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An editorial discusses the opportunities and challenges in open and online learning, particularly focusing on the use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in education. It mentions various research papers in this issue, including topics like open pedagogy, quality of OER repositories, the effectiveness of OERs on student performance, faculty awareness and ethical concerns about OERs and the challenges faced by the Nepal Open University in implementing online learning.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on the topics including theme of evaluation, but explores distance learning and education institutional policy; and policy for mandatory attendance influence learners' engagement with course learning materials.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles within the issue, including a critique of the use of accessibility-related models in post-secondary education, an academic and professional development program for distance learning tutors, and the perceptions of open badges or microcredentials in education.

One of the main problems of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is the low retention rate of students and a high no-show rate. Meanwhile gamification has been gaining notoriety in the last decade within the education field. This systematic literature review explores the impact gamification has had in MOOCs, how their success is being measured, what are the theories normally associated with these gamified learning environments, and what game design elements are used as well as their implementation and outcome. We've reviewed 22 papers dating from 2014 to July 2019. Our findings are positive in terms of the outcomes, with a general increase in participation and retention on gamified MOOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on first 2023 issue of Open Learning. Topics include readers also recognising other familiar themes such as blended learning, and continuing professional development (CPD); and spending some time exploring the benefits of adopting a community of practice approach in order to facilitate cross-institutional working.

An introduction is presented which discusses several reports within the issue on topics including open learning and distance education, openness and innovation in online higher education and effectiveness of e-tutoring and e-learning.

An editorial is presented on Open Learning. Topics include Open University distance learning tutors enhancing the expertise and practice through training and development, support, and resources; and focusing on higher education, secondary and primary education, and corporate training as a Foreign Language (EFL) students based at a language school in Tehran.

The study sought to determine lecturers' and students' perceptions of factors contributing to students' failure to submit research projects on time in three departments of the Zimbabwe Open University. The study employed a descriptive survey design and was both quantitative and qualitative. The questionnaire used as a data-gathering instrument had both closed and open-ended sections. In this study, a sample of 76 research students and 17 research supervisors was extracted using the purposive sampling method. The study found out that both lecturers and students contributed to inconsistency in meeting for consultations and this also led to late feedback on submitted work, which, in turn, affected the research progress. It also became apparent that there was no follow-up from the institution to find out how the research in departments was progressing. Among other matters, the study recommended regular research workshops and seminars for supervisors and supervisees and research presentations by students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the impact of the war on the education system in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion of February 2022, with millions of students being forced to flee for safety to foreign countries, and millions of others remaining in danger on the territory of Ukraine. It addresses different modes of delivery, changes to education legislation, the 2022 university admission campaign, and international support. Despite the state of war and economic problems, the digital transformation of Ukrainian education continues. The paper utilises quantitative and qualitative data. Methods of generalisation and grouping are applied to classify problems: socio-psychological, economic, technological, organisational, communication, and methodological, as well as such urgent needs as the availability of a safe physical space in educational facilities, development of response procedures and behaviour patterns in emergencies, psychological support, a flexible mode of delivery, technical support of the teaching-learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Open Educational Resources (OER) for training in public administration has yet to see a wide adoption globally, mostly due to challenges related to the discovery and reuse of high-quality OER for training purposes. These challenges, combined with the general lack of openness in the public sector, have greatly impacted the penetration of OER in public administration. This paper presents a case study on the use of OER for expanding and enhancing curricular and resource sharing in public administration in Greece. Within this case study, an OER authoring and sharing platform was introduced to the Greek public sector, employing crowdsourcing methods for supporting trainers and trainees in authoring, sharing, reusing and remixing OER. The paper presents the deployment of this platform and the use of OER in the context of training programmes in the Greek public sector and reports on the lessons learned and the impact on public administration. The results of the case study showed that the use of OER was very positively received by civil servants, with a remarkable response, through active participation and engagement that led to the enhancement of existing OER and the co-creation of new ones for public administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating an online learning environment that engages learners beyond the given course period is challenging. Open, participant-driven discussion forums, where participants are provided with greater agency on what to learn, how to learn, and whom to learn with, have a unique potential to help learners engage in learning experiences based on their interests and needs. Based on sequential and qualitative analysis of speech acts found in the participant-initiated discussion threads hosted as part of a massive open online course, this paper explored the impact of participant actions as facilitative moves to gain a better understanding of the types of actions in the discussion that stimulated deeper engagement with the ideas of interest. The analysis identified several facilitative moves that nurture or hinder deeper conversation in an open online discussion forum that has design implications. The paper also highlights the potential of analysing conversation sequences of posts as a promising method to study discussion forum data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on open learning. Topics include addressing the theme of language learning within distance education; subject of language learning and the intersection between information technology and distance learning being a long history within the journal; and representing a useful summary of research contributing to the important subject of computer assisted language assessment.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including social constructivism; the role of theory in the generation of knowledge; and use and perceptions of learning with open educational resources (OER) in comparison with traditional textbooks.

