The objective of this paper is to contribute to our understanding of 'crisis' in higher education through the analysis of a unique series of events involving a decisive change in the relationship between a university and the state. A descriptive case study approach is used to investigate the crisis in governance at Athabasca University, an open…

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to adopt alternative approaches to the delivery of their learning activities, including examinations. Many HEIs choose Remote Electronic Examinations (REEs) as a one-way solution due to physical presence restriction measures imposed by governments around the world. The present study…

This article considers selected Australian and international theories, policies, and practices of open and distance education, since ODLAA (formerly the Australian and South Pacific External Studies Association) was formed in 1973, through to the current post-pandemic period. It considers the shifting conceptualization of open education as…

Openness in education has received significant attention in recent years. To comprehend this concept in education ecosystems thoroughly, a longitudinal study is crucial, offering a comprehensive perspective of its evolution. The study utilizes bibliometric techniques, social network analysis, and text mining to investigate openness from its origin…

This essay addresses the transformation of Korean higher education (HE) that has occurred since COVID-19, with a focus on the digitization of teaching and learning. Digitization has impacted both remote and traditional universities and colleges. While remote higher education institutions (HEIs) have been quick responding to the changed situation,…

This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of student engagement in online learning by exploring the effects of salient online learning environment conditions on student engagement and the motivational pathways through which they affect engagement. Survey data were collected from 351 undergraduate students enrolled in various online…

Limited time, physical and financial opportunities in education has caused the expansion of the education system and emergence of new alternatives. One of these alternatives is open education that emphasizes the philosophy of sharing the information and materials used in learning and teaching freely and openly, and one is distance education that…

This article investigates the concept of flipped learning in an online learning environment. It evaluates the case study of the award-winning flipped learning project carried out in the context of a beginners' level German module at The Open University, UK, during the academic year 2017/18. In particular, the article focuses on the similarities…

In higher education, international research collaboration functions as a visible mechanism of cooperation and competition, serving as a proxy for quality and academic excellence. Open universities use revolutionary education models but are not often associated with quality or academic excellence. To investigate the impact of international research…

Besides a lack of focus on the context in which the innovation thrives or dies, the author takes issue with some of Dr. Flavin's choice of examples. Flavin argues that Wikipedia has disrupted higher education. The author is a supporter of Wikipedia (both through donation and article edits) and uses it regularly, but does not believe it has had…

The study investigated the impact on student engagement and achievement of a "formative thresholded" continuous assessment strategy in which students had to meet a modest threshold, but their continuous assessment marks did not contribute to their final grade. Students were free to choose their own blend of tutor-marked and…

The aim of this study is to determine the metaphorical ideas held by learners/graduates who engage in online student communities within the Anadolu University Open and Distance Education System, specifically with the concept of "online student communities". The study utilized a qualitative research methodology, specifically employing the…

Purpose: This study leverages social network analysis (SNA) to visualise the way students interacted with online resources and uses the data obtained from SNA as features for supervised machine learning algorithms to predict whether a student will successfully complete a course. Design/methodology/approach: The exploration and visualisation of the…

COVID-19 marked the next year with unprecedented death tolls, millions of infected people, and the closure of almost all activities, including education. The UN 2020 report highlights that this pandemic has caused the largest disruption of education in history with a near-universal impact on learners and teachers around the world. A total lockdown…

This article tackles a critical question:'to what extent can online higher education (HE) be open and innovative at the same time?' To provide a more comprehensive answer to the question, the author takes up a notion of discourse and situates the analysis in a specific online HE setting: Athabasca University (AU), Canada. In this article, the…