Neil Mosley
@neilmosley.bsky.social
Higher education consultant specialising in online learning, distance learning, learning design & edtech. Fellow at the Centre for Online and Distance Education, University of London.
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Neil Mosley
@neilmosley.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Online learning, edtech and learning design insight, analysis and opinion — Neil Mosley Consulting
Containing the latest professional insight, analysis and opinion on online learning, distance learning, digital education, edtech and learning design.
www.neilmosley.com
It's been great to connect with more and more people arriving here...if any of my new followers have a keen interest in online learning with a UK higher education focus, then please sign up to my newsletter here. www.neilmosley.com/blog
"With a growing number of UK universities entering or considering online education as part of their diversification strategy, now is a timely moment to reflect on the current state of the OPM market and the key players operating in UK higher education."
UK Higher Education OPM Market: A review of trends, developments, and key players — Neil Mosley Consulting
Reviews trends, developments, and key players in the UK OPM market, examining competition, capability gaps, and universities’ strategies in online programmes.
www.neilmosley.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:01 AM
"With a growing number of UK universities entering or considering online education as part of their diversification strategy, now is a timely moment to reflect on the current state of the OPM market and the key players operating in UK higher education."
"When this government manages to snap out of what feels like an extended political version of The Play That Goes Wrong, it would be wise to give more serious consideration to the role online learning can play in its agenda." www.neilmosley.com/blog/2025-q3... #onlinelearning #onlineeducation
2025 Q3 Review: Online learning developments in UK higher educatio — Neil Mosley Consulting
Explore the latest Q3 2025 developments in UK higher education and online learning, from TEF policy changes and the LLE to new university partnerships, online course launches, and the University of…
www.neilmosley.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:02 AM
"When this government manages to snap out of what feels like an extended political version of The Play That Goes Wrong, it would be wise to give more serious consideration to the role online learning can play in its agenda." www.neilmosley.com/blog/2025-q3... #onlinelearning #onlineeducation
"While some EdTech companies position their advantage as offering a prompt-free interface that doesn't rely on prompting skills, this also needs to be underpinned by confidence that the company has a nuanced & sophisticated understanding of learning and teaching."
Are AI-driven EdTech developments improving learning in higher education? — Neil Mosley Consulting
Are AI-driven EdTech developments really improving learning in higher education, or just focussed on boosting efficiency?
www.neilmosley.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:01 AM
"While some EdTech companies position their advantage as offering a prompt-free interface that doesn't rely on prompting skills, this also needs to be underpinned by confidence that the company has a nuanced & sophisticated understanding of learning and teaching."
"one wonders what the impact would be if UK students had greater options and more explicit and deliberate flexibility within a campus anchored undergraduate degree"
Is it time for the UK to develop split-mode undergraduate degrees? — Neil Mosley Consulting
A look at why online undergraduate education has developed so differently in the US and UK, and whether it’s time for UK universities to explore split-mode degrees.
www.neilmosley.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"one wonders what the impact would be if UK students had greater options and more explicit and deliberate flexibility within a campus anchored undergraduate degree"
"as things stand, disaggregation of online degree provision is happening largely at PGT level, and given the current online student market and the exclusionary nature of the LLE for online education, I would not expect this to change anytime soon"
2025 Q3 Review: Online learning developments in UK higher educatio — Neil Mosley Consulting
Explore the latest Q3 2025 developments in UK higher education and online learning, from TEF policy changes and the LLE to new university partnerships, online course launches, and the University of…
www.neilmosley.com
October 12, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"as things stand, disaggregation of online degree provision is happening largely at PGT level, and given the current online student market and the exclusionary nature of the LLE for online education, I would not expect this to change anytime soon"
Reposted by Neil Mosley
“UK higher education sometimes feels as though it’s trying to work out how to make horses go faster, rather than exploring more counterintuitive, behaviourally informed research methods to improve and innovate the experience.” A very interesting read
"There is a certain orthodoxy in how the sector builds a case for doing something new or different, and it tends to be overly reliant on user (student) research focused on asking people what they want."