In 2021 Lesotho adopted a quality assurance framework for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) for higher education sector. Globally, governments use quality assurance frameworks as strategies to address productivity, efficiency and effectiveness within the higher education sector. By adopting ODL discourses, this paper critically assessed the adequacy of the Lesotho Minimum Accreditation Standards for Open and Distance Learning framework in responding to the needs of students within the sector. From the findings it emerged that the framework used largely strategic indicators as aspects of quality failing to apply pointers that reflect authentic learning. It has been argued that the strategic indicators do not necessarily address the issues of learning. Furthermore, the framework failed to address central issues in ODL. Couched in general and discreet terms, the framework ran short of addressing issues of quality within the contexts of ODL. While it is generally acknowledged that quality assurance models have taken centre stage globally, it is important that such a framework should be responsive to the educational milieu of the country and, in particular, to the nature of ODL. The paper recommended that the quality assurance framework for ODL should identify the essences of ODL and develop key components to inform implementation thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the recognition of the benefits that can be achieved through the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and, more broadly, Open Educational Practices (OEP), there has been little research on the competences that are needed to enable educators to utilise such practices. To contribute to closing this gap, this paper presents a framework of the competences that educators in higher education should develop in order to effectively engage in OEP. The framework development was based on an in-depth analysis of a set of existing successful open teaching practices, which allowed to identify the underlying competences needed to engage in each one of them. The competence framework consists of one transversal attitude (that of being open to constructively engaging in OEP) and two competence categories (those relating to OER and those relating to open pedagogies). These two categories include a total of eight competences, described in detail through the corresponding knowledge and skills. The paper closes with a reflection on how to facilitate the attainment of these competences, that could become a key part of existing capacity building actions for educators at all levels, and suggests some directions for possible future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines how digital technologies support innovation in teaching and learning the English language across Palestinian Higher Education Institutes. A European project collaborated to build staff capacity in knowledge and skills, shown here through the redesign of curricula, pedagogical training, the design and implementation of interactive textbooks, the creation of language labs, helping to develop expertise in creating and utilising Open Educational Resources (OER) and significantly, the development of individual agency as a form of OER. In this paper, we draw on three years of data to present a model for teacher innovation showing how digital innovation is firstly personal at a practitioner level and shaped by need, before becoming driven by collaboration at an organisational level with like-minded colleagues. Shared practice at this level can lead to community discourse through practitioner networks, which in turn can lead to dialogue initiating instances of organisational change. This resonates with literature which shows innovation has three outcomes: originality (practitioner-based agency); scale (going beyond the site of creation) and value (how this produces benefits for others). We perceive that the resulting capacity-building extends beyond the redesign of curricula mentioned to professional enrichment, collegiality through cascading innovation to other areas, and enhanced practitioner agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented which focus on the themes of wellbeing, attainment, and access. The article in issue cover a range of methodologies, including surveys and qualitative approaches such as thematic analysis, and mental wellbeing in distance learning, differential attainment among transnational students, and identity and the awarding gap experienced by Ethnic Minority students.

