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University College Falmouth’s innovative MA in Professional Writing has been awarded £20k as part of a pilot scheme to release learning materials as Open Educational Resources. The move is in line with the government’s drive to get universities embracing new technologies and moving towards an ‘Edgeless University’ model.

This, together with a range of other University College Falmouth initiatives using technology to broaden access to all levels of learning, comes as a report from think-tank Demos warns that British universities will not survive unless they adopt new modes of learning.

Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and run by the Higher Education Academy and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC); the organisation that provides leadership in the use of ICT to the further and higher education sector; Open Educational Resources (OERs) will give institutions and individuals access to a wide range of learning resources created by academics.

University College Falmouth’s successful bid will blaze a trail in this arena by developing a truly interactive, open learning experience and an innovative online community for its students. The pilot scheme will see the development of a learning platform for delivering an online version of the screenwriting unit that forms part of its successful Professional Writing MA.

These peer-reviewed resources could include full courses, course materials, complete modules, notes, videos, podcasts, self-assessment tools, collaborative projects, simulations, guest lectures, worked examples, software and other tools, materials and techniques used to support access to knowledge. They will be made available to users under a Creative Commons intellectual property license that permits open use and adaptation whilst ownership stays with the creators.

“This project, which we have named openSpace, is groundbreaking because it’s about making full and imaginative use of new technology to develop materials that can be used freely and flexibly, not just by our own students but by people who have previously been excluded by institutional boundaries,” said MA Professional Writing Course Leader, Christina Bunce, who is running the project along with lecturer, Alex di Savoia.

“After all, the Web itself has developed largely as a result of people all over the world working collaboratively in this same spirit. It’s also a pragmatic move – sharing high-quality materials will raise the profile of a successful and innovative course,” she added.

“Up until now, universities’ models of online delivery have mainly focused on uploading videoed lectures and notes,” Christina added. “Through openSpace, we can create much more dynamic content, and develop a learning community which will engage with students from a much wider range of backgrounds and in a much more interactive way. We are already ahead of the game: our successful online MA in Professional Writing, non-accredited courses and learning resources provided through our writers’ website www.profwriting.com and the development of our HEFCE-funded project to co-develop learning materials with industry partners, are just a few initiatives that we are currently running.”

University College Falmouth is strategically committed to offering flexible modes of learning to a broad range of students. As a Skillset Academy, it will soon launch a range of short courses in Professional Media Practice, designed in collaboration with industry partners to enable professionals to understand the challenges of the new media environment. A number of other courses are being developed online.

“This pilot provides an important catalyst in terms of realising our strategy to deliver course content in a manner that is relevant to the way people live and work in the 21st century,” explained Paul Inman, the College’s Director of the School of Media. “Through collaborations with Skillset partners to create tailored learning packages, and the delivery of innovative short courses for enthusiasts as well as businesses, we are continually seeking new opportunities to extend our learning options and openSpace is an important part of that.”

The openSpace pilot launches in March 2010.