OpenLearning partners with UNSW to reimagine university Transition Program

UNSW

· OpenLearning and UNSW Sydney have signed a licensing agreement for the delivery of a new Transition Program (Online) for international students.

· The new program is purpose built for online delivery, rather than a ‘lift-and-shift’ implementation of an on-campus program.

· It brings together OpenLearning’s innovation in online delivery and UNSW’s academic expertise to create a student-centric learning community.

UNSW will welcome its first cohort into the new Transition Program (Online), developed in partnership with OpenLearning in early 2021. This four-month program will be delivered by OpenLearning on its purpose-built platform for international students who want to gain entry into UNSW, a top 50 global university.

The new Transition Program (Online) is based on an established on-campus program, offering the same learning and pathway outcomes as its face-to-face counterpart, with a completely different delivery style.

“We’re excited to partner with UNSW Global to set a new standard for online education by reimagining the UNSW Transition Program,” said Adam Brimo, OpenLearning CEO.

“For the first time, we’re combining OpenLearning’s socially constructive and community-driven approach with a teaching model that integrates small group and personalised coaching, continuous portfolio-based assessment and final interviews instead of exams to create a superior learning experience that will thoroughly prepare students to succeed at Australia’s top universities.”

Mr Brimo said that the new Transition Program (Online) provides students with more feedback from teachers and peer interaction than ever before, with a progressive shift from teacher-led to student-led sessions giving students accountability with support. The automatically generated online portfolio allows teachers to track students’ progress throughout the program, making it possible to tailor coaching and support to each student and monitor academic integrity.

OpenLearning’s activity-based learning philosophy was in part inspired by Mr Brimo and co-founder David Collien’s own experiences as undergraduates at UNSW’s School of Computer Science and Engineering. UNSW is proud to be partnering with an Australian-based technology company that is making online learning accessible and engaging for students around the world.

New approach to online learning

UNSW Global first partnered with OpenLearning in May 2020 to launch the online University English Entry Course (UEEC 10). With high student satisfaction and attendance rates for the interactive 10-week course, the development of more online-first courses was a priority for UNSW Global.

“Following the success of UEEC 10 it was clear that Adam and the team at OpenLearning understood how to deliver an online program that was engaging and community-driven, giving students the skills and confidence to take the next step to university,” said Laurie Pearcey, UNSW Global CEO.

“At UNSW, we are passionate about the digital transformation of teaching and learning, as well as the power of community and social engagement. Our partnership with OpenLearning is based on these shared values, and together we are opening up international learning opportunities to more people around the world.”

UNSW’s Transition Program (Online) is set to welcome its first cohort from March 2021.

/Public Release.