The wellbeing of students in higher education generally, and law students, in particular, has become an area of increasing concern in recent years. Despite the growing interest in the area, empirical work on the wellbeing of distance learning law students remains sparse. This paper builds on previous studies around wellbeing in higher education, especially in relation to law schools, by reporting on the findings of a series of focus groups conducted with distance learning law students at The Open University. Its aim was to explore participants' perceptions of how studying law had impacted their wellbeing. Its findings indicate that participants viewed the online distance-learning nature of their studies as having the most significant impact on their wellbeing, generating a range of practical and psycho-social implications. Although issues specific to the law as a discipline were raised, it appeared to be the mode of delivery, not the subject content, that was of primary relevance. This exploratory study is particularly salient at this time when law schools across the globe have been forced to perform an 'online pivot', with many now also considering expanding their long-term online offerings. The paper concludes by considering the ways in which the results of this study could usefully inform future wellbeing initiatives within online legal education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disproportionately low degrees awarded to Ethnic Minority students are stark, representing an enduring challenge across the entire higher education sector including distance education. This paper reports on a study conducted in a distance learning university in the UK which employed a mixed-methods approach to explore the experiences of Ethnic Minority students. The paper draws on the concept of 'over-efforting' and research undertaken by Stevenson into personal educational histories. The methodology included quantitative analysis to provide a broad context with additional qualitative analysis of three case studies to provide rich, deep data. In combination, these data enable the authors to explore the significance of personal educational histories to understand the individual experiences of three students within the context of broader quantitative patterns. The paper offers some insights into these experiences in order to raise important questions about the impact of identities and personal educational histories on participating in tuition within the context of distance education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented which discusses reports on use of open source textbooks, use of open learning resources in Minnesota state colleges, and learning design in cultureal contexts.

The focus of this paper is to examine the role that models play in informing the approach that post-secondary education institutions take to developing inclusive and equitable practices that successfully and appropriately address the access needs of disabled students in relation to information and communications technology. It reviews the current approach of the post-secondary education community to using models to inform their accessibility practice with respect to ICT and explores the answers to three related questions: 1. What alternatives to the Universal Design model exist? 2. How do we differentiate between different accessibility models? 3. Do we need more than one model to inform accessibility practice? One key outcome of this exploration is a proposed evaluation framework that can help post-secondary institutions make informed decisions about the most appropriate model for them to adopt. The paper concludes that such a framework has potential to transform practitioners' approaches to accessibility by suggesting that excellence may not require a 'blanket approach' in which just one model 'rules' or dominates their thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an action plan for implementing the Learning Management System (LMS) integrated Blended Learning (BL) for a teacher education programme conducted at Bangladesh Open University (BOU). To that aim, after reviewing existing practices and models, a plan, based on connectivism theory, is suggested for the university’s Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programme. In particular, one case study is referenced from Vietnam. Strategic approaches to overcome weaknesses and to manage threats based on a SWOT analysis are suggested to ensure the successful implementation of the action plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning analytics promise significant benefit to online education providers through improved, better-targeted student services. Much has been written about the potential of analytics and how they might be technically implemented, and various ethical considerations are published highlighting the significant potential risk of gathering, manipulating and applying student data to education. Developing an ethical position provides institutions with an opportunity to critically appraise their assumptions and practice however how best to articulate one is far from clear. This case study outlines the development of an ethical framework at Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and demonstrates how international ethics guidelines for learning analytics have shaped practice and informed policy development. Four stages to developing an ethics position in education institutions were followed: 1) examining existing institutional policy, 2) categorising student data, 3) addressing ethics concerns in a structured way and 4) approving an ethics position and extending practice. The paper concludes with suggestions for those developing ethics positions for implementing learning analytics to help towards a successful outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss articles in the issue on topics including electronic learning courseware for learning English in Japan, effects of mobile apps in motivation of nursing students to learn, and the interactive whiteboard-based instructional approach.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusess topics within the issue including promoting of student resilience on a level 1 distance learning; advantages and disadvantages of online learning and courses; and use of smartphones in the classroom.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including the use of technology to facilitate teaching and learning, effectiveness of farm programmes (FPs) of Bangladesh Betar in educating farmers about technologies, and intervention on distance learning.

