Education Development (ED) was created under the name of University of Manchester Worldwide (UMW) in August 2017 to extend our distinctive world-leading education to a much wider audience - offering a University of Manchester education to those who are unable to study on campus.

As we move into Education 4.0, we are seeing a significant shift in the way that higher education is being delivered, with learning environments becoming increasingly media-rich, interactive and personalised. Through Education Development we are able to develop a much more agile and digitally enhanced approach to learning, helping us to meet the needs and expectations of today’s digitally native students.

Our ethos is no boundaries, no barriers and by working collaboratively with the ED team (made up of expert learning technologists, marketers and advisors), academics have the opportunity to transform their course content into a variety of high-quality multimedia resources.

Investing in the development of premium online teaching materials will allow us to ease access to and remove barriers from learning, whether studying on campus or through online and blended delivery. This is an opportunity for us to radically rethink our approach to delivering education and broaden the opportunity for students, wherever they live and work, to benefit from a University of Manchester education.

Education Development offers the full range of services that will support you from the first stage of proposing your course as a distance learning option through to course delivery and launch. Our services include:

• Market insight - assessing the current market for your programme including competitors, market share, demand, price etc.
• Marketing and recruitment - development of a full suite of marketing assets such as website, brochures, videos, student and academic testimonials, and social media adverts
• Admissions (in association with the School) - dedicated Student Support Advisor who is the first point of contact for non-academic student enquiries
• Course materials development including advice on learning design, the creation of reading materials, interactive learning materials, multimedia resources, a reading list and the latest digital approaches to assessment and feedback
• Tailored Student Support for online students to ensure that they are able to navigate seamlessly through their academic journey

Further details on the full range of services are available in the Meet the Team page.

Education Development reflects the values of the University, great people doing great things, as well as our Teaching and Learning goals for providing a transformative student experience and preparing graduates for lifelong and flexible learning. The decision to develop online, blended learning without using a commercial partner allows us to decide on the pedagogical approach adopted, to develop our own design templates, and to retain ownership of our IP. Education Development has adopted a dynamic approach to online learning drawing on constructivist methodologies. This well-established approach emphasises the importance of dialogue between the teacher and student, and peer-to-peer interaction.

See the Our Courses section of the website for full details on the courses currently offered through TNE.

Digital technology gives us new ways of enhancing the student experience. High quality digital learning environments are increasingly becoming the norm and are now employed from Primary education onwards. Education Development is focused on meeting the needs of students who expect their learning environment to be increasingly media-rich, interactive and personalised. In addition, online learning is aligned with the University's strategy for lifelong and flexible learning, as well as our Sustainable Development Goals to reduce our carbon footprint. Further details are available in the Why work with us page.

By working collaboratively with Education Development and our team of expert learning technologists, you’ll have the opportunity to transform your course materials into a variety of high-quality multimedia resources. Materials developed for off-campus students studying at a distance can also be repurposed to improve the experience for on-campus students.

In the first instance it’s important to consider whether your course can be delivered as an online or blended learning programme of study. Market demand is also an important factor; through Education Development, the Marketing and Recruitment team will provide support in order to determine the potential level of demand for your subject. To be considered for development, courses should also have the potential to generate significant market demand both nationally and internationally. As you might expect, we are particularly keen to focus on areas of teaching that demonstrate the University’s academic strengths and align with our Research Beacons. Education Development will also take into account how your subject area fits in with the existing portfolio of courses on offer.

The majority of courses can successfully be converted into an online or blended learning course. There are some instances where laboratory work may be required as part of the assessment, however, in most cases it is likely that students will be working in industry and will have access to the required equipment.

The process of developing a new course with Education Development is outlined in the Education Development handbook. A summary of the process timeline is also included.

The University's global centres in Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore give students the opportunity to experience The University of Manchester outside our city. Our global hubs also offer students a space to study, collaborate and network, as well as hosting workshops and conferences as part of our blended courses.

The team is led by Colette Cooke, Head of Education Development in the Division of Student and Academic Services, and Ang Davies, Academic theme lead for Lifelong Learning and Education Development. For details of all members of the Education Development team, visit the Meet the Team page.

If you would like any more information or are interested in developing a course with us, please email educationdevelopment@manchester.ac.uk.