Category Archives: elearning

Education – a ‘troll’ free zone?

A blog like this cannot avoid commenting on the case of Caroline Criado Perez who has received rape and violence threats, and insults via Twitter after she campaigned successfully to have a picture of Jane Austen on new UK banknotes. … Continue reading

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Teaching horses to talk

I am reading William Bowen’s neat (in a number of senses) new book on the economics of elearning: Higher Education in the Digital Age. It is a highly accessible book on a very opaque subject – sometimes you feel the … Continue reading

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Can face-to- face universities offer consistent high quality online and distance learning?

For some years those of us working in distance learning institutions have been encouraged to see ourselves as simply part of a continuum of ‘blended learning’. Our older siblings: traditional or face-to- face institutions, declared that they could use e-learning … Continue reading

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Spirit of Past- Ghost of the Future

On the 1st December Michael Gove (UK Secretary of State for Education) made a speech to the Schools Network.  A large section of that speech was techno-enthusiasm; a peon of praise for the use of digital technologies and in particular … Continue reading

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The 14th and Final Cambridge International Conference on Open Distance and e-Learning.

I have just come home from the 14th – and last -Cambridge ODL conference. The theme of the conference was internationalisation and social justice: and the role of ODL in this.  Social justice continues to be part of the rationale … Continue reading

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Now we go faster

Since Friday the universe has been a faster place. I think the sand particles in my egg timer went faster at breakfast this weekend. If Einstein was wrong we can have Gene Roddenberry’s warp speed engines. We don’t have to … Continue reading

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First the ‘Mancession’ – now the ‘Mancovery’

18 months ago when we were deep in the recession I was analysing ONS employment data and along with everyone else, and agreeing that we were seeing a ‘Mancession’ men:  were losing jobs much faster than women [ in both … Continue reading

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Where’s the Big Think Festival?

No one buys a house anymore – at least not in the developed world – because it has electricity, or flush toilets. And I don’t believe students register for particular higher education institutions anymore because they have websites and other … Continue reading

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Why students ‘elearn’ at home

The above photo was taken in a university computer lab somewhere East of where I am presently sitting. It was a suprise to see that using forums is forbidden along with smoking and other ‘unsocial’ activities.  In a world where many … Continue reading

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