More pathways to learning, as ICE increases courses on edX

For almost 150 years, ICE’s purpose has been to provide wide-ranging, open-entry and affordable education that drives societal change and promotes opportunity and fairness. Now, the Institute is expanding access to its learning even further as it strengthens its partnership with the online learning platform edX.

In our connected world, more people than ever have the chance to benefit from learning and discovery – almost five billion people across the globe now have access to the internet. As such, education providers can use a variety of innovative methods to offer learning worldwide. There’s no longer a one-size-fits-all approach.

ICE has been hosting popular online courses alongside its extensive in-person portfolio for 12 years. Students of these courses benefit from a close sense of community between learners and academics. While it’s a proven, successful approach that remains at the Institute’s heart, enabling the broadest possible access to lifelong learning is integral to ICE’s mission.

A first for the University

That’s why, in 2020, ICE launched the University of Cambridge’s first course on edX, a platform that reaches over 50 million learners in every corner of the planet. The Writing for Performance and the Entertainment Industries MicroMasters is a largely self-paced, part-time course that can be studied entirely for free through edX, although learners opting for the paid programme get additional benefits, such as live webinars and access to the final capstone course which includes an essay, an opportunity for peer feedback on writing and an end-of-course test. If accepted onto the MSt in Writing for Performance, the MicroMasters certificate is the equivalent of 30 credits towards the course. Having completed the standard application process, several of the first MicroMasters students are now enrolled on this year’s MSt.

The numbers for ICE’s first foray into edX are dizzying – almost 44,000 learners, aged between 16 and 100, from 150 countries accessed the course. Despite the large cohort, the sense of community among learners persists, with a small group of students currently producing a short film.

Study the principles of finance at your leisure

Alongside the Writing for Performance MicroMasters, now in its second year, is a second ICE offering – a self-paced course called Foundations of Finance. This can then lead to a further two courses which make up a Professional Certificate in Applied Corporate Finance. All of ICE’s courses on edX are pitched at an equivalent level to first-year undergraduate study, and the finance courses are already proving a success, with the first Foundations course attracting almost 5,000 students in its opening months.

Doug Williamson, the tutor leading both Foundations of Finance and Applied Corporate Finance, thinks the courses are well suited to engaging a wide audience through the edX platform: “We try to keep the material as interactive as possible while still allowing students to take part at their convenience. As well as listening to content, there are opportunities for learners to test themselves and contribute to discussions.

"We concentrate on including the essential ‘need-to-know’ information in the pre-recorded material. That releases time to gain the perspectives of a diverse range of people from over 100 countries on topics better suited to discussion. I find that really exciting.”

Leading an ICE course on edX is also a learning experience for Doug, who is a keen student of teaching methods, constantly looking for ways to improve: “I feel that I’m working for a centre of international teaching excellence. I love that we have tutor symposiums at ICE where tutors share ideas and best practice, for example. I learn vast amounts from them.

More courses coming soon

Given the success of its first courses, it’s no surprise that ICE intends to continue expanding its edX portfolio, with news about additional courses on the platform expected soon. The Institute also has many online courses starting throughout the year on its established in-house virtual learning environment, so the choice for learners across the world has never been greater.

Learn more

Find out more about in-house and edX hosted online courses at ICE.

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This article was originally published in the Lent - Easter 2022 issue of Inside ICE.