Open learning: its relevance to higher education

Abstract

Given the rapid turnover of education and training jargon, readers might well feel that 'open learning' ought to have had its day long ago. In fact the term has had a remarkably good innings, rising to prominence first in the late 70s. It owes its survival to two main influences: first, links with the development of currently valued qualities such as autonomy and enterprise; second (and more pragmatically), the government commitment to open learning via first the Manpower Services Commission then The Training Commission and now The Training Agency. Government funded the Open Tech Programme from 1982-1986, then The Open College. More significantly for readers of this Journal, The Training Agency is now funding the extension of open learning into higher education (HE) (via the Enterprise in Higher Education programme), further education (via the Mutual Development Fund) and schools (via the newly announced Flexible Learning in Schools project). In all cases the expectation is that open learning will become embedded in mainstream provision. These inititiatives are looked at again below.