Explore: Futures?
Dr. Ian Ground
Explore Membership Scheme Leader
ian.ground@sunderland.ac.uk
Date
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 Hayes
Minister 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 Hayes
Minister of state for Further Education,
Skills and Lifelong Learning
Queen’s Speech Forum: Skills Strategy
10 Jun 2010
Background
The Model
Finance
Programme Structure
Aspects of Explore
Member Behaviour
Feedback
Partners
Futures
Background
A creative response to the ELQ crisis
80% 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.
Individual
Interrogative
Interactive
Interdisciplinary
The Model
How can provision be small
(and therefore cheap)
on the inside
Yet 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
Finance
E = MF/C
C = Fixed Costs of Centre
C
C = Fixed (?) costs overhead required by University
O
C = Unit Venue Costs
V
C = Unit Teaching Costs
T
C = Unit Admin Costs.
A
Finance
C = (C +C ) + (EC +EC +EC )
C
O
V
T
A
C = Fixed Costs of Centre
C
C = Fixed (?) costs overhead required by University
O
C = Unit Venue Costs
V
C = Unit Teaching Costs
T
C = Unit Admin Costs.
A
Programme Structure
Start with 1600 hours of programme available across
4 seasons, all day, every day in 30 distinct academic
subjects, 12 regular venues
50% 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
Individual
Interrogative
Interactive
Interdisciplinary
Seasonal Skewing
Season One
35%
Season Two
30%
Season Three
26%
Season Four
9%
Member Behaviour
Member Behaviour
Member Behaviour
Members
Distinct subjects
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 day
Venue
Much less by subject
Tutor still but we deliberately introduce variation in
these open sessions
Feedback Systems
Move from paper-based to e-system
From terminal to continuous feedback
(summative to formative?)
Feedback Systems
Feedback Requests autosent to date: 5080
Responses to date: 1362
Response 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 Costs
Access to marketing
Reputation and leveraging of reputation
The universities are ‘partners’ too!
The Engage! Project
Internal Politics
Partners
2011 Explore Hours (ECT)
Tutor Hours: 1114
Core Staff Hours: 390
Cost Free Hours: 109
Total Hours: 1613
So 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 6week 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 barriers
Penetration in traditional market
New Markets
1100 throughput
500 Max
Churn rate of about 15%
Simplifying the message
Particularities of the North-East
Large number of cultural competitors.
The general economic climate
The 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 £10
But you don’t have room in the freezer for 3 pizzas
And 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
•
is flexible enough to be structured around the needs of each university
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.
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”
More Information?
http://explore.sunderland.ac.uk/
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 Hayes
Minister 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/