explore : futures?
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Explore: Futures?
Dr. Ian Ground Explore Membership Scheme Leaderian.ground@sunderland.ac.uk
Can a university deliver higher education for the social good in the new funding climate?
"A little money can achieve a lot, particularly if we are prepared to innovate and to trust people at the front line to organise learning in ways that suit their needs rather
than conforming to some centralised model. “
John HayesMinister of state for Further
Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning
Queen’s Speech Forum: Skills Strategy
10 Jun 2010
"A little money can achieve a lot, particularly if we are prepared to innovate and to trust people at
the front line to organise learning in ways that suit their needs
rather than conforming to some centralised model. “
John HayesMinister of state for Further
Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning
Queen’s Speech Forum: Skills Strategy
10 Jun 2010
BackgroundThe Model
FinanceProgramme Structure
Aspects of ExploreMember BehaviourFeedback
PartnersFutures
A creative response to the ELQ crisis80% of our students debarred from HEFCE funding
Non-Negotiables of quality, affordability and sustainability
Background
The key to innovation was reclaiming our focus on why lifelong learning matters.
IndividualInterrogativeInteractive
Interdisciplinary
Background
How can provision be small (and therefore cheap)
on the insideYet large
(and therefore good value) on the outside?
The Model
Make the entire (but smaller) programme
all of it, available to all students all the time
Finance it on the model of a gym membership.
The Model
From the university’s point of view, it’s a much smaller programme and
so cheaper to deliver
But
From the student’s point of view, it’s much bigger and therefore better
value
The Model
E = MF/CCC = Fixed Costs of CentreCO = Fixed (?) costs overhead required by UniversityCV= Unit Venue CostsCT = Unit Teaching CostsCA = Unit Admin Costs.
Finance
C = (CC+CO) + (ECV+ECT+ECA)
CC = Fixed Costs of Centre
CO = Fixed (?) costs overhead required by University
CV= Unit Venue Costs
CT = Unit Teaching Costs
CA = Unit Admin Costs.
Finance
Programme Structure
Start with 1600 hours of programme available across 4 seasons, all day, every day in 30
distinct academic subjects, 12 regular venues50% Open/50% Bookable
We guarantee the size of programme – no course cancellations.
Priority Bookings
Programme Structure
Member pays:Seasonal membership fee equivalent to 25%
increase on 2008-9 fee for one 10 credit course
Around a fiver a week or less
Membership buys: unlimited attendance at open courses
one priority on a bookable 10 hr seminars unlimited spare places on ‘Berliners’
opportunity for feedback (£15) or accreditation at extra cost
Ethos
IndividualInterrogativeInteractive
Interdisciplinary
Seasonal Skewing
Season One 35%
Season Two30%
Season Three26%
Season Four 9%
Member Behaviour
Member Behaviour
Member Behaviour
Distinct subjects
Members
Member Behaviour
I choose to come to talks where I know little or nothing, and have always come away stimulated to go and read more .. Also attend by Day - everything that dayVenueMuch less by subjectTutor still but we deliberately introduce variation in these open sessions
Feedback Systems
Move from paper-based to e-systemFrom terminal to continuous feedback
(summative to formative?)
Feedback Systems
Feedback Requests autosent to date: 5080Responses to date: 1362Response Rate: 31%
Partners
Newcastle - very busy cultural scene with some major players, serving a wider region, in a relatively compact city. Work with partners to
Lower CostsAccess to marketingReputation and leveraging of reputationThe universities are ‘partners’ too!The Engage! ProjectInternal Politics
Partners
2011 Explore Hours (ECT)
Tutor Hours: 1114Core Staff Hours: 390Cost Free Hours: 109Total Hours: 1613So tutor costs brought down to 70% of total hours
Partners
“BALTIC was very pleased to work with the North East Centre for Lifelong Learning as part of Explore. The 6-week course looking at the Turner Prize 2011 was a fantastic way into contemporary art for many ... For BALTIC, the course helped us to attract a new audience who may have been hesitant about visiting the gallery and who felt that contemporary art wasn’t for them. Being given the opportunity to spend time looking at the exhibition in a supportive and open environment has, I believe, opened up contemporary art and BALTIC to a new audience.”
