On Saturday I attended the Anglia Ruskin University presentation ceremony (along with Tim, Colin, Ken, Mark, and Lindsey) for the Faculty of Education where the Ultraversity Ba (Hons), Learning, Technology and Research degree programme sits for quality assurance purposes. Well done the trail blazing six student researchers who graduated!

It is worth reflecting a moment on what these and the other cohort 1 researchers have achieved on a degree programme that is wholly online, uses action research methodology in the workplace, and can be completed in three years.

– achieved impressive results when judged against undergraduate assessment criteria
– demonstrated an alternative model for undergraduate learning that uses the workplace as the focus of study using action research methodology
– demonstrated how Higher Education can be made accessible to groups who through work and life commitments would otherwise find it very difficult to study
– used online learning communities and ICT as an enabling and empowering technology
– had significant impact on their workplaces
– used an approach to assessment that uses ‘patchwork’ presentation supports an assessment for learning approach
– pushed Higher Educational work practices to change – teaching and learning, student administration, the use of empowering software…

For individuals there will be many more things that could be added to the lists such as becoming critically reflective problem solvers, etc…