This paper offers insights into the establishment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair of Open Distance Learning (ODL) at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The aim of the UNESCO Chair is to stimulate ODL research at UNISA. The paper briefly describes UNISA, which is the largest dedicated distance education institution on the continent of Africa, with student enrolments in excess of 300,000. Notwithstanding its size and mandate to provide expanded access to quality higher education to previously excluded blacks, UNISA is hampered by a lack of capacity in ODL research in the form of articles, the UNESCO Chair at UNISA was established to respond to this challenge of a lack of ODL research capacity. The paper (1) provides a brief outline of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme; (2) outlines the objectives of the Chair in relation to UNISA's challenges of capacity for technology-assisted teaching, learning and research; (3) maps out the imperative for technology-supported teaching, learning and research at UNISA with respect to digital literacy, digital proficiency, and digital fluency; and (4) closes with some concluding remarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including distance education, online teaching, and student engagement.

The article informs on a panel discussion at the International Council for Open and Distance Education World Conference on Online Learning, that was held from 16–19th October 2017, in Toronto, Canada. Topics discussed include designs for online learning and courses; needs of students in the field of open learning; and publishing in peer reviewed journals.

The increased tendency towards the open education movement and the widespread use of Open Educational Resources (OER) demonstrate the potential value of sharing and reusing free digital resources among educational communities. Effective OER management, essential for all educational digital libraries, facilitates the reuse, retention, revision, remixing, and redistribution of OER. It also requires proper identification of OER. The purpose of this paper is to introduce different types of OER to digital libraries. A hybrid approach was taken which incorporated a systematic review of published articles and interviews with domain experts and a preliminary list of OER types was extracted, completed, categorised, and approved. As a result of this research, more than 90 OER types have been introduced and divided into three categories including educational content, software, and complementary materials. Identifying various types of OER in each category not only allows for better use of these resources to improve educational practices but also begins to provide an infrastructure for both human and machine use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital era has seen the rise of innovations such as online training platforms and digital toolkits for teaching and learning whilst at the same time open access initiatives are losing the attention of educators. The problem under consideration in this paper is the replacement of open educational resources (OER) with digital innovations in higher education (HE). The purpose of this study is to identify the relevance of OER to post-Soviet HE in the digital age. The research employed methods of descriptive analytics to process data on users’ activities extracted from OER repositories with web-analytic apps. The survey was conducted among 441 lecturers to elucidate their request for access to and patterns of usage of digital OER. The findings confirmed the relevance of OER in contemporary education through the similarity of lecturers’ experience worldwide. During the urgent transition to remote learning owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, OER helped lecturers access informed digital practices through appropriate methods and content. OER has thus retained its relevance against the backdrop of the emergence of digital innovations in HE. The international comparison of findings demonstrates the existence of a shared awareness of the importance of OER and similar drivers for OER production and usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus pandemic which began during the 2019/2020 academic calendar has had a significant impact on many educational providers. The Open University, UK, the largest distance tertiary provider in Europe, is ideally placed to share its experience in online and distance education. This paper outlines the use of the Online Journal Club (OJC) as a mechanism for increasing student ownership of learning within the context of an online academic community. OJCs provide an informal, low-risk environment for students to share topics of interest with fellow students, whilst practitioners step back from their traditional roles. Our findings indicate that OJCs provide an enriching and authentic experience for distance learning students, developing academic and employability skills, including digital and information literacy and communication skills. Furthermore, OJCs can act as a potentially transformative experience for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing adoption of open educational practices across the education sector there are also growing calls for evidence of their impacts. This includes evidence of, not only their role in mitigating the costs of educating students, but also on their impacts on educational practices. Such impacts of the adoption of open educational practices are closely tied to educators’ mindsets and dispositions about notions of access and equity in relation to educational opportunity. It makes sense, therefore, to target overt behaviours of these dispositions to obtain a measure of their impacts since behaviours are far easier to observe, index and shift in desirable ways to make way for the adoption of a culture of sharing. This paper reports on the development of an instrument that can help index these behaviours so that appropriate strategies around learning and teaching can be developed and employed to shift them in ways that are amenable to the adoption of a culture of openness and sharing in educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses the collection of papers featured in the issue, which include topics such as open and distance learning, and the impact of Open Access (OA) and its relation to the journal.

