Lifelong learning ¡®needs bespoke courses, not repackaged degrees¡¯

Creating successful short courses for 바카라사이트 new Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) requires ¡°significant thought¡±, not just an ¡°unbundling¡± of existing provision, English sector leaders have said after a trial of 바카라사이트 new initiative failed to attract students.

Universities were?unable to launch four in five courses?planned for 바카라사이트 Office for Students¡¯ (OfS) pilot scheme?due to insufficient demand, an evaluation report published earlier this month found, and Jonathan Michie, chair of 바카라사이트 Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL), said 바카라사이트re should now be a sector-wide conversation on where 바카라사이트 LLE?went from here, before its?planned launch in 2025.?

Among 바카라사이트 key findings of 바카라사이트 report was that teams in charge of creating 바카라사이트 short courses found gaining institutional approval and developing content?were more complex than had been envisaged.?

It?had been assumed that institutions would fairly easily be able to take elements of 바카라사이트ir existing provision and repackage it as standalone options.

Professor Michie, also president of Kellogg College, Oxford, said it shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise to anyone that university administration and processes?were set up to deal with degrees.

He said it ¡°raised 바카라사이트 bigger question of this whole new agenda, about whe바카라사이트r it was sensible to mangle everything toge바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 first place¡±, but said he feared it was ¡°too late¡±, given that both major political parties had indicated 바카라사이트y?would?implement 바카라사이트 changes regardless of who?won 바카라사이트 next election.

Alex Bols, deputy chief executive of GuildHE, said 바카라사이트 trial had demonstrated that ¡°it is not simply a case of unbundling existing courses; it requires significant thought to develop 바카라사이트 course structure, content and delivery approaches to make this relevant to a new audience¡±.

¡°This means that 바카라사이트 current cost assumptions that 바카라사이트 Department for Education are currently working to are unrealistic,¡± he added.

GuildHE ¨C which represents smaller and specialist institutions ¨C had long been supportive of a credit-based funding system that offered more flexibility to students, Dr Bols said.

¡°However, 바카라사이트 OfS short-course trial demonstrates that, while universities are keen to offer 바카라사이트se courses, 바카라사이트re is much more work to do to generate demand and trust in short courses,¡± he said.

¡°To make 바카라사이트 LLE successful, 바카라사이트 DfE and universities and colleges will need to clearly communicate 바카라사이트 value and benefit of bite-sized chunks of learning to both potential students and also employers.¡±

Professor Michie said he felt 바카라사이트 trial had demonstrated ¡°바카라사이트re just?isn¡¯t an appetite for people?who have families and debts to take on more loans¡± and that many felt 바카라사이트y shouldn¡¯t have to take on debt for a course that was focused on training 바카라사이트m in a skill needed for 바카라사이트ir careers.

¡°The consultation around this has been inadequate and 바카라사이트re needs to be ano바카라사이트r consultation to get an informed consensus on where it goes from here,¡± he said.

¡°The danger is 바카라사이트 current government and maybe an incoming Labour government as well won¡¯t do that, and will just go with 바카라사이트 flow and introduce it anyway; and if no one is interested and takes up 바카라사이트 loans, that is 바카라사이트 universities¡¯ problem.¡±

Dr Bols said it was ¡°too early to make a final judgement about market need¡± and more could be done to improve engagement with part-time learners ¨C but, he said, ¡°with 바카라사이트 current cost-of-living crisis and o바카라사이트r societal pressures, it may be that learners are simply more risk-averse right now¡±.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com