0:00:00.335,0:00:05.783 In 2030, one company - Universality - controls 71% of all higher education. 0:00:05.783,0:00:08.963 This film documents what it is like to study at, teach at, and work with Universality. 0:00:08.963,0:00:10.253 Universality - the singular college for the connected world. 0:00:10.253,0:00:12.513 It's incredible to think how quickly 0:00:12.513,0:00:17.028 Universality has changed the marketplace for Higher Education in the UK. 0:00:17.059,0:00:20.513 Using OER materials and peer support, 0:00:20.513,0:00:23.431 both of which are available to all for free - 0:00:23.431,0:00:27.951 and coupling this with paid for tutorials, practical sessions 0:00:27.951,0:00:31.019 and examinations and accreditation 0:00:31.019,0:00:32.624 it has offered opportunities 0:00:32.624,0:00:38.060 to students and employers to benefit from Higher Education. 0:00:38.060,0:00:42.512 It has also completely changed the nature of academic employment in the UK 0:00:42.512,0:00:47.329 In this short film we will be talking to some of the key stakeholders. 0:00:47.329,0:00:48.177 Our students 0:00:48.177,0:00:50.041 "Learning that fits the way I live my life... and the needs of my employer" 0:00:50.041,0:00:52.048 "I`m investing in my future. I pay only for what I need" 0:00:52.064,0:00:53.979 "It's the flexibility that works for me. 0:00:53.979,0:00:56.884 I only pay for what I use and I get where and when I want it. 0:00:56.900,0:00:59.756 I've been studying chemistry mainly through watching lectures 0:00:59.756,0:01:01.437 and interacting with the materials. 0:01:01.437,0:01:04.120 though I paid for a couple of tutorials too. 0:01:04.120,0:01:06.150 I can't afford the practical week though 0:01:06.150,0:01:08.843 I'm saving up to take the level one exam next year. 0:01:08.843,0:01:11.398 Formative tests are predicting a B for me at the moment 0:01:11.398,0:01:12.868 so I want to get a bit more work in 0:01:12.868,0:01:14.965 The other students have been really helpful 0:01:14.965,0:01:17.180 in pointing me towards the right materials. 0:01:17.180,0:01:19.597 And it will take me a year to save up the fee as well. 0:01:19.597,0:01:20.403 Our associated employers... 0:01:20.403,0:01:21.833 we employ graduates who can start work on day 1. 0:01:21.833,0:01:22.949 We can access training and qualifications 0:01:22.979,0:01:24.463 that directly meet our immediate business needs. 0:01:24.463,0:01:25.136 SIMON HAZELL, HR DIRECTOR, BEACON MEDIA: 0:01:25.136,0:01:27.721 "We've employed exclusively graduates for years, 0:01:27.721,0:01:30.659 but we've always found we've had to retrain them 0:01:30.674,0:01:31.744 in our way of doing things 0:01:31.744,0:01:33.706 before they can start work. 0:01:33.706,0:01:37.436 In business, we need to find employees that meet our immediate needs, 0:01:37.436,0:01:39.370 but by the time we've retrained them for six months 0:01:39.370,0:01:40.812 we might as well not have bothered 0:01:40.812,0:01:42.695 - we need something else." 0:01:42.695,0:01:44.890 "With Universality we have our corporate training 0:01:44.890,0:01:46.428 built in to what the students learn, 0:01:46.428,0:01:48.099 so they start with us 0:01:48.099,0:01:51.642 and they've already got the skills and knowledge they need to do a good job, 0:01:51.642,0:01:54.149 instead of a degree in something irrelevant. 0:01:54.149,0:01:55.887 No more graduate trouble makers, 0:01:55.887,0:01:59.023 just good workers ready to start their career with us" 0:01:59.023,0:01:59.553 Our staff... 0:01:59.553,0:02:01.312 I build my reputation and earning power 0:02:01.312,0:02:02.443 through releasing open resources. 0:02:02.443,0:02:04.010 I work with employers to make sure that that students have the right skills. 0:02:04.010,0:02:05.480 DR HEATHER CAMPBELL, ANTHROPOLOGY TUTOR, UNIVERSALITY INC. 0:02:05.480,0:02:10.059 "Working for Universality was a natural result of the popularity of my materials, 0:02:10.090,0:02:14.706 one of my lectures had the highest student and peer satisfaction rating for over two years. 0:02:14.706,0:02:16.934 Now I'm paid based on these ratings 0:02:16.934,0:02:19.311 and I'm reaching millions of students every day." 0:02:19.311,0:02:23.282 "At my level I don't get involved with tutorials or student support, 0:02:23.282,0:02:25.711 unless the student is willing to pay the premium. 0:02:25.711,0:02:28.544 I do a lot of custom stuff for key business partners, 0:02:28.544,0:02:30.779 it's very well paid. 0:02:30.779,0:02:33.003 There were some nice things about the old universities: 0:02:33.003,0:02:35.397 the sense of community, the sense of being a part of history... 0:02:35.397,0:02:38.539 and I quite enjoyed some of the research too. 0:02:38.539,0:02:40.836 But these days I'm recognised as being a good tutor, 0:02:40.836,0:02:45.373 and I've got a huge international profile as one of Universality's rising stars." 0:02:45.373,0:02:46.583 The government... 0:02:46.583,0:02:47.363 we are delighted by the way universality has invigorated the HE market. 0:02:47.363,0:02:49.272 Universality awards accredited UK degrees. 