"there is a delicate balance between actions that increase the likelihood of remaining smaller and poorer, and those that enable you to grow and pursue opportunities. It's much harder to consider the opportunity costs of pursuing cost cutting exclusively."
"Overall, the data shows that a decline at the Open University is obscuring some growth, albeit modest in scale, across a number of universities, most notably those that are seriously invested in online undergraduate dprovision and have been for years."
"The first quarter of the year has seen partnerships announced between UK universities and online programme management (OPM) companies. However, this quarter has also provided a trail of evidence that points to several partnerships coming to an end."
"The 2024–25 HESA student data shows the most significant year-on-year increase in TNE distance learning undergraduate degree students over the past decade. The number of students increased by 6%, continuing a trend of year-on-year growth since 2019–20."
"This quarter reflects a number of trends currently shaping the online education landscape in UK higher education..and illustrate the mixed fortunes of UK universities, with some expanding and others making missteps into online education"
This is a really shameful episode, and whoever is in the wrong here, it is not the students who are being asked to repay significant sums of money.
This episode lays bare many things, not least HE policies around distance and online learners. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Large presentation screen at a conference displaying “RIDE 20 YEARS 2026” in bold lettering with a blue gradient background, viewed over a blurred audience seated in the foreground.
It’s been fantastic to be at the 20th Research in Distance Education (RIDE) conference these past couple of days. Lots of great sessions on what’s happening in online learning in the UK and across the world. Great to meet and catch-up with lots of people across the days, here’s to the next one.
Really looking forward to speaking at the CoSector Festival of Technology in Education and Research on the 5th May on the future of the digital learning ecosystem and short courses & microcredentials. You can sign up and register here, tickets are free - www.tickettailor.com/events/cosec...
"The changes caused by AI..may seduce people deeper into current marketing practices with the promise of greater effectiveness...which will increase the opportunity space for differentiated approaches to marketing for online courses."
"while the choices universities face around online course portfolios may lead down different paths, given current and projected needs, developing to better serve a mature student audience..would be a wise investment."
...and for more on the UK HE VLE market you can check out my latest annual analysis - www.neilmosley.com/blog/uk-high...
...for how their products develop (I know people in universities have lots of opinions about that!), and what impact they have when universities are deciding whether to stick with or switch their VLE.
Both these companies have undergone different but significant changes in recent years, and it's now going to be genuinely interesting to observe what these changes will mean...
Having analysed the VLE market in UK HE for many years now, the most obvious big-picture trend has been UK universities switching VLEs from companies like Blackboard and Moodle, which were largely there at the inception of this form of edtech 20+ years ago, to companies that came after them.
This puts an end to a period in the company's history under the Anthology brand, and frankly under a cloud of issues related to debt resulting in a Chapter 11 restructuring process.
In the past couple of days we've had confirmation that Blackboard, the company behind the virtual learning environment (VLE) used by many UK universities, is now an independent company and will be led by returning founder Matthew Pittinsky.
"UK HE's focus on TNE in recent years has been significant, and several institutions have been increasing their student numbers, including those studying through online learning, who made up approx. 21% of total TNE students across all levels in 2024–25."
Check out our team's compendium of interesting things in our February Digital Practice Round Up - inspiringlearning.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2026/03/d... Featuring @neilmosley.bsky.social, @hopkinsdavid.bsky.social, @neilselwyn.bsky.social and @kate-molloy.net
"if it weren't for the substantial increase in international on-campus students...the rise in UK students choosing to study postgraduate degrees online would be a more prominent sector-wide story. This growth has continued in the current reporting cycle "
"Blackboard and Moodle continue to be the most widely used VLEs among large UK higher education providers, but this year has seen a continuation of UK universities selecting Canvas and Brightspace as their new virtual learning enviroments (VLEs)."
"the story of online student enrolment over the last ten years, outside of the pandemic years, has been one of steady, incremental growth. While both undergraduate and PGT student numbers have fluctuated, the trend line for each remains upwards"
Thanks Chris!
Excellent analysis of the UK HE #VLE market by @neilmosley.bsky.social - always worth a read, comprehensive overview of developments through 2025 #Blackboard #Canvas #D2LBrightspace #Moodle www.neilmosley.com/blog/uk-high...
"One of the core financial viability challenges of online sub-degree provision is tight margins..If you’re not set up to offer courses on a regular or predictable basis, these challenges will only be exacerbated."
"the question at the front of my mind is whether online course marketing has become locked into an orthodoxy that is simply exacerbating the challenges of growing competition."
"in the last year there have been a number of developments closely aligned with longer-term trends and patterns, such as the fortunes of companies, and the profile of HE providers adopting particular VLEs"
"What’s clear is that even though there is a greater sense of prioritisation for forms of provision under the lifelong & flexible learning umbrella, universities still have some distance to travel in developing successful and sustainable operations to support it."
"there is a delicate balance between actions that increase the likelihood of remaining perpetually smaller and poorer, and those that enable you to grow income and pursue opportunities, and whatever you think about the LLE, it presents an opportunity." buff.ly/EGeFtWr
