Welcome again!
What with Covid, post-Covid and AI mania, it’s been a difficult 4 and a half years for all in open, distance and particularly digital studying, so I hope you all had or are having a well-deserved break this summer time.
What higher approach to begin the brand new educational 12 months than with a brand new journal for everybody working on this discipline.
This initiative is being led by Professor Olaf Zawacki-Richter of the College of Oldenberg in Germany, assisted by a broadly worldwide editorial board consisting of Dianne Conrad, Michael Kerres, Kyungmee Lee, Paul Prinsloo, Patricia J. Slagter van Tryon, and Junhong Xiao.
Why a brand new journal?
The editors state:
Open, Distance, and Digital Schooling (ODDE) is an overarching time period for all types of studying and instructing processes by which academic expertise, digital media, and instruments are used to current and ship content material and to facilitate and help communication, interplay, collaboration, evaluation, and analysis. ODDE consists of numerous practices, from technology-enhanced schooling to flipped studying and blended studying to completely on-line distance schooling. The time period ODDE is comprised of open and distance schooling to obviously mark the historic origin of current on-line schooling, and digital schooling to seize newer and rising manifestations of instructing and studying within the digital transformation means of academic establishments.
There are after all many different journals devoted to ODDE. Nevertheless, the editors of JODDE argue that a lot of the different journals take care of ODDE on the micro degree of upper schooling: points associated to tutorial design, learner traits, or interplay and collaboration patterns in on-line studying settings. In distinction JODDE is open to articles primarily on the meso or macro ranges of the entire vary of ODDE in schooling and coaching.
Papers on micro-level follow, for instance, evaluating the influence of single instructing and studying interventions with out an institutional or system dimension, are not throughout the scope of JODDE.
Publishing rules
The journal operates on the next rules:
- JODDE is an open-access journal listed with the Listing of Open Entry Journals (DOAJ).
- No publication payment is charged.
- A double-blind evaluation is adopted. All submissions might be despatched out for peer evaluation by not less than two reviewers if they’re discovered to fall throughout the focus and scope of the journal within the preliminary editorial evaluation.
- Peer reviewers will make suggestions on whether or not the submissions are publishable. However, the ultimate choice rests with the Editor(s).
- Papers are accepted on a seamless foundation and are printed as soon as formally accepted (rolling points).
JODDE is established with the help and funding of the Carl von Ossietzky College of Oldenburg in Germany. It’s printed by the Middle for Open Schooling Analysis(COER) within the Institute of Schooling.
Evaluate of the primary version
Quantity 1, No.1 (the inaugural version) got here out lately and is obtainable right here.
There are three sorts of articles:
- crucial reflections
- analysis articles
- interviews – Oral Histories and Engaged Views.
Crucial reflections
What’s in a reputation? Wrestling with ‘ODDE’.
It opens with a chapter by Mark Nichols, the present President of the Worldwide Council for Open and Distance Schooling, who, briefly, doesn’t consider the phrases ‘open’, ‘digital’, and ‘distance’ adequately describe the adjustments which can be occurring within the discipline – he prefers ‘inclusive, scalable and sustainable’. (Within the editorial, Zawacki-Richter affords a critique of Nichol’s critique.).
Frankly, such dialogue simply descends into the class of what number of angels can dance on the purpose of a pin. When it comes to a brand new journal, there’s absolutely area for a brand new one which offers with the present technology-influenced adjustments to schooling, and that additionally recognises the significance of inclusive, scalable and sustainable studying. In different phrases I’m completely happy that the journal known as the Journal of Open, Distance and Digital Schooling. However, on the similar time, Nichols is true to be involved that we don’t get locked into narrowly outlined historic views, and the the time period ‘ODDE’ may outcome within the journal being ignored by these newly transferring into this space. The failure to study from previous expertise is a long-term and chronic drawback within the discipline.
Management and digital studying
Ross Paul, a long-time professional in college management (and, full disclosure, an excellent pal), offers a particularly well-written article in regards to the challenges dealing with college presidents – each conventional and in open universities – on account of the digital revolution. As he factors out, that is however one ingredient of the challenges, which embrace using social media, EDI (fairness, range and inclusion), world occasions such because the Israel-Hamas warfare, Covid-19, an ever-widening vary of targets for universities, and declining authorities help, each financially and ethical. The result’s a excessive turnover in senior leaders.
Sadly, as Paul factors out ‘It’s a lot simpler to explain the myriad challenges dealing with at this time’s college leaders than it’s to prescribe what must be completed in response.’ He does nevertheless recommend seven key {qualifications} for a profitable chief in such circumstances. (If you’re pondering of changing into a college president, it’s worthwhile to learn the article in full.)
On the similar time, I’m pondering that college management has at all times been a problem. It’s why college leaders are very effectively paid. What appears to have modified is the depth of the challenges, mixed lately with elevated authorities interference, particularly however not completely, within the USA. I doubt although that there might be no-one in search of such positions sooner or later, though they will not be the folks wanted. This text is unquestionably a great, thought-provoking learn.
