Andrew Law

My interest lie in helping new learners move from informal to formal learning, and in particular supporting those with little or no access to traditional formal educational.

I joined the OU in April 09. I now help co-ordinate and develop the OU open (free) educational media strategy and the delivery of that free educational service (see blog or Open Media Unit overview). This service includes our national and international TV and radio broadcasts with the BBC, as well as OpenLearn, YouTube, iTunesU, and FutureLearn activities.

Current Focus

 I feel the OU has two key focus area challenges/opportunities:

Institutional:

• Ensuring we play an active role in the emerging new business of service to learners models in a post MOOC world. This includes  evidenced models for effective institutional OER/free learning/MOOC business models and strategies - ensuring they are articulated, assessed and shared.
• Developing partnerships that deliver sustainable scale and quality in the support of informal learning (including free/OER/MOOC) - see below.

Learner:

• Exploitation of research informed pedagogies/technologies to enhance informal learning including the social layer (peer based support, social networks, reputation) and badging/micro-credentials in accelerating and enhancing informal learner experience.

Previous Work

After leaving Sussex University with qualifications in Development Psychology and Artificial Intelligence I worked for the BBC. For ten years I made TV and radio programmes for the OU (including some of the more popular strands of Science output such as Rough Science – now on Discovery). And for 8 years I was head of e-learning at BBC Worldwide Ltd. I have led teams producing a wide range of www, broadband and mobile including products for Department for International Development and The World Bank Institute (in Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia), literacy materials for Asylum seekers in the UK, and teacher training materials for UK Head teachers via the National College of School Leadership, and executive training for Oracle/Cranfield University.