Is it time for the UK to develop split-mode undergraduate degrees? — Neil Mosley Consulting
A look at why online undergraduate education has developed so differently in the US and UK, and whether it’s time for UK universities to explore split-mode degrees.
www.neilmosley.com
October 9, 2025 at 7:13 AM
“UK higher education sometimes feels as though it’s trying to work out how to make horses go faster, rather than exploring more counterintuitive, behaviourally informed research methods to improve and innovate the experience.” A very interesting read
"There is a certain orthodoxy in how the sector builds a case for doing something new or different, and it tends to be overly reliant on user (student) research focused on asking people what they want."
Is it time for the UK to develop split-mode undergraduate degrees? — Neil Mosley Consulting
A look at why online undergraduate education has developed so differently in the US and UK, and whether it’s time for UK universities to explore split-mode degrees.
www.neilmosley.com
October 9, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"There is a certain orthodoxy in how the sector builds a case for doing something new or different, and it tends to be overly reliant on user (student) research focused on asking people what they want."
"What has been evident this quarter is a more concentrated focus on developing propositions and courses that align with the prevailing narrative of recent years, education as a utility for professional development and skills, particularly in short forms."
2025 Q3 Review: Online learning developments in UK higher educatio — Neil Mosley Consulting
Explore the latest Q3 2025 developments in UK higher education and online learning, from TEF policy changes and the LLE to new university partnerships, online course launches, and the University of…
www.neilmosley.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:01 AM
"What has been evident this quarter is a more concentrated focus on developing propositions and courses that align with the prevailing narrative of recent years, education as a utility for professional development and skills, particularly in short forms."
"Universities face various questions when starting to develop a portfolio of online courses and degrees. One key decision … is whether to establish a separate online arm with dedicated functions and responsibility for new degrees and, potentially, legacy ones."
Separate or embedded? Strategic choices for universities in online education — Neil Mosley Consulting
Universities face key decisions in developing online education, from whether to set up a dedicated online arm and brand to how to align operations for a different student audience.
www.neilmosley.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:01 AM
"Universities face various questions when starting to develop a portfolio of online courses and degrees. One key decision … is whether to establish a separate online arm with dedicated functions and responsibility for new degrees and, potentially, legacy ones."
"For Coursera, the challenge is one of credibility, not just growing learner numbers, but proving that its courses and credentials translate into meaningful skills and workplace impact."
Analysing Coursera: global growth, university dynamics and the road ahead — Neil Mosley Consulting
Analysing Coursera’s growth, partnerships, product strategy and challenges as it shifts to career-focused, skills-based learning.
www.neilmosley.com
October 4, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"For Coursera, the challenge is one of credibility, not just growing learner numbers, but proving that its courses and credentials translate into meaningful skills and workplace impact."
"With the summer behind us, it’s time to look back at some key developments in the last quarter in UK higher education, and online education in particular..there has been no shortage of relevant and noteworthy developments over the past quarter" www.neilmosley.com/blog/2025-q3...
October 2, 2025 at 7:12 AM
"With the summer behind us, it’s time to look back at some key developments in the last quarter in UK higher education, and online education in particular..there has been no shortage of relevant and noteworthy developments over the past quarter" www.neilmosley.com/blog/2025-q3...
"A challenge..is the extent to which EdTech companies and their products can genuinely offer distinct benefits over general-purpose generative AI tools for many of the functions they are developing."
Are AI-driven EdTech developments improving learning in higher education? — Neil Mosley Consulting
Are AI-driven EdTech developments really improving learning in higher education, or just focussed on boosting efficiency?
www.neilmosley.com
October 1, 2025 at 7:02 AM
"A challenge..is the extent to which EdTech companies and their products can genuinely offer distinct benefits over general-purpose generative AI tools for many of the functions they are developing."
"It would be obvious to point to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)..as a stimulus..but it would be easy to overstate its impact...The funding is focused on disaggregated UG provision, which has minimal presence in the UK HE lifelong learning landscape."