Emma Thomas, Head of Learning and Engagement, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.
Futures
Breaking through membership barriersPenetration in traditional marketNew Markets 1100 throughput500 Max Churn rate of about 15%
Simplifying the messageParticularities of the North-EastLarge number of cultural competitors.The general economic climateThe Pizza Paradox.
The Pizza Paradox
You want to buy a pizza and are happy to pay £4.00 for one. You have bought before at that price and are willing to do so again.Now as well as offering one pizza at £4.00, they offer 3 pizzas for a £10But you don’t have room in the freezer for 3 pizzasAnd now you don‘t buy one £4.00 pizza either.Why?The original offer is perceived to be devalued by the better offer even though, objectively, you still want the former and dont, for reasons other than perceived value, want the latter.
This is precisely parallel to the value psychology of some exiting Explore Members. “It was great but I could only do 20 hours a season and there was so much I couldn’t do, it wasn’t good value for me”
Explore• Explore remains financially fragile and dependent on the
commitment of the host institution. • But the Explore model is conceptually and operationally a success.
• provides a highly attractive student experience which reimagines the tradition
• can work in any location with easy access for a learning population – certainly the major conurbations
• fosters collaboration with regional cultural and community partners
• operates as a platform for intelligent and sustained research dissemination
• offers universities a way at minimal cost to engage with their regions and local populations, stimulate recruitment and challenge perceptions.
• is flexible enough to be structured around the needs of each university
What have we learned?
If adult learners are given what they want, in a context where the general quality is assured, they respond enthusiastically to have their own choices respected.There is a match between the best things about a customer model of service and traditional liberal adult virtues of ownership and inclusion.It is possible to develop new business models which have a chance of success in a sector without public funding.
UALL 2010 National Award for“creativity,
innovation, sustainability, impact and transferability”
thanks for your attention
Beacon and Research benefits
“Beacon North East partnership with NECLL’s Explore is an excellent
opportunity for academics to engage in two-way, mutually beneficial
dialogue with members of the lifelong learning community to enhance
access to research and academic expertise for wider society.”
Beacon North East Team
Feedback - Members
“Thank goodness for Explore. I was beginning to think continuing education was forbidden to anyone over 25! It’s a great scheme and I
am so enjoying it.”
Explore Member Rosie
“I am really enjoying the mixture of drop-in and bookable sessions; they fit so well into a
busy life!”
Explore Member Mary
✤ I have been attending Monday's 'Introduction to Philosophy' course. Last week I won at tribunal, in front of a judge and others, a successful appeal for ESA allowance on behalf of my son. In addition to a written submission, I used material taken directly from this course to argue his case. So the course does indeed help people, who as in my case have no background in philosophy, to solve real life dilemmas. I love the range of explore courses and only wish that I had enrolled earlier
✤ . Explore Member Barbara
Issues
•challenging target to meet for critical mass• transitional strain (identity, operations, reduction in
part-time teaching hours ….) •awkward fit of delivery model for rural areas and subjects
requiring small groups, such as ‘hands-on’ workshops•naïve public perceptions of cost and value – especially in
transitional era when unsustainable subsidized learning – e.g. Learning Revolution – is still intermittently available
Answering the Question
Q: Can a university deliver high quality public engagement in the form of lifelong learning in the new funding climate?
A: Yes. We believe we have found a new model of delivering lifelong learning that:
•can be financially sustainable•values learners and their needs
•re-imagines the lifelong learning ethos in a way that is transferable elsewhere
Answering the Question
"A little money can achieve a lot, particularly if we are prepared to innovate and to trust people at the front line to organise learning in ways that suit their needs rather
than conforming to some centralised model. “
John HayesMinister of state for Further
Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning
Queen’s Speech Forum: Skills Strategy
10 Jun 2010
More Information?
• Briefing Notes• NECLL Brochure 2011
• http://explore.sunderland.ac.uk/
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