Boardroom Dialogue
Risk or Opportunity: Promoting Learner-Centred Approaches via Non-Standard Entry Routes in Online Education
Date Friday, Nov 29 Time – RoomKoepenick I
Traditional entry requirements based on prior formal learning have long been used to ensure successful course completion. This session will examine the impact of offering non-standard entry routes in online education, exploring the benefits and challenges for students and institutions. Participants from institutions that have implemented these strategies will engage with those interested in the potential effects, discussing shared definitions to transform student opportunities and redefine learning.
Margaret Korosec
Dean of Online and Digital Education, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Margaret Korosec is an innovative, people-centred, and strategic leader recognised for her innovative approach, unwavering commitment to people, and strategic vision in higher education. With a blend of creativity, intentionality, and a holistic systems perspective, she pioneers new pathways for learners in the evolving landscape of education.
As Dean of Online and Digital Education at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, Margaret spearheads initiatives that redefine how education is accessed and experienced. She champions flexible models of education that cater to diverse learner populations and circumstances, advocating for open, online, and part-time provision to ensure inclusivity and accessibility.
At the heart of Margaret’s leadership is a passion for leveraging the convergence of design, technology, and education. She navigates this intersection with finesse and thrives on witnessing how communities flourish. Under her guidance, the University of Leeds is positioned to grow its online and professional learning offer, facilitated by internal and external strategic partnerships.
Prior to her current role, Margaret made significant contributions to the expansion of online education portfolios at the University of Derby Online Learning and Western Governors University (WGU). Her experiences witnessing the transformative power of education on individuals’ lives and communities solidified her dedication to advancing online and flexible learning initiatives.
Margaret’s leadership is defined by her steadfast commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and the non-negotiable pursuit of educational opportunity. She continues to inspire and empower learners, educators, and institutions alike, shaping the future of education with vision and purpose.
Marlies Gration
Head of Content, University of Nottingham
Paul Bacsich
Founder and Managing Director, Matic Media Ltd, United Kingdom
Paul Bacsich is the founder and managing director of Matic Media Ltd, a boutique online learning consultancy active since 1996 in many UK, EU, UNESCO, OECD and international projects (often with global coverage) in such areas as virtual universities, virtual schools, open educational resources policy and practice, cost-effectiveness, digital transformation, benchmarking, and digital quality in higher education. He has specific experience of digital higher education projects in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Thailand, and UK.
He is also CEO of Dualversity, a collective of consultants, and actively involved with start-ups in online learning. From 2018-21 he was Professor of Practice at the University of The West Indies Open Campus. He has also been Professor of Telematics at Sheffield Hallam University and Visiting Professor at the University of Derby Online. He has had senior roles in digital aspects of the UK Open University, the UK e-University, and the Global Campus of Middlesex Univesity, and has been involved with or studied many other online learning providers over the years, including several that have failed, or failed to achieve expectations.
He created the first UK-accredited online microcredential for Teaching Teachers to Teach Online (TTTOL) as a contract from Interhigh, an online K-12 provider in UK. He is currently active again in this area as an analyst (after a 12-year gap) including looking at the lessons that can be drawn from such institutions and the wider K-12 sector for the more efficient running of universities.