The Evolution of MOOCs: FutureLearn and PSU - A conversation with Mark Lester and Rose Cameron

Now that the “over-excited breathless rhetoric” has calmed down, how should we look at MOOCs at Penn State? Content marketing? Tapas trial of courses? The next generation of corporate or continuing education? The ability to extend our subject’s message to a new audience? A living laboratory to try out new pedagogy or function? The cheapest place to audit the competition?

In this COIL Conversation with Mark Lester, Director of Partnership Development for FutureLearn (UK), and Rose Cameron, OOE Director of Innovation, discuss how massive online learning is evolving. Their discourse also covers how universities (including Penn State), corporations and students are leveraging online education as a means by which to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving world.

As one of the founders of FutureLearn, the UK’s pioneering massive open online course platform, Mark Lester has been responsible for building and deepening partnership with many of the foremost UK and international universities, professional bodies and global corporations. FutureLearn’s purpose is to open up incredible lifelong learning opportunities to people across the world. FutureLearn is redefining social learning, bringing disruption to corporate learning and driving digital innovation in higher education. Currently, Mark directs partner development and new commercial strategies with over 70 university and corporate partners.

As Director of Innovation for Outreach and Online Education, Rose Cameron is responsible for building a student-centered innovation culture. She works internally and externally to research innovative methods, broker the right conversations with the right university partners and develop the teams to facilitate transformative projects. She’s been known to say, “It’s my job to open the windows and let in the fresh air.”