Are UK universities getting serious about lifelong learning? — Neil Mosley Consulting
Discover how lifelong learning is taking shape in UK higher education, with examples of university initiatives, policy drivers, and operational challenges.
www.neilmosley.com
September 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
"It would be obvious to point to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)..as a stimulus..but it would be easy to overstate its impact...The funding is focused on disaggregated UG provision, which has minimal presence in the UK HE lifelong learning landscape."
"AI features are reshaping established EdTech products used by universities, while a wide array of consumer AI technologies are being adopted personally by students and staff alike."
Are AI-driven EdTech developments improving learning in higher education? — Neil Mosley Consulting
Are AI-driven EdTech developments really improving learning in higher education, or just focussed on boosting efficiency?
www.neilmosley.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:29 PM
"AI features are reshaping established EdTech products used by universities, while a wide array of consumer AI technologies are being adopted personally by students and staff alike."
"Coursera is moving toward a competency-based education model in which the unit of organisation is not a degree title like “data science” but the job role itself. Skills, knowledge, and assessments are mapped directly to the realities of that role."
Analysing Coursera: global growth, university dynamics and the road ahead — Neil Mosley Consulting
Analysing Coursera’s growth, partnerships, product strategy and challenges as it shifts to career-focused, skills-based learning.
www.neilmosley.com
September 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"Coursera is moving toward a competency-based education model in which the unit of organisation is not a degree title like “data science” but the job role itself. Skills, knowledge, and assessments are mapped directly to the realities of that role."
Reposted by Neil Mosley
A very timely post from @neilmosley.bsky.social on online Uni's, reaffirming what I've been saying about the need to consider online fully (and properly) and not try and shoehorn it into an existing structure & workload: www.neilmosley.com/blog/separat...
Separate or embedded? Strategic choices for universities in online education — Neil Mosley Consulting
Universities face key decisions in developing online education, from whether to set up a dedicated online arm and brand to how to align operations for a different student audience.
www.neilmosley.com
September 23, 2025 at 8:18 AM
A very timely post from @neilmosley.bsky.social on online Uni's, reaffirming what I've been saying about the need to consider online fully (and properly) and not try and shoehorn it into an existing structure & workload: www.neilmosley.com/blog/separat...
" while the choices universities face in operationalising their online course portfolios may lead them down different paths, given projected needs, developing to better serve a mature student audience, motivated by professional dev., would be a wise investment."
Separate or embedded? Strategic choices for universities in online education — Neil Mosley Consulting
Universities face key decisions in developing online education, from whether to set up a dedicated online arm and brand to how to align operations for a different student audience.
www.neilmosley.com
September 23, 2025 at 7:00 AM
" while the choices universities face in operationalising their online course portfolios may lead them down different paths, given projected needs, developing to better serve a mature student audience, motivated by professional dev., would be a wise investment."
"The shift towards a portfolio focused on careers and employment presents a fundamental challenge for universities, both in being desirable partners that can align with this shift and in facing the competition Coursera presents as an alternative study destination."
Analysing Coursera: global growth, university dynamics and the road ahead — Neil Mosley Consulting
Analysing Coursera’s growth, partnerships, product strategy and challenges as it shifts to career-focused, skills-based learning.
www.neilmosley.com
September 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"The shift towards a portfolio focused on careers and employment presents a fundamental challenge for universities, both in being desirable partners that can align with this shift and in facing the competition Coursera presents as an alternative study destination."
"Some university short course webpages are among the best examples you’ll find anywhere of pages most likely to achieve a 100% bounce rate — countless examples lack the basics students need: pricing, start dates, time commitment, duration and eligibility criteria."
What UK universities need to do differently to succeed with online microcredentials — Neil Mosley Consulting
Explores how UK universities can succeed with online microcredentials, highlighting challenges, needed capabilities, investment, and strategies for growth.
www.neilmosley.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"Some university short course webpages are among the best examples you’ll find anywhere of pages most likely to achieve a 100% bounce rate — countless examples lack the basics students need: pricing, start dates, time commitment, duration and eligibility criteria."
