I mentioned the varieties of approaches to running open courses are coming fast and furious these days. In addition to the P2PU model, people might want to also check out the “enveloped learning” model that Leigh Blackall is hashing out at Otago.

The basic idea seems to be instead of starting with a course frame (“Intro to Small Business”) and filling it with course readings and events that make sense only within the context of the course, you allow a more episodic structure to the course which allows the public to hop in and out. The structure of the course is still there, and as with many things that are structured episodically, the effect of the whole should be greater than the parts, but the class is effectively opened up to the public:

The point is the certificates, diplomas and degrees are still there, and all the events and activities are coordinated around them, but the general public have access to the content and activities without necessarily committing to the certificate, diploma or degree. Some people will want to commit to that straight off the bat (such as our young school leavers) and nothing is stopping that either. This approach envelops many different levels of interest in the learning and optionally progresses people toward a credential if that has value to them. Hillary’s job is to currate the learning programme (similar to that of a film festival coordinator perhaps), and to facilitate people’s association and progress through that programme, in a fashion of free ranging like being the rain. (Those links help that last sentence make sense).

As to who pays:

How does it pay? Well, the formally enrolled pay as normal. They enrol in the course up front and commit to all that is required. They receive their study allowance and start accumulating their study debt (or pay up front), we receive our subsidy for their enrollment, and they have access to all the content and learning support and assessment services that are afforded to them normally. As for the people taking advantage of the open access, they have access to the short events with an admission fee to cover costs if any. All sessions (where practical) are recorded and published for free online use. The longer sessions that these events feed into also have admission fees to cover costs and the content to support the activities are similarly available online for free. Obviously the online versions simply support the face to face events and activities.

The emphasis of the pilot Otago is looking at putting together seems very tied into a local community focus, the sort of college-city partnership which we are seeing work in other areas, such as service-learning initiatives. Here the college is structuring the program to be helpful to small businesses in Otago itself, and the global access to materials will be to some extent an effect of their focus on local access.

You’ll have to read the presentation yourself to get a real sense of the program. But it reminds me of some of the things that Keene State College was looking at in terms of local partnership when I was there, and it’s fascinating to see open access education (or open interaction, or whatever we are going to call it) grabbed from the local end of the stick.

If you are working for an institution that is strongly committed to local development partnerships, definitely take a look.