Student mental health is a critical issue in higher education. It is understood that higher education can act to trigger or exacerbate mental health difficulties, but research in this area has focused primarily on campus environments, identifying stressors such as halls of residence. Since distance learning students disclose mental health issues at a higher rate than campus students, and completion and progression gaps are on a par with the sector, the barriers and enablers to mental wellbeing in distance learning must be understood. This paper reports on a qualitative study that investigated barriers and enablers to mental wellbeing and study success that students experienced in distance learning. Sixteen distance learning students and five tutors were interviewed using narrative enquiry; students told their own stories and tutors told stories of students they had supported. Barriers and enablers were identified across different aspects of study, skills-development and the distance learning environment, and are presented in a taxonomy of barriers and enablers that suggest a range of implications for distance learning educators and policy developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the associations between gender, collaboration and research methods in distance education research. Following a bibliometric approach, collaboration is operationalised through co-author relationships. The study is based on a review of 695 papers published in five prominent distance education journals between 2000 and 2008. It reveals a significant trend towards collaborative research in distance education. There are no significant gender differences regarding the number of co-authors of collaborative papers. However, female researchers significantly choose different research topics than their male colleagues. Women are over-represented in research areas such as learner characteristics, learner support or interaction, and communication in learning communities, while men are more concerned with topics stereotypically associated with them: technology and management. There is a significant propensity for female researchers to apply qualitative methods or to triangulate qualitative and quantitative methods. Research methods also affect collaboration. On average, research teams on quantitative projects are significantly bigger than those who produce articles that are qualitative in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Open Educational Resources (OER) for training in public administration has yet to see a wide adoption globally, mostly due to challenges related to the discovery and reuse of high-quality OER for training purposes. These challenges, combined with the general lack of openness in the public sector, have greatly impacted the penetration of OER in public administration. This paper presents a case study on the use of OER for expanding and enhancing curricular and resource sharing in public administration in Greece. Within this case study, an OER authoring and sharing platform was introduced to the Greek public sector, employing crowdsourcing methods for supporting trainers and trainees in authoring, sharing, reusing and remixing OER. The paper presents the deployment of this platform and the use of OER in the context of training programmes in the Greek public sector and reports on the lessons learned and the impact on public administration. The results of the case study showed that the use of OER was very positively received by civil servants, with a remarkable response, through active participation and engagement that led to the enhancement of existing OER and the co-creation of new ones for public administration.

Creating an online learning environment that engages learners beyond the given course period is challenging. Open, participant-driven discussion forums, where participants are provided with greater agency on what to learn, how to learn, and whom to learn with, have a unique potential to help learners engage in learning experiences based on their interests and needs. Based on sequential and qualitative analysis of speech acts found in the participant-initiated discussion threads hosted as part of a massive open online course, this paper explored the impact of participant actions as facilitative moves to gain a better understanding of the types of actions in the discussion that stimulated deeper engagement with the ideas of interest. The analysis identified several facilitative moves that nurture or hinder deeper conversation in an open online discussion forum that has design implications. The paper also highlights the potential of analysing conversation sequences of posts as a promising method to study discussion forum data.

