Guardian news values re FutureLearn

This post could be in "Reading the Guardian" blog but things are beginning to fit together. I have checked a print version  of Guardian today and cannot find anything about  FutureLearn, or Coursera. This is a Tuesday with an education supplement or page as it is now. Usually two, Media one except yesterday with a random extra on the Daily Express.

Anyway I did a search on Guardian website and found nothing about recent investment. But most recent about innovation awards. Coventry University runners up, online degrees working with FutureLearn. Site pages sponsored by HSBC, probably not in print. I might have missed it.

Just my take, moving degrees online is news. Tech startup getting investment on larger scale also news.

I am speculating a bit wildly here but it seems to me the newspapers have a problem in not being able to report about the print situation. Tweet from Fraser Nelson mentions that ABC figures include freebies so may not reflect real readers. Still the trends are clear. Guardian down 9% for example. ABC describes this as "Newsbrands" but not sure where the web stats are kept.

Guardian did report the OU staff doubts in an interview with Peter Horrocks by Peter Wilby. So maybe something will turn up later.

Thinking about recent Jeff Jarvis on a story

Recently saw Jeff Jarvis tweet on a text about journalism I am still thinking about. As I remember he had a version of a loop, so the same story material could be repeated with the new information / views it caused when published. Each time appears though to be a complete story, inclusing an ending.

But the new approach is different, accepts a variety of views, not always a conclusion, continuing complexity. I think this is it. "A Coming Crisis of Cognition" is supposed to be 14 minutes but was a couple of days ago. Links to video and David Weinberger new book. ( Could be a rework of previous ones by the way, I will start by looking at them again.)

So I will try looking at the same story but developing it. Current issues around Brexit and online learning. Both a bit stuck.

I think the online platform scene as reached a new level. For the UK the Learning Technologies show demonstrated this. But still not much confidence in Futurelearn. I could try again next year but meanwhile explore around what already happened.

Blog about Fleet Street in Europe and Cyberspace is also stuck. Too much happening that is much the same as previously. So could try going back to the time of the referendum and looking at ways to understand better, given what is now known.

Will come back to cognition when this  is more obvious, or not working at all.

Longer version of Tweet reply to Jo Wolff

About a week ago Jo Wolff responded to my questions after his article in print Guardian. His question " who is actually impressed by the building frenzy at UK universities?"  My question trying to link to student accommodation boom and also possible move online.

My bias is just alarm at what is happening in Exeter. Shops and pubs demolished, fields fenced off. Anyway also query why FutureLearn has difficulty making case for funding when Coursera is thought of as a "Unicorn".

Back on recent point, I have checked out some dates for Oxford University Press. Source, website. Looks like the investment in print equipment was 18th century , marketing expense of USA office late 19th. So it could all have been done from retained profits. No need to make choices about not doing something else. Any info welcome.

If the number of students on planet doubles there will still be demand for most campus capacity even if online degrees are 50% or some similar mix of blended something. Sorry to be vague but I cannot find any stats to base something more definite. The case for all the student accommodation investment seems to be based on local 3-5 years max without any take on UK or global trends.

Anyway, back towards some text that will fit in a tweet, no doubt Oxford can fill the college places as now existing, but some unis might face choices in backing online platforms in some proportion to buildings. Also MOOC may expand campus now in similar way to university press previously. How to describe this?

Quick note for #OER19 ahead of @wenotno

Running out of time, but here is an extended tweet ahead of tomorrow. We Don't Know is a radio show on Phonic FM in Exeter. Mostly music but maybe half an hour of talk within the two hours. We have been to BETT and Learning Technologies , both shows at ExCEL in London. We find the tech for schools radio / video is about right for community FM.

Issues around music from recent years seem to be coming round again for education. Or else we have noticed them at different times. Move online may start with piracy / free stuff. Moves onto monetization and surveillance.

But maybe different things coexist. This is a bit vague. May have sorted out my mind by tomorrow. The Futurelearn course on Unbundled University included a video of discussion about "imaginaries" both of a market and a commons. ( The state is in background /  dispute such that neither actually happens, my memory from last month ). Seems to work for music scene, both a free for all and a grand marketing scheme.

Tomorrow we will try to find something Creative Commons from Internet Archive. Grateful Dead maybe. They used to welcome cassette recorders at concerts. As a business model may not work if not on tour.

Thinking about the Unbundled University course I now realise there are many platforms that just offer paid courses, not really part of the MOOC experiment at all. But I doubt if they reach as wide an audience. "Content Marketing" is one way to describe it.

Any links to audio clips very welcome.

Jonathan Wolff on shiny buildings

Inspired by print Guardian today here is a response to Opinion by Jonathan Wolff on the UK university building frenzy. I take this chance to repeat previous raves since I find in general the Guardian rarely responds to comments.

Wolff explains history of funding before the fees came in with the freedom for universities to spend as they thought best. Then the expansion of numbers and pressure to find space. He suggests £3bn was spent on buildings last year. The word "debt" only appears in a quote from Engels about another place and time.

