ID196 Lifelong learning

The Idea

Life-long learning in practice. 

Taking learners from all age groups, to help them (re-)develop their careers. 

Create generic module such as Life with AI, Academic Skills, Project Management, or Team Work to offer to the more general population, in the workplace or not. The exact details of the modules should be discussed in partnership with the Keele local partners, community in order to respond to needs, to demands.  

So, learners would join Keele on a modular basis, just like they might have done in a college or at the Open University. They could cumulate credits from modules with us, but also maybe from other partner universities, and could eventually claim a degree. 

Allow learners to come back to us or partners, module after module, over the years. 

Why This Idea Should Be Considered

We need to consider lifelong learning as it is part of the government strategy for post-16 education. 

We would consider different types of learners, possibly good for our portfolios as the traditional UG student is changing and the international market is volatile. 

As a minimum, it is also ethical and would fit well in the 5P strategic vision of the University. 

How We Would Implement This Idea

Work with job centres / with local employers and potential mature learners / mature applicants to assess their immediate skills needs, design a few modules accordingly and start recruitment. 

Delivery is online to help being inclusive and flexible so that mature learners with other commitments can join us or catch up in their own time. If the competition is then with more well-known educational platforms better marketed, then we need to bring the Keele community aspect back to the forefront and make sure to work with the community indeed. Learners might prefer working with their local University than with very large and less personable platforms. We could also work in direct partnerships with Job Centers or equivalent where they would advertise our courses for us, or even send us learners. Partnerships for funding (subsidised fees) should be looked into, so that learners could have their studies or part of their studies costs paid for 

Delivery would be looked into by various staff, academics and academic skills staff for instance, but also possibly by externals (e.g. trainers at Job Centres?)  

Assessment is carefully chosen, to minimise marking time. 

Would require an awarding body for the degree when modules come from different universities; maybe the awarding body could be the University having awarded the most modules to a given learner, and that all partner universities agreed to some kind of a Charter / Terms & Conditions of working together. 

What Success Would Look Like

• Strong engagement from stakeholders (externals e.g. job centres and employers but also prospective learners). 
• Strong recruitment from the local community 
• Strong attainment 
• Careers progression with direct impact on the local economy.  

Partnerships with other like-minded universities if modules are indeed shared across of group of universities, called ‘The Civic University’ group?