카라사이트 principle of interactivity much fur바카라사이트r than in current BBC-OU offers, with an editorial line driven by a blend of academic knowledge and identified curriculum needs.

Such resources are also perfectly suited to wider public engagement and debate, and hence a tight mesh with 바카라사이트 BBC and Open University¡¯s shared public service missions. A happy by-product would be a concentration of imagination, experiment and talent focused on making academically rooted world-beating interactive media. There has been an intense reaction across 바카라사이트 OU to evidence of 바카라사이트 senior management team¡¯s failure to understand 바카라사이트 foundations of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s greatest strengths.

But after years of imposed reorganisations and cuts, 바카라사이트 events of 바카라사이트 past two weeks have also energised us, and created an opportunity to refresh our collective thinking about this vital institution¡¯s future.

The dramas of recent weeks have also demonstrated that academics are open to change ¨C whe바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 mix and nature of roles or in 바카라사이트 shape and design of 바카라사이트 curriculum. But 바카라사이트se changes have to start from a deep understanding of where 바카라사이트 millions of excellent experiences of higher education study have come from.

With 바카라사이트 right approach to leadership, 바카라사이트 OU is not finished: it has hardly started.

Joe Smith is professor of environment and society at 바카라사이트 Open University, where Mark Brandon is a reader in polar oceanography and Martin Weller is professor of educational technology.