Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to make an assessment of the challenges in disseminating higher education to the learners in tribal communities, and problems solving capacity of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) by strategically making use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) taking a case of Madhya Pradesh (MP), which is the…

Aspects of open science and scholarly practices are often discussed with a focus on research and research dissemination processes. There is currently less discussion on open science and its influence on learning and teaching in higher education, and reversely. This paper discusses open science in relation to educational practices and resources and…

MOOCs for learning the basics of programming have become popular among people with a diverse range of backgrounds, interests and learning contexts. Studies show that learners who enrol in MOOCs tend to have different motivation from learners in traditional courses, but it is not known how motivation differs for people with different backgrounds.…

Tertiary teaching is going through transformations as a result of web affordances, open access, and online learning platforms, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Some academics are taking advantage of MOOCs by integrating them into their teaching practice. This study investigates why some UK lecturers are blending MOOCs into their…

This study explores the dynamics of ChatGPT on perceptions and challenges encountered by students and lecturers in a South African open distance e-learning [ODeL] university. It investigates whether ChatGPT disrupts traditional perceptions of online distance education held by students and lecturers and identifies specific functions and features of…

The digital age has opened up new and exciting opportunities for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in universities. But, is going digital reinforcing the existing social inequalities? This qualitative research examines the three levels of digital divide and digital inequality among learners at India's National Open University, IGNOU. The findings…

The aim of this study is to present a model proposal on determining the student participation rate in synchronous courses given in Learning Management Systems (LMS). Especially in situations where equal opportunities cannot be provided or opportunities are limited, distance education provides benefits for learning anytime and anywhere (ubiquitous…

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is a new trend in flexible education due to its flexibility to study anything, anywhere and anytime. It has the potential to attract a huge number of learners to study courses unlimitedly via the online platform. This is a design and development study where a Chemistry MOOC was developed in an OpenLearning…

Unisa has embraced the use of online learning and e-tutoring as a new approach to teaching and learning in an ODeL environment. According to the Community of Inquiry Theory, a learning community is important to enhance the social, cognitive and teaching presences for online learning to achieve student success. Online e-tutor and student…

Purpose: This paper aims to explore student teachers' views related to the online academic support e-tools used under the COVID-19 lockdown. Design/methodology/approach: Mapping a pragmatic research approach, an explanatory mixed methods design was used for the study. Findings: Empirical evidence revealed that student teachers were satisfied and…

In this article, Montgomery College discusses the adoption of H5P, a free and open-source content collaboration framework based on JavaScript that was used in substitute paid practice opportunities for students in Spanish 101 and 102. Utilizing a participatory action research model, three faculty and 47 students collaborated to inform the design,…

Distance education (DE) is a constantly evolving and advancing field, and as such, its intellectual network and dynamics need to be investigated and explored. In this regard, this study reviewed a total of 1685 articles and 51,940 references through social network analysis for a bibliometric examination of the DE field. The findings indicate that…

Open educational resources (OERs) are increasingly adopted in non-formal education contexts. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the self-directed learning patterns of non-formal learners using OERs. A lack of knowledge about non-formal learners precludes discussions on how to support their self-regulated learning in open…

The facilitation of learning by tutors is a worldwide phenomenon that is supported by most open and distance learning (ODL) institutions. It is a strategy employed to achieve academic success. This qualitative intrinsic case study explored the views of tutors at the University of South Africa (Unisa) about the implementation of the Integrated…

Our research explores the experience of adults looking for flexible online learning opportunities that intersect with university study. We interviewed 58 people living in 14 African countries who have taken a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed by the University of Cape Town. The interview data reveals diverse uses of MOOCs in workplace…