What could be better than learning about The Beatles online from the University of Liverpool...
#onlinelearning #onlineeducation #highereducation
buff.ly/3pzbPyO?
#onlinelearning #onlineeducation #highereducation
buff.ly/3pzbPyO?
University’s Beatles MA returns in distance-learning format - University of Liverpool News
University’s Beatles MA returns in distance-learning format
buff.ly
September 17, 2025 at 12:15 PM
What could be better than learning about The Beatles online from the University of Liverpool...
#onlinelearning #onlineeducation #highereducation
buff.ly/3pzbPyO?
#onlinelearning #onlineeducation #highereducation
buff.ly/3pzbPyO?
"Given everything happening in UK HE, and the increasingly competitive nature of the online education market, the international TNE online market is only going to become more important." www.neilmosley.com/blog/interna... #onlinelearning #onlineeducation #highereducation
International online students in UK higher education: What the 2023–24 TNE data reveals — Neil Mosley Consulting
Analyses 2023–24 TNE data, showing growth in international online undergraduates but a drop in PGTs, highlighting UK HE’s shifting global student trends.
www.neilmosley.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:01 AM
"Given everything happening in UK HE, and the increasingly competitive nature of the online education market, the international TNE online market is only going to become more important." www.neilmosley.com/blog/interna... #onlinelearning #onlineeducation #highereducation
"Universities face various questions when starting to develop a portfolio of online courses and degrees. One key decision … is whether to establish a separate online arm with dedicated functions and responsibility for new degrees and, potentially, legacy ones."
Separate or embedded? Strategic choices for universities in online education — Neil Mosley Consulting
Universities face key decisions in developing online education, from whether to set up a dedicated online arm and brand to how to align operations for a different student audience.
www.neilmosley.com
September 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"Universities face various questions when starting to develop a portfolio of online courses and degrees. One key decision … is whether to establish a separate online arm with dedicated functions and responsibility for new degrees and, potentially, legacy ones."
Big news in UK higher education this morning with the news that University of Greenwich and University of Kent are set to merge - would not be surprised to see more of this in the next 12 months - www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Greenwich and Kent announce merger to form 'super-university'
Universities are facing ongoing financial worries, with the regulator saying other mergers could follow.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 10, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Big news in UK higher education this morning with the news that University of Greenwich and University of Kent are set to merge - would not be surprised to see more of this in the next 12 months - www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
“Lifelong learning feels as though it’s becoming less peripheral. A number of universities are investing in new institutes, short course platforms, and flexible offerings, but the real challenge is whether they can make it sustainable.”
Are UK universities getting serious about lifelong learning? — Neil Mosley Consulting
Discover how lifelong learning is taking shape in UK higher education, with examples of university initiatives, policy drivers, and operational challenges.
www.neilmosley.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:00 AM
“Lifelong learning feels as though it’s becoming less peripheral. A number of universities are investing in new institutes, short course platforms, and flexible offerings, but the real challenge is whether they can make it sustainable.”
Great to see more conferences on online education springing up in the UK - this Friday 12 September it's the inaugural CROPSNet Conference on the topic of "Driving Progress in Online Postgraduate Taught Education". It's a free, hybrid (in-person & online) conference
www.cropsnet.org/cropsnet-con...
www.cropsnet.org/cropsnet-con...
CROPSNet - CROPSNet Conference
The inaugural CROPSNet Conference will take place on Friday the 12th of September 2025 between 09:30-17:00.
It will be a hybrid conference hosted at the Sir Michael Uren Hub in Imperial's White City C...
www.cropsnet.org
September 9, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Great to see more conferences on online education springing up in the UK - this Friday 12 September it's the inaugural CROPSNet Conference on the topic of "Driving Progress in Online Postgraduate Taught Education". It's a free, hybrid (in-person & online) conference
www.cropsnet.org/cropsnet-con...
www.cropsnet.org/cropsnet-con...