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While higher ed is a "platform" and not a business, DeMillo posits that we can see the marketplace finding a bypass around universities that have not truly focused on differentiation or embraced openness, states 3 "economic realities" that shows the middle tier of universities (vast majority) waste money and has completely misjudged its value - Rich A. DeMillo is a Distinguished Professor of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the seventh ranked public university in the U.S. and one of the premier institutions internationally. He currently serves as the Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U). This presentation was given as part of CFHE12 on Monday, October 15, 2012

Professor Jim Taylor, from the University of Southern Queensland, points out that the OER university will create a parallel learning universe to augment and add value to traditional models of delivery through open collaboration networks. "This is not theoretical speculation, it is entirely viable." said Jim Taylor. In this keynote address, Jim: Refers to the "gales of creative destruction" associated with technological change where old industry can be swept away and replaced by new ones. However, the OER university concept provides opportunities for "creative construction" for universities in a digital age. Demonstrates that conventional supply of education using traditional delivery methods will not the meet the demands for access to higher education. Consider, for example: the need for 18 million new teachers the doubling of post-secondary students in the next decade the need to build roughly one new university per week in India alone to meet the future demand for learning. Points out that we already have a critical mass of open access materials, but we don't have open curriculum, open student support, open assessment and open accreditation. Indicates that the OER university concept will provide a stairway to credible credentials based soley on OER.

he OER university is a virtual collaboration of like-minded institutions [Australia, New Zealand, Canada] committed to creating flexible pathways for OER learners to gain formal academic credit. The OER university aims to provide free learning to all students worldwide using OER learning materials with pathways to gain credible qualifications from recognised education institutions. It is rooted in the community service and outreach mission to develop a parallel learning universe to augment and add value to traditional delivery systems in post-secondary education. Through the community service mission of participating institutions we will open pathways for OER learners to earn formal academic credit and pay reduced fees for assessment and credit.