High quality lifelong studying for all
Diana Laurillard, of the UCL Data Lab, London, UK, (and, full disclosure once more, a former colleague a few years in the past) appears to be like on the position that ODDE can and needs to be enjoying in assembly the UN’s Sustainable Improvement Purpose 4, high quality lifelong studying for all. She argues that, bluntly, ‘Typical place-based schooling past faculty shouldn’t be adequate.’ Particularly, she focuses on the ‘meso’ and ‘macro’ components that might allow ODDE to satisfy the challenges of SDG 4.
She argues that whereas many conventional universities have the UN’s sustainable growth targets of their mission statements, few meet the factors when it comes to outcomes or implementation. Particularly she argues that ODDE offers sensible and sensible means for even conventional universities to satisfy these targets. Particularly she argues for a partnership between universities and the work sector to make use of ODDE, and specifically MOOCS, for creating lifelong skilled growth, with studying help, bringing college analysis along with the challenges being confronted by professionals. She additionally suggests a necessity for a marketing strategy that balances the very actual prices of supporting skilled growth (even with MOOCs) with revenues generated by professionals and/or their employers.
She concludes: Given the stagnation and regression within the journey to date, it’s crucial to instill a way of urgency about this dialogue. ODDE has the potential to be equal to the problem of the SDGs, however its energy is proscribed to the human actors who populate its ecosystem.
Once more, this can be a very attention-grabbing learn with some sensible strategies on a really vital problem.
Digital coverage for fairness and openness
This text by 4 authors from the Commonwealth of Studying (Jyotsna Ja, Tony Mays, Venkataraman Balaji and Peter Scott examines the experiences of a choice of Commonwealth nations to help the constructing of a standard framework of rules and insurance policies that might make schooling programs extra resilient, extra open and extra equitable.
They argue that Exploiting the openness inherent in digital expertise with significant ‘open’ distance studying insurance policies would be the method ahead to guarantee high quality in on-line and hybrid schooling.. … governments ought to construct resilience into their schooling programs for the long term by, amongst different issues, placing ODL preparations in place and supporting academics higher to deal with crises comparable to disruptions of campus-based provision.
They lay out a set of key inquiries to be requested when creating institutional and authorities insurance policies and record 4 sorts of fairness considerations for ODDE.
They level out that at present, in most nations, the insurance policies and related norms are very totally different for typical and open programs, and largely stay non-cognizant of the shifts which have taken place in open approaches and their supply, with implications for each the programs – this wants to vary.
General, I discovered these crucial reflections a serious enchancment on conventional analysis publications. They had been issues-focused and handled insurance policies and implementation, fairly than the nitty-gritty of particular person instructing and studying. Nevertheless, that merely displays my pursuits as of late, however the crucial reflections cowl matters which can be hardly ever mentioned in different ODDE journals.
Analysis articles
Youth views on larger schooling futures
On this paper, George Veletsianos and Shandell Houlden look at the under-explored perspective of Canadian youth aged 18-25 on design fiction futures. They designed three distinct eventualities describing larger schooling in 2033 to elicit suggestions from youth. Particularly, they had been enthusiastic about inspecting what futures youth discovered hopeful and what futures they discovered to be in any other case, and their causes for this pondering.
You will want to learn the article for your self in case you are within the totally different eventualities, however the analysis is an attention-grabbing train in inspecting the potential position of ODDE and social media in supporting totally different trajectories for larger schooling sooner or later. I discovered this paper extraordinarily uncommon and attention-grabbing.
High quality assurance and microcredentials
This paper by Mark Brown and Josep Duart stories the findings of an evaluation of worldwide high quality requirements, practices and helps for the QA of micro-credentials. There are three elements to the examine: i) a worldwide evaluation of the exterior QA of micro-credentials; ii) a give attention to the inner QA of micro-credentials on the institutional degree; and iii) an effort to establish a few of the helps accessible for the event of high-quality micro-credentials. If you’re within the high quality assurance of micro-credentials, this can be a must-read paper.
Interviews: Oral histories and engaged views
The interview part is a particular characteristic of JODDE. It serves as a repository of first hand accounts and private narratives, capturing the lived experiences and views of influential people throughout the discipline of ODDE. Within the first interview Kathryn Johnson interviews me. I focus on
- the origin of the UK OU, and why it failed to ascertain a presence within the USA,
- the influence of neo-liberalism on open schooling, and why we nonetheless must see larger schooling as a public good
- the distinction between Spanish/Mexican and Anglo-Saxon open college governance
- the origins of the Canadian Digital Studying Analysis Affiliation
- the position of consultants in ODDE
- my views on theories of distance schooling
- the influence and significance of ODDE conferences for skilled growth
Future interviews are more likely to be extra attention-grabbing.
Do we want one other ODDE journal?
Sure, we do. As Zawacki-Richter’s personal analysis exhibits, most articles in present ODDE journals focus closely on the micro degree, particularly on the particular person or class tutorial degree of studying. Nevertheless, equally essential for ODDE are the institutional and authorities insurance policies and actions that result in or inhibit ODDE, what Zawacki-Richter calls the meso and macro ranges.
The primary version of JODDE targets these meso and macro areas. If the standard of the articles for this primary version might be matched in subsequent editions, JODDE may change into a serious affect within the growth of ODDE world-wide. Be sure to go away a duplicate on the desk of your Provost or President.