Global ambition for open learning

Teesside University Open Learning (Engineering) has the clear goal of being the world’s leading provider of high quality flexible education for the engineering industry.

Speaking at its launch event, Professor Caroline MacDonald, the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Student Experience) addressed representatives from the engineering and training world.

She said: ‘Distance or open learning is going to be very important for higher education in the 21st century. I know some people say it can never be the same as traditional university education, but I think the time for comparing open learning and traditional higher education is long gone.

‘The internet and online technology have opened distance learning across geographical space and universities have developed expertise to enhance their technological capabilities as well to create new and different communities of students.

‘So distance learning isn’t an isolated activity. It is different from the traditional university experience, but there are still lots of opportunities to communicate with your peers and to give a different and fulfilling experience.’ How open learning changed Eric Garbutt's life

Building on COLU’s legacy Teesside University Open Learning (Engineering) is building on the great legacy left by the Cleveland Open Learning Unit (COLU).

Originally based in Longlands College, COLU supported the training and education needs of the growing oil and gas industries and then expanded to also serve the process industry. It became part of the University in 2002.

Professor MacDonald added: ‘During its 25 years COLU continued to grow and diversify into new areas like Liquid Natural Gas Process Technology, Process Engineering and Petroleum Technology, and over a quarter of a century supported over 30,000 students and employers in engineering.

‘We hope, and we expect, that Teesside University Open Learning for engineers will continue to be an exciting provider for the industry and that it will create new communities and new learning spaces for engineers and engineering students.

Support from industry Teesside University Open Learning (Engineering) was warmly welcome by representatives from the process industry and training world.

Neil Smith, Network Services Director, National Skills Academy Process Industries, welcomed the new open learning initiative saying: ‘Teesside deservedly won both the Times Higher Education’s University of the Year and the Outstanding Employer Engagement Initiative Award in 2009 and I’m confident the Teesside University Open Learning (Engineering) will build on COLU’s success in training 30,000 people worldwide and help meet the new challenges by continuing to develop the responsive training solutions that our industry sectors need.’

John Davies, Senior Business Manager for BTEC at Edexcel, and Victoria Elliot, Business Manager, City & Guilds, also wished the new venture every success at the launch.

Launching something completely new Bringing the event to a close, Professor Simon Hodgson, Dean of the University’s School of Science & Engineering, said: ‘We see our open learning provision as a key and integral element in helping us to achieve the School’s mission of developing the problem solvers, innovators and leaders of the future.’

He told guests: ‘Today is about more than just a celebration of the past, for we are launching something completely new. While we are building on the proud history of Cleveland Open Learning we are introducing new types of qualifications and new types of partners and partnerships, new kinds of sectors that we are trying to engage with to meet the changing needs of the economy. And we’ll be using new types of modernised mechanisms to support our students and our clients.

‘The principle type of qualifications that we will be offering for our open learning provision will be the new style of Edexcel format HNC and HND awards at Level 4 and 5, which are equivalent to the first two years of a traditional undergraduate degree.

‘To achieve the necessary changes, more than a million words of new teaching materials have been developed”, said Professor Hodgson, who added that his School team had worked very closely with awarding bodies, City and Guilds and Edexcel to innovate and develop new markets for the new markets, both in the UK and overseas.’ More about Teesside University Open Learning (Engineering)

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