The Ultraversity Degree Creating a new online degree for people already occupied full time... who want to stay that way, but want to study too.	Read FAQs here Register interest in the degree here Personnel - degree info here Ask a question here or email: cohort2@ultralab.net
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	The context that you learn in, and research, for this degree will always be what you do, day to day... ...and that can mean anything from being a mum to being an Olympic athlete, from a play assistant in primary school to a foyer assistant in at West End play, from a school ICT technician to a corporate network manager
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NEWS RELEASE:

Ultraversity project
Radical new approach to undergraduate degrees

On April 14th 2003 Ultralab is announcing a radical new approach to undergraduate degrees. We have started from a clean sheet of paper, and a lot of experience. We will be announcing a new action research based, on-line degree for the many people that current university provision doesn't suit: this is our Ultraversity project.

These new degrees can be completed in three years, just like any full time degree, but we expect our students to stay in their jobs, or their contexts, full time too. Thanks to recent changes in government regulations, for many students there should be exemptions from fees for these full time on-line degrees although some may be liable for the minimum allowed level of tuition fees. There are no other costs levied.

Everyone knows someone who could have studied at university but for some reason or other didn't get there. Money, job, commitments, finance... but it is clear that a mass of talent is lost through this. We agree with the current target for HE provision to grow to 50% by 2010, indeed believe that it is underambitious.

"However, such a level of participation requires a re-examination of the nature and range of degree courses which we offer."
Charles Clarke, 22 January.

To achieve this target something radical is needed, rather than a dilution or variation of existing practice. The Ultraversity project announced on April 14th is that “something radical”. Ministers have made public their confidence in a higher education system that is built around diverse institutions pursuing excellence in different ways. The Ultraversity initiative aims to contribute to that diversity by building these new undergraduate programmes in partnership with other universities.

It's fair to say that around the world a vast amount of on-line learning has been disappointing, or worse. Too often it is seen as a cheaper, faster or easier way of "delivering" learning. You will be aware that many e-learning university initiatives around the world have failed, having collapsed from failed business plans or because they were not what students wanted; "death by a thousand downloads" as one student put it.

Ultralab has vast experience of on-line learning and of building delightful. seductive learning experiences for substantial numbers of learners: we helped build what was then the largest internet learning project in the world (Tesco SchoolNet 2000), we built the huge on-line community of the UK's head teachers (Talking Heads) and the on-line course that all aspiring head teachers must now complete (the National Professional Qualification for Headship). We built the prototype for the University for Industry (OnLine Learning Network) and we built the remarkable Notschool.net our virtual school for the many long term excludeds, where the current accreditation rate is up from around zero (before they joined) to the 99% of those in Notschool.

The key characteristics of these new Ultraversity project degrees are:

	you study what you do: a young mum studies everything from child development to early years education, an ICT technician in school studies learning alongside technology;
	the core of the degree is action research;
	the degree ends with each student building an exhibition of their action research - and these exhibitions will be in schools and libraries and other communal spaces;
	a national network of "experts" including many retired people, will contribute their wisdom and experience to the learners' community
	the learning and research completed by Ultraversity project students will grow into a substantial body of ideas and work for future students to build on too;
	Ultralab will be working with a number of universities to pioneer this new degree, but the first 500 students will be registered with Anglia Polytechnic University;
	the degree is entirely on-line, with 24 hour access, 365 days per year. On-line students won't find a mass of pre-designed"content" but will find support, ideas, help and a community of practice built by the many others also engaged in action research in this way;
	the degree builds on the expertise you have and progresses it.

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