Unlocking the future of online learning
timeshighereducation.com – November 8, 2024 – In 2025, the University of Liverpool will celebrate 25 years of delivering online learning. While much has changed since the early 2000s, online learning has become a cornerstone of higher education strategy, according to a panel at the 2024 THE World Academic Summit.
“We were one of the first universities to offer a 100 per cent online degree and today we have around 21,500 graduates,” said Lynn Evans, strategic director of Liverpool Online at the University of Liverpool. “Over that time, we have built a track record internationally and learnt what worked and what students want.”
Nicola Pittman is the managing director at Kaplan Open Learning, which has built platforms for Liverpool Online and University of Essex Online and is now building a range of microcredentials. Pittman said that through partnerships with institutions, Kaplan could focus not only on academic content delivery but also on building engaging student experiences. “The first thing is to recruit students; the second is to keep them. We often deal with students who have other commitments such as families and work, so we need to guide them every step of the way,” she added. Some students require flexibility and support, so it’s important that systems can flag if they are not logging on.