Despite the recognition of the benefits that can be achieved through the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and, more broadly, Open Educational Practices (OEP), there has been little research on the competences that are needed to enable educators to utilise such practices. To contribute to closing this gap, this paper presents a framework of the competences that educators in higher education should develop in order to effectively engage in OEP. The framework development was based on an in-depth analysis of a set of existing successful open teaching practices, which allowed to identify the underlying competences needed to engage in each one of them. The competence framework consists of one transversal attitude (that of being open to constructively engaging in OEP) and two competence categories (those relating to OER and those relating to open pedagogies). These two categories include a total of eight competences, described in detail through the corresponding knowledge and skills. The paper closes with a reflection on how to facilitate the attainment of these competences, that could become a key part of existing capacity building actions for educators at all levels, and suggests some directions for possible future research.

This paper outlines how digital technologies support innovation in teaching and learning the English language across Palestinian Higher Education Institutes. A European project collaborated to build staff capacity in knowledge and skills, shown here through the redesign of curricula, pedagogical training, the design and implementation of interactive textbooks, the creation of language labs, helping to develop expertise in creating and utilising Open Educational Resources (OER) and significantly, the development of individual agency as a form of OER. In this paper, we draw on three years of data to present a model for teacher innovation showing how digital innovation is firstly "personal at a practitioner level" and shaped by need, before becoming driven by "collaboration at an organisational level" with like-minded colleagues. Shared practice at this level can lead to community discourse through practitioner networks, which in turn can lead to dialogue initiating instances of "organisational change". This resonates with literature which shows innovation has three outcomes: "originality" (practitioner-based agency); "scale" (going beyond the site of creation) and "value" (how this produces benefits for others). We perceive that the resulting capacity-building extends beyond the redesign of curricula mentioned to professional enrichment, collegiality through cascading innovation to other areas, and enhanced practitioner agency.

