Meet Matthew Wheeler, CourseLoop’s Commercial Director (UK)

Matthew Wheeler joins CourseLoop as UK Commercial Director bringing a wealth of experience in education and educational technology (EdTech) with him. We are thrilled to have Matthew join our team to strengthen relationships with institution partners across the UK.

  • With over 20 years of experience in the higher education sector, Matthew is an experienced educational strategist with a strong understanding of digital transformation and SaaS scale-up growth. 
  • He has built a career around implementing EdTech products to support curriculum and learning design at various leading UK universities.
  • Matthew’s primary focus at CourseLoop is to extend our strong market position in Australia over in the UK, and continue to build key relationships with higher education institutions globally.

As we continue to invest in our presence in the UK, we are excited to onboard new talent with in-market expertise. Matthew will join the CourseLoop team as Commercial Director to support our continued growth.

We sat down with Matthew to learn how he’ll use his experiences to support institutions and CourseLoop in the UK.

To begin, can you share a bit about your background and what brought you to CourseLoop?

After initially aspiring to be a primary school teacher, I soon discovered a world of curriculum and learning design and ventured on a journey to work at four universities and three EdTech companies. 

I have built a combination of technical, project management, research and commercial skills which enables me to understand the entire student journey lifecycle. This puts me in a unique position to support universities with the development and implementation of appropriate strategies. 

The opportunity to return to working with curriculum development, and the chance to draw upon my practical experience, made CourseLoop the perfect choice for me. 

I am excited to support the go-to-market of new CourseLoop products and to work with our partners to raise awareness of the value we bring.

What have been some of your most memorable highlights of your career?

I have been very fortunate to travel the world throughout my career, and it is always a highlight to visit new places, meet new people and discover new cultures, ideas and food! 

Over the years I have had the pleasure of working with some of the world's most forward thinking academics and completing consultancy projects for governments, multinational corporations, armed forces and national governing sports bodies.

The shift from pre- to post-pandemic in higher education has been significant. What are your thoughts on the biggest challenges facing institutions today?

There is no doubt today’s universities are facing a number of unique challenges, such as impacts to infrastructure, strategy, engagement and research, of which some have been expedited as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Although many universities have demonstrated their ability to adapt, and have adapted much quicker than they may have previously thought was possible, it’s important not to slip back to some old practices and embrace the new approaches that lay ahead.

And while they might have recovered well in the short-term, it’s critical that they continue with their digital transformation, the development of new ideas and the adoption of new technologies. Looking ahead, institutions must also consider the impact of curriculum as a central pillar to their transformational strategies. 

In particular, the higher education sector has been seeing a huge increase in demand for micro-credentials from both employers and learners. Lengthy, monolithic programmes now seem to be a thing of the past. Learners are wanting greater flexibility, consistency of experience and hybrid learning approaches. 

Universities wanting to remain competitive will have to look at adjusting their academic and technical strategy to make room for micro-credentials. Robust and streamlined curriculum management processes will enable them to respond by improving their speed-to-market without compromising quality.

 

Do you have any ideas, strategies or comments on how UK institutions can better solve their curriculum management challenges?

When we think about how agile universities are going to have to become, strategic leaders need simple and effective mechanisms to drive change. Universities cannot afford to stand still, and must utilise the pandemic as a catalyst for continuous evolution. 

From the recent UCISA software survey, it is apparent that many UK universities still rely on manual, homegrown curriculum management platforms or their student record system to deliver a small part of the process. These solutions can often lead to huge administrative tasks, inefficient use of resources, and increased risks of human error. 

Therefore, I believe universities should look to leverage a true end-to-end curriculum management system like CourseLoop to eliminate manual processes, streamline governance and approvals, and elevate user experience.

Now you’re with CourseLoop, can you share some of your top priorities for the next three to six months?

I have had 12 months away from a focus on curriculum, so I would like to get back up-to-speed with the latest trends and research. 

In addition to updating my knowledge about the current space, I am looking forward to learning about the CourseLoop Platform and our modular approach to curriculum management. I would like to be able to confidently talk about the core benefits and features as quickly as possible, which will help me provide better support to CourseLoop’s existing and prospective partners. 

While the curriculum management software industry is relatively new, it is on the rise. Universities and colleges are beginning to realise the full potential of a truly end-to-end curriculum management solution, and the strategic advantages it offers. 

There is plenty of scope for us to continue increasing awareness of the work we do as we expand our products to the UK market – something I am immensely looking forward to playing a part.


Connect directly with Matt on LinkedIn or get in touch to learn more about the CourseLoop Platform.

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