Couple of things not mentioned. There has been a lot of building new student accommodation. Seems mostly financed by other companies, not the universities directly. But what information is on offer? Wolff is uncertain about numbers of overseas students after 2021. How long are the new buildings supposed to last to recover the investment?

Major thing to my mind is that there is no mention of moving learning  online. I find the Guardian has a blind spot on this, just my take. Peter Scott has written that he will not write about the MOOC. This was a while ago and he has stuck to this. Recently there was a Coursera conference at Senate House in London. Suitably impressive building, but no Guardian reporting though King's Cross not too far away some might think.

So far although with reduced income as adult learners have a different understanding of debt, it is the OU that has funded Futurelearn, a platform for online learning. Loss so far maybe £30m , not sure. Why has no other UK uni made an offer to be involved? Maybe they have, the Guardian may report later.

 I think Peter Scott regards most technology as coming from a commercial direction, not really an academic concern. Seems to reflect wider opinion. But if the investment from unis continues to be in buildings then the online platforms will come from somewhere else.

Is this a topic the Guardian may consider sometime?

What research / guess exists on number of students needing accommodation in UK over next 20 years?

What is investment in UK online learning platforms?

==========

slightly off topic

couple of screen shots

By chance from Facebook earlier today

from website

Meanwhile I still like the idea of spectacle buildings as background for video. I am thinking about the Spine on Lancaster campus as a walk. But for near future could be better to just use existing sites as basis for video, virtual reality, fantasy. We may have enough reality already.

Coursera notes around recent tweets #CourseraLondon

I have done a couple of tweets,both with graphics. Keynote zoom in, original from @StephanieRicci_ 

"Very Inspiring keynote from Thomas Friedman this morning at the Coursera Partners Conference at University of London."

Can only guess at this now. More later.

Screenshot from search on Guardian site looking for "Coursera" , the top results are from 2012.

Peter Scott I think regards the MOOC as a commercial project, coming from outside proper research. He did announce he would not write about them and has stuck to this. Other reports much the same. Peter Wilby did interview Peter Horrocks about OU and Futurelearn. But included many critical quotes from OU staff around moved to reverse policy. Similar views continued. No clear reporting on future direction now Horrocks has resigned.

Maybe it is something about the Guardian. Still mostly into print. The evening courses they offer have superstar presenters, only available in London. Distance learning could be seen as a bad fit.

Anyway, Coursera Partners Conference this week at Senate House, not too far from King's Cross. I will be looking at Twitter and print Guardian next Tuesday.

So far almost nothing on Futurelearn funding, but USA sources all see Coursera as viable. Not sure how this works as a story. Might UK thinking just pretend to be in California and try to keep up? More likely to wait till business model is obvious. Could miss some mindshare but current evidence suggests this is best narrative to work on.

Guardian sources might well find same UK views as in 2012.

Coursera in London this week, positioning around Futurelearn

Not sure how to repeat previous posts. I had thought that a case for Futurelearn funding could be made. If Coursera is a Unicorn then surely Futurelearn has a case.

Background for new readers, Futurelearn so far funded completely by OU. Peter Horrocks closed buildings / regional support to fund digital expansion. Not supported by staff so he left.

This week Coursera have a Partners Conference in London. Based at Senate House so should be easy to find. But so far not much interest from UK media that I can find. Or Twitter. Maybe it is just for the partners though I would think the topics would be interesting for a wide audience.

Maybe the online learning conversation is global and interests only a few in each country. Or maybe it is the USA investment culture that is strange. The taxi business has a couple of IPO offers that seem to be a way to lose money. Not sure how to develop a case tht this is something to follow.

Meanwhile Class Central continues to report estmates of revenue from degree courses. Seems sound enough. Maybe more news during the week.

They have news about a Coursera course from Imperial on Machine Learning . This is an area where online degrees could do well. Easier to study part time or with experience in a job.

Also news about an offer from Futurelearn to have access to all courses and certificates for $199 a year. Maybe this is a way funding could work. A model like Netflix or Apple News. They get the money upfront so it is a form of crowd funding. There certainly is enough content now to make this work.

Meanwhile found another useful article from IBL - MOOCs are dead but now online degrees. I do not agree MOOCs are dead. They continue with free access, you need to pay for certificates. I notice there is not much here about Futurelearn. Maybe things will just clarify in the USA and the UK will notice later.

But anyone still reading, please add a comment if you know a link to reports on Coursera or how the OU thinks Futurelearn can be funded.

This Wednesday there will be an extra @wenotno show on @PhonicFM  10 -12 am UK time. Clues welcome.

Now posting as will789gb , not sure what this means

Google is gradually getting rid of Plus, whatever it was. I now have a Blogger profile. Maybe this is a good thing. Blogger has always been a useful platform, why complicate things?

I may get into more contact with google about promo for Blogger. King's Cross not too far away. Possibly easier than the door for YouTube. Do I need 80,000 followers?