Open Educational Resources aim to offer learning to all, yet the language level used in resources could be a barrier to many potential learners. This paper examines the readability of 200 OER courses in English from two major OER course platforms. We compared the means of readability metrics between these OER courses at different educational levels and subject categories that the platforms offer using inferential statistics as well as cluster analyses. Results prove that there is a progression of difficulty between lower and higher educational levels with introductory courses being easier to read. However, the analysis also highlighted that more than 86% of the courses require an advanced level of English language proficiency. On the other hand, subject matter does not appear to be linked with the readability of the courses. This study contributes further to the current discussion of the inclusiveness of OER and the factors that hinder its universal use. The study addresses a gap in the literature as, to our knowledge, no other studies have analysed the linguistic accessibility of OER English learners and consideration of the meaning of the educational levels assigned to OER courses has been limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students desire free textbooks that incorporate multimedia and interactive experiences. Although there is an increased production of e-textbooks, these resources tend to replicate hard copy books and do not take advantage of the functions that technology offers. There is also a shift to creating e-textbooks that are considered open educational resources. A team of nursing educators and a nursing student created an interactive open educational resource e-textbook in vital sign measurement that was implemented within the curriculum of post-secondary health-related programmes. The goal of this paper is to report the study findings which sought to explore healthcare students' experiences of using this open educational resource. Three discipline-specific focus groups were conducted with a convenience sample of 29 students. Using a qualitative thematic analysis, six interconnected themes describing students' use of this resource were identified: (a) This Generation's Learner, (b) Vital Signs Open Educational Resource influence, (c) Accessibility, (d) Convenience, (e) Design, and (f) Visual and Other Types of Learning Styles. Participants were positive about using the open educational resource to learn vital sign skills. Our study findings provide a foundation for e-textbook design standards that support student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine haptics has been shown to assist and enhance human-computer interactions. Research from previous studies in the field of haptics has focused on developing a user's sense of realism of touch when using a haptic device. This paper examines the use of haptics for education, specifically for creative online education. The paper is presented in two parts. First, a review of literature was conducted and used to aid the rationale and underpin the design of a pilot test. Second, a pilot test was designed using a single-point kinaesthetic haptic device with a haptic rendered interface, to support the assembly of a virtual design prototype. The pilot test proved to be extremely valuable in creating and developing a rich virtual environment for non-sighted and sighted participants to use. The results from the initial pilot test showed that although users were positive about their experience of using the haptic device, there were improvements to be made to the interface to enhance the user experience in the next phase of testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conceptual confusion of theory exists in South African Open Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) research in which the concept is used with borderline, related, contrary, invented, or illegitimate concepts such as a model, approach, construct, hypothesis, theoretical framework, or conceptual framework. As a result, some researchers choose not to apply theory, apply a narrow definition, or risk their manuscripts being rejected when theory is inadequately applied. This article seeks to expand the understanding of the concept theory in South African ODeL research. In particular, the purpose of the paper is to clarify the meaning and reduce ambiguities surrounding theory, as well as promote consistency in using the concept in South African ODeL research. Subsequently, the article develops a conceptual framework through a comprehensive literature review, and through the application of the eight steps for a concept analysis. This framework consists of six conceptual components related to the application of theory in order to meet the expected outcome of a particular ODeL research project. Four of the components that are deemed more important include defining attributes, identifying model cases, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents. The conceptual framework serves as a thinking tool for an integrated and deepened understanding of the concept theory and for enhancing the appropriate use of theories in South African ODeL research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic positioned digital education in a new light. The need for educational institutions to develop strategies, standards and establish quality assurance across digital education became even more evident. This paper describes the four-step process of designing an interactive European Union (EU) Digital Education Quality Standard Framework and Companion Evaluation Toolkit to guide the design, delivery and evaluation of effective digital education. (1) A review of literature of existing digital education frameworks and models is presented. (2) Variables and sub-variables inherent in designing, delivering and evaluating effective digital education are identified. (3) Next the variables and sub-variables in the framework are defined. (4) The process of designing the interactive framework diagram is described with the companion evaluation toolkit outlined. The proposed framework is flexible and applicable to entities and audiences regardless of where they are in the online learning adoption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sought to examine psychological grit, defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, and its efficacy in determining postgraduate retention among historically disadvantaged students enrolled at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The Grit-S scale was used to gauge the level of grit among the participants (n = 594) followed by one-year lagged secondary data, which sought to ascertain retention among the sample. Previous performance at an undergraduate level (i.e. passed or passed with distinction) and demographic attributes (i.e. gender, age, ethnicity and home language) were also included in the scale and used as controls. Results from the binary logistic regression revealed that psychological grit is not a significant predictor of retention from one year to the next (β = .02, OR = 1.02, p = .91), nor does it add incremental value when controlling for previous undergraduate performance and demographic attributes (β = .08, OR = 1.09, p = .58). The paper concludes with a discussion on these pertinent results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses reports within the issue on topics including open learning, open education resources (OERs), and digital resources in higher education.

This paper describes the effects of collaborative support on groups of distance learners of General Certificate of Secondary Education mathematics. Two experiments are described. In each case, learners were provided with teleconferencing with peers, experts and mentors in addition to structured study materials. No improvements were noticed in course completion rates and the learners were seen to disengage from the teleconference over time. When provided with a virtual learning environment, learners were, once again, found not to use the practice or support features of the system. The results from our experiments are intriguing in that they seem to indicate that scaffolding in the form of structured material, collaborative environments, and a virtual learning environment does not seem to affect performance in any way other than an improvement in revenue realisation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Three exemplars are presented of social technologies deployed in educational contexts: wikis; a photo-sharing environment; and a social bookmarking tool. Students were found to engage with the technologies selectively, sometimes rejecting them, in the light of their prior conceptions of education. Some students (a minority in all the studies) were unsympathetic to the educational philosophy underpinning the technology’s adoption. The paper demonstrates, through an examination of in-context use, the importance of sociocultural factors in relation to education, and the non-deterministic nature of educational technology. The academic study of technology has increasingly called into question the deterministic views which are so pervasive in popular discourse and among policy-makers. Instead, sociocultural factors play a crucial role in shaping and defining technology and educational technology is no exception, as the examples in the paper show. The paper concludes by drawing out some implications of the examples for the use of social technologies in education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]