The document summarizes a conference on the theme "Taking the Craic: Inception to Infinity and Back Again". The conference will discuss higher education's journey from its early stages (inception) to its constantly evolving future (infinity). It will explore three topics: 1) digital debates around access, quality and costs of education, 2) competing narratives about the future of learning, and 3) transforming institutional cultures with openness, data and networks. The conference aims to navigate challenges in an environment of rapid change and help resilience through adaptation. It will be held in Dublin in 2019.

1. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Professor Mark Brown
Dublin City University
@mbrownz

2. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz

3. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Conference theme…
Inception signifies the beginning of the journey, where we have come
from. It recognises the early stages of the learning journey.
Infinity simply means that we are not there yet. Where will our
changing environment take us to next? How can we best utilise the
different technologies to meet societies increasing needs for ongoing
education?
@mbrownz

4. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz

5. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz
Inception Infinity
• Ti kōuka
• Cabbage Tree
• Cordyline australis

6. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz
• Ti kōuka
• Cabbage Tree
• Cordyline australis
Inception Back Again

7. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz

9. @mbrownz

12. A wide range of
industry sectors
are located in Ireland
9 out of 10
Global IT Corporations
Global Pharmaceutical Corporations
Top Games Companies
Top 10
“Born on the Internet” companies
More than 50%
World’s Leading Financial Services
12 out of 15
Global Medical Device companies
9 out of 10
3 out of top 6
Knowledge Capital
Dublin

14. 2019 Conference
Dublin

15. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz
Back Again

16. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz
1. Digital debates
2. Learning narratives
3. Transformative cultures

17. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz

18. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz

19. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz

20. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz
2007
https://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/carpe/eportfolio_report.pdf

21. Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again
Taking the Craic:
Inception to Infinity and Back Again@mbrownz
The
light comes
through the
cracks

22. 1. Digital debates

23. Access
Quality
Cost
Sir John Daniel
Iron
Triangle

29. Off Campus
in Class
Off Campus
out of Class
On Campus
in Class
Acquisition
Participation
On Campus
out of Class
Physical Virtual
Digital
Leakage

30. 2015
No Significant
Difference

31. 2016

33. Access
Quality
Cost
Sir John Daniel
Iron
Triangle

39. Who should
pay for the cost
of higher education?

40. OECD (2017) Education at a Glance
Ireland
New Zealand

41. 2.7%

42. “There is also almost no understanding of the
private and social [public] benefits of distance and
online education in comparison with those of face-to-
face education” (Rumble, 2014, p.208).
Rumble, G. (2014). The costs and economics of online distance education (pp. 197-216). In O. Zawacki-Richter & T. Anderson
(Eds.). Online distance education: Towards a research agenda. Athabasca: AU Press.

43. Access
Quality
Cost
Sir John Daniel
Iron
Triangle

45. “It will not be possible to satisfy the rising
demand for Higher Education, especially in
developing countries, by relying on traditional
approaches.”
(Sir John Daniel, 2013)
Past President,
Commonwealth of Learning;
Previous Vice-Chancellor,
UK Open University

51. Jansen, D., & Schuwer, R. (2015). Institutional MOOC strategies in Europe Status report based on a mapping survey
conducted in October - December 2014. EADTU – HOME project. Available from
http://eadtu.eu/documents/Publications/OEenM/Institutional_MOOC_strategies_in_Europe.pdf

55. “As a country we have
everything to gain and nothing
to lose by increasing levels of
participation in higher
education among all Irish
citizens” (2015, p. i)

57. What role should
governments play in
shaping the future of
flexible learning?
Policy Question…

58. 2. Learning narratives

59. “An educational change is neither natural nor
normal, constant nor common as it involves a
deeper struggle over who will win control of
the curriculum” [future] (Evans, 1996, p.25).

60. The Language
of Disruptive
Innovation

63. “It is theory that
decides what we can observe”

64. Knowledge Economy
• Threat
• Unbundling
• Re-imagination
Crisis •
Disruption •
Democratization •
TWO MAJOR WORLDVIEWS
DIGITAL
FUTURES

65. “And we’ve got to bring on the competition — open the
schoolhouse doors and let parents choose the best school for
their children. Education reformers call this school choice, charter
schools, vouchers, even opportunity scholarships. I call it competition
— the American way.”
Donald Trump, in
his book “The
America We
Deserve”

66. Knowledge Economy
• Threat
• Unbundling
• Re-imagination
Crisis •
Disruption •
Democratization •
TWO MAJOR WORLDVIEWS
Knowledge Society
DIGITAL
FUTURES

67. “Higher education has a crucial role to play in laying the foundations of
a society that is more inclusive, participatory and
equal...” The President said “…the role of the university in
enabling citizens to develop the tools to address the great challenges
of our time – global poverty, climate change and
sustainability – was vital.

68. Global Attitudes Project, Pew Research, 2011
http://www.pewglobal.org/2011/11/17/the-american-western-european-values-gap/
The American-Western European Values Gap

70. Education
in
Change
Education
for
Change
Navigating Through Entangled Narratives

77. What are the preferred
learning scenarios [narratives]
for the future of higher education?

78. “Resilience requires
adaptation and evolution to new
environmental conditions, but retains core identity”
(Weller & Anderson, 2013, p.55).

79. STEP 1:
Identify the major trends and change forces

80. • Globalisation
• Population mobility
• Demographic changes
• Changing nature of work
• Growing demand for higher education
STEP 1:
Identify the major trends and change forces

81. • Openness movement
• Unbundling movement
• Impact of AI on education
• Impact of BIG data on education
• Rising costs of higher education
STEP 1:
Identify the major trends and change forces

82. STEP 1:
Identify the major trends and change forces
STEP 2:
Identify the high impact (critical) uncertainties
STEP 3:
Create the axes of uncertainty
STEP 4:
Develop the scenario characteristics for each quadrant

83. Disruptive Business Models
Conventional Business Models
StandardisedOfferings
CustomisedOfferings
Scenario 3 Scenario 4
Scenario 1 Scenario 2

84. The Future Challenge Scenarios…
• Oldish University
• Newish University
• Resource University
• Expansive University
• Alliance University
• Data Driven University
• Outsource University

96. Watch this Space

97. 3. Transformative cultures

100. http://dcufuse.ie

104. www.discourse.org

111. A conclusion is the place
where you got tired of thinking
Finally…

113. Go raibh maith
agaibh!
Thank you
@mbrownz

114. Professor Mark Brown - PhD
Director, National Institute for Digital Learning
www.dcu.ie/nidlmark.brown@dcu.ie
@mbrownz
www.slideshare.net/mbrownz