FL have always been open about the fact that they are learning as they go, and I think they have been upfront about what is being launched today. Like many, I’d have loved to have seen the platform and looked at the way some of the pedagogic assumptions that Mike Sharples has been talking about have been implemented. But we will have plenty of time to look at that as the courses themselves begin to launch and we can see them work in practice with learners.

Just seen this fascinating post from regular Australian MOOC commentator Kate Bowles: http://musicfordeckchairs.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/for-all-to-understand/

She raises a very interesting point about language and global education… I wonder if others had any thoughts on this?

David

From my perspective, the information has been consistent from the beginning: in December of 2012, Martin Bean delivered a podcast, where he announced the creation of FutureLearn, and offered that those who want to be engaged should make contact.  Since then, reports have been enthusiastic, discussing which institutions had joined, etc., but they always seemed to be in the future tense, e.g., “sign up for courses, which will be available …”.  The regular offerings for the coming term with the OU don’t start up until October, so the connection, to me, seems clear: some of these courses will begin with the familiar OU starting point, and then FutureLearn will stagger new courses in.  I’ve looked at the blog, and there were discussions about its creation, the offerings which will be available, the alpha testing, the result of the alpha testing, the beta testing, etc. and now this launch of the platform all seems to be within the realm of what was stated and promised.  There are OER services out here which repeatedly make promises and then revise the time frames, but it seems to me here that FutureLearn and the OU have been both consistent and enthusiastic (so maybe it was the press officer or the journalist;).

Regards,

Frank

Hi Patrina,

Thanks for the update – FutureLearn as platform as opposed to FutureLearn as a brand for the courses on the platform is a distinction I hadn’t made.

In addition I suspect it was the journalist at the BBC who misrepresented it this morning as I drove into work – 20 courses now available from UK Universities – either that or an enthusiastic press officer.

Note that the focus of this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24109190 is on courses not the platform, so the error seems endemic. That level of consistency makes me think it is the press office who are spinning it that way.

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