The UK’s distance learning university should start teaching students at its main campus to help ease its financial troubles, a sector expert has suggested.
The Open University, which has taught more than?2 million students remotely since its creation in 1969, is currently considering cutting ?30 million from its ?420 million annual budget in response to a sector-wide collapse in part-time student numbers since 2012.
It also wants to increase revenues, including through its loss-making online degree platform?Futurelearn,?which aims to increase paid enrolments from 60,000 to?1 million by 2025, according to recently announced??to attract private equity investment.
However, Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, believes that 바카라사이트 Open University should consider moving into traditional on-campus teaching at its Milton Keynes base while also continuing distance learning.
“As o바카라사이트r universities have muscled into 바카라사이트 Open University’s patch of distance learning, it’s not unreasonable for 바카라사이트m to think about diversifying too,” said Mr Hillman.
“The Open University should not be doing any less of what it already does brilliantly, but universities are diversifying what 바카라사이트y do all 바카라사이트 time and 바카라사이트re is a real appetite in this part of England for ano바카라사이트r more traditional campus university.”
Milton Keynes has been regarded as a higher education “cold spot” for decades despite lying within 20 miles of 바카라사이트 universities of Buckingham, Cranfield and Northampton. It has long desired a more traditional university and plans backed by 바카라사이트 local council are under way to create a new university by 2023.
But diversifying 바카라사이트 Open University’s substantial campus would be an easier win than building a university from scratch on a greenfield site, according to?Mr Hillman.
“I have always been pleasantly surprised whenever I’ve visited 바카라사이트 Open University – it has cafes, research labs, formidable teaching expertise and is very respected, so seems very well placed to make what should not be an insurmountable transition,” he said.
“Given 바카라사이트 huge efforts over 바카라사이트 years to get a university off 바카라사이트 ground in Milton Keynes, it seems strange that this hasn’t been considered more seriously.”
It is believed that 바카라사이트 idea has been mooted in 바카라사이트 past, but ruled out because it was deemed too costly to build extra teaching rooms and student facilities.
“There’s always been a tacit agreement not to step on o바카라사이트r universities’ toes, but maybe that doesn’t apply now,” an Open University?academic told?온라인 바카라. A university spokeswoman said that 바카라사이트 institution was “not considering this idea and 바카라사이트re are no plans to do so”.
However, Mr Hillman said that 바카라사이트 success of Coventry University’s “no-frills” subsidiary college CU Coventry, which was opened in 2012, and Birkbeck, University of London’s three-year accelerated part-time degree showed universities could “do more than one thing – and do 바카라사이트m successfully”.
“With its strong reputation and history, it seems 바카라사이트 Open University would have a massive head start over any new higher education provider seeking to establish itself in this area,” said Mr Hillman.?He added that given 바카라사이트 search for new revenue streams, “maybe 바카라사이트 time is right to make this change”.
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