The Unbundled University, the Market and Digital Technology (FutureLearn)

The Unbundled University, the Market and Digital Technology (FutureLearn)

What is the future of universities? Explore current issues affecting higher education with a course featuring brand new research. Discover the phenomenon of unbundling and how it affects higher education. Market forces and technology are changing the landscape of higher education. This course, a unique collaboration between two leading universities, explores one of the key changes in the context of global inequality: the unbundling of higher education.

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You will learn about the concept of ‘unbundling’ and how the disaggregation of university degrees into component parts is affected by digital technology. You will explore the marketisation of higher education and investigate the implications of unbundling for not only the sector, but different stakeholder groups.

What topics will you cover?

  • The language of unbundling as it relates to higher education provision.
  • Digital technology as an enabler or driver of unbundling.
  • The role of the market in higher education.
  • Mapping the Higher Education Terrain: South Africa and England.
  • Unbundling in the higher education sector.
  • Implications of unbundling for stakeholders.
  • Issues and debates about unbundling and rebundling.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Engage with the language of unbundling as it relates to higher education provision.
  • Evaluate and debate the implications of unbundling of higher education provision for the sector.
  • Explore the role of the market and its impact on higher education provision.
  • Assess the role of digital technology in the process of unbundling of higher education provision.
  • Identify and describe examples of unbundling in different contexts.
  • Identify the key stakeholders impacted by unbundling, and discuss the implications for each stakeholder group.
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