Higher learning for all

Many universities are now working actively with local communities, using the most advanced learning technologies, to open up higher learning to people of all ages. And it’s not too young to start this process as the photograph opposite portrays; indeed, many ‘toddlers’ now use smart mobile phone, iPads and simple computing tools long before they learn to tie their laces; 72% of children under five spend an average of half an hour on line each day. Open learning approaches can help ALL master new ways and means of change which are right for them. The UK Beacons of public understanding project has used such techniques to open up higher learning from universities, to many new communities in cities across the UK.

‘In today's digital age, some of the major challenges countries face in adopting new models of learning is how to remain competitive, how to utilise new technologies to increase participation and widen access to higher education, how to develop strategies that meet the needs of traditional on-campus and off-campus students, and how to bridge the digital divide’. Many universities believe the answer lies in developing a new core of open learning content and are actively doing that. For what individual universities are offering in this respect please look at their web-sites under ‘open higher learning’ courses and programmes. To understand how the sector is responding as a whole to these challenges, or how the international education sector might look in 15 years' time’, see www.britishcouncil.com earmarking higher educational learning.

For one influence of a recent development Apple’s iPad offers a large multi-touch screen which gives easy access to something highly useable in a number of learning situations. This allows imaginations to develop quite naturally supported by higher learning. You can put together an HD video with sound to make your own movies. With software called ‘Garage Band’ you can turn the iPad into a guitar of piano and record your own songs. All these applications help Higher Education personalise instructions and learning, which addresses a variety of learning style. And this enables it to create useful, open, distance and blended learning. That not only makes for more engaging higher learning, it also results in improved personal performance in a wide range of applications. To learn more about the iPad in this context see www.apple.com/uk/education/why-apple.

A recent national programme shows just how universities have changed their approach to learning and the community. There are now six university-based ‘Beacons of Public Understanding’ across the UK. These are collaborative centres which work to support, recognise, reward and build capacity for public engagement in many different ways. The use all forms of open education to break down the barrier between universities and the community. The Beacons are also at the forefront of efforts to change the culture in universities, assisting staff and students to engage with the public. Their partners include further education colleges, museums, galleries, businesses, charities, TV and press, and public bodies.

In short, public engagement describes the many ways in which higher education institutions and their staff and students can connect and share their work with the public. Done well, it generates mutual benefit, with all parties learning from each other through sharing knowledge, expertise and skills. In the process, it can build trust, understanding and collaboration, and increase the sector's relevance to, and impact on, civil society. Public engagement is a term that is widely used in a variety of sectors - from arts and heritage to science policy and local government. We've talked to many different people across the HE sector and research community to synthesise their views of what public engagement means to them, to inform our definition.

Public Engagement isn't something new that universities need to start doing: recent research has demonstrated how much engagement is actually already going on, with a survey of 22,000 academics in 2009 revealing that over 35% were involved in some form of outreach activity1. However, despite enthusiasm for engaging with the public, there is compelling evidence that many staff and students in universities are not well supported or encouraged to work in this way. The Royal Society's report 'Survey of factors affecting science communication by scientists and engineers' in 2006'2 found that 64% of scientists said that the need to spend more time on research was stopping them getting more engaged and 20% agreed that scientists who engage are less well regarded by other scientists.

The 2010 report by the ‘Science for All expert group3’ identified how the professional culture of many academic institutions still inhibits engagement. It was exactly these kinds of challenge which led to the setting up of the Beacons for Public Engagement initiative in 2008. Elsewhere on this website we explain some of the different ways in which universities are trying to tackle this challenge. In this section we explain more about what public engagement in practice can actually look like. See www.publicengagment.ac.uk for more details.