Peter Scott, OU Professor of Knowledge Media, has the sort of job many would envy. "I'm only allowed to work on technologies that are currently impossible and make them possible," he says. From interactive e-books to apps that supply real-time information, his remit is to think big and devise technology that's so instinctive, students won't even be aware they're using it.
In the OU's "Galapagos: A Virtual Field Trip" iBook, for example, students can explore the genetics of the islands through video-driven narrative. But Scott isn't going to stop there. One of his current projects aims to transform interactive books into a social, shared experience. Collaboration – with immediate peers or a wider community – can be highly motivating for individual students; and technology could be used to seamlessly tap into peer learning and feed back to learners. "People like learning together – it makes sense to develop resources that aren't closed."
A logical next step for peer learning is to make use of the busy and numerous communications between vast numbers of students enrolled in Moocs (massive open online courses) – and this is something OU technology has begun to realise. "We want to be able to capture live and very interactive sessions with thousands of students and share it seamlessly with them in a useful way."
One problem with existing technology is that users become lost as they weave between resources. "We want to make the actual learning – the maths or physics or history – the challenge, not the way you navigate through it," says Scott. His ultimate dream is a single, virtual book – "the only book you will ever need" – that can deliver, wrap and record an individual's learning as and when they need it.
Such a concept would ultimately incorporate many emerging technologies, such as geolocated learning. "Where you are, how fast you are travelling, which direction you're looking in – it might all be relevant to what you're learning and we could draw on that," says Scott. "All your interactions could sit on your virtual shelf."
As the technological "packaging" improves, so does the content itself, as academics begin to understand what is possible, Scott believes. At a simple level, an illustration on a page becomes a virtual scientific exercise. "This empowers academics to produce really cool resources. And if it impossible this morning, then it's my job to make it work this afternoon."
New technologies coming your way
● Internet of things: technology that enables workplace tools to have an "identity" and "talk to you" via the internet. A simple application might be in aircraft maintenance, says Scott – where your toolbox "knows" you have returned everything correctly.
● Learning analytics: will enable students and institutions to monitor student engagement and progress. A student will get a clearer picture of what they are learning and how, and institutions will pick up quickly on emerging problems. "All universities are starting to crunch data to help students do better," says Scott.
● Instant data visualisation: OU researchers are investigating how to map the live debates in the UK's 2015 election, for instance – thereby rendering complex promises into a visual "social argument", more open to public scrutiny.