0:02:49.272,0:02:49.928 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CAROLINE SPENCER MP, MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 0:02:49.928,0:02:52.239 "We all loved the Universality concept, 0:02:52.239,0:02:56.288 but it still came as a surprise how quickly it became the dominant mode of teaching. 0:02:56.288,0:02:59.597 Like Spotify did with music in the late noughties, 0:02:59.597,0:03:02.544 it made most business models look antiquated. 0:03:02.544,0:03:05.339 It's hard to believe that in 2010 0:03:05.339,0:03:08.187 there were more than one hundred UK universities 0:03:08.187,0:03:12.209 - these days 71% of undergraduate qualifications worldwide 0:03:12.209,0:03:16.095 are awarded through Universality. 0:03:16.110,0:03:18.315 We were hoping for something like this 0:03:18.315,0:03:22.240 when we seperated degree awarding powers from teaching, back in 2012. 0:03:22.240,0:03:24.967 Some people are worried about a monopoly, 0:03:24.967,0:03:28.864 but why worry when so many students are learning so much 0:03:28.864,0:03:31.121 that could benefit them in their career." 0:03:31.121,0:03:32.180 Our Chief Executive Officer... 0:03:32.180,0:03:32.845 we use open educational resources 0:03:32.845,0:03:33.915 and then charge students for support, testing, and to graduate. 0:03:33.915,0:03:34.984 Our staff costs are low, 0:03:34.984,0:03:35.740 and we make additional revenue via display advertisments and student fees. 0:03:35.740,0:03:36.997 CHARLES VINCENT, VICE-CHANCELLOR/CEO, UNIVERSALITY INC 0:03:36.997,0:03:40.076 "We've built a huge and profitable business, 0:03:40.076,0:03:41.479 with millions of customers. 0:03:41.479,0:03:47.095 It's a huge step away from the amateurism of the old university sector. 0:03:47.095,0:03:50.170 Tutor's roles are now clearly defined, 0:03:50.170,0:03:52.307 and we pay them for what they actually do 0:03:52.307,0:03:54.315 and how much business they attract. 0:03:54.315,0:03:56.020 And were an ethical business 0:03:56.020,0:03:59.128 - we're putting all our materials online for free for anyone to use." 0:03:59.128,0:04:03.273 "We charge students for tutorials, 0:04:03.273,0:04:04.844 for face-to-face activities, 0:04:04.844,0:04:06.753 for exams and graduation , 0:04:06.753,0:04:08.581 and the fees for the last two are reduced 0:04:08.581,0:04:10.861 when they pay for other services. 0:04:10.861,0:04:13.435 But even so, a third of our students just pay for the exams. 0:04:13.435,0:04:17.178 Our Academics are paid to produce materials 0:04:17.178,0:04:19.919 good enough to draw people in to paying for more services." 0:04:19.919,0:04:22.587 "I'm delighted to be a part of this brave new world" 0:04:22.587,0:04:24.887 Universality - the singular college for the connected world. 0:04:24.887,0:04:28.194 this is only one possible picture of higher education in 2030. 0:04:28.209,0:04:30.786 "...we deliver practices that we claim radical, but which simply replicate or re-produce a dominant political economy, in line with the ideology of accepted business models. So that which we claim as innovatory becomes subservient to a dominant mode of production and merely enables institutions to have power- over our products and labour, rather than it being a shared project..witness the desire for HE to become more "business-like" (Richard Hall, De Monfort University) 0:04:30.786,0:04:34.496 It might be that you wouldn't choose to work or to study at Universality. 0:04:34.521,0:04:38.779 The quotes below from Richard Hall and from Jim Groom 0:04:38.821,0:04:42.557 might suggest some areas we may wish to consider. 0:04:42.572,0:04:43.124 if we have an alternative vision. 0:04:43.140,0:04:45.335 "What we have is an economy disinvesting its own workforce from the bottom up in the name of efficiency, cost cutting measures, and productivity - but in the end we're all just fodder for profit-driven system that depends up the exploitation of the many for the wealth of the few". (Jim Groom, University of Mary Washington). 0:04:45.335,0:04:46.699 We have a lot of thinking to do 0:04:46.715,0:04:56.683 "What we have is an economy disinvesting its own workforce from the bottom up in the name of efficiency, cost cutting measures, and productivity - but in the end we're all just fodder for profit-driven system that depends up the exploitation of the many for the wealth of the few."(Jim Groom, University of Mary Washington). 0:04:57.523,0:05:00.030 CREDITS: Universality, Inic. 0:05:00.030,0:05:02.470 Available under a creative commons attribution license. 0:05:02.470,0:05:04.075 Produced by David Kernohan. 0:05:04.075,0:05:06.882 Based on a workshop by David Kernohan, Sheila MacNeil, Heather Price and Li Yuan at ALT-C 2010. 0:05:06.882,0:05:09.757 Cheesy stock photography from the Microsoft Clip Art collection. 0:05:09.757,0:05:11.562 Music by "This Economic Climate" 0:05:11.562,0:05:12.529 The opinions expressed in this film 0:05:12.529,0:05:13.334 may not be those of the organisations and individuals involved. 0:05:13.334,0:05:14.018 Any resemblance to any people, companies or institutions, living or dead, is purely coincidental.