Online Learning Futures

An Evidence Based Vision for Global Professional Collaboration on Sustainability

Eileen Kennedy author Professor Diana Laurillard author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:16th Nov '23

£90.00

Supplier delay - available to order, but may take longer than usual.

Online Learning Futures cover

This book provides evidence from research to guide the future design of online higher education in order to address the intersecting global demands for quality, scale, equity and sustainability.

The rapid shift online during the Covid-19 pandemic has put online learning firmly on the agenda of universities everywhere and to realise fully the transformative potential of online learning this book argues the need for an evidence-based design approach. The evidence comes from the experiences of online learners who are professionals: educators, engineers, medics and researchers. Designbased research, learner contributions, survey responses and interviews with these learners demonstrate that open, online, collaborative learning experiences are not only feasible but effective for building professional community knowledge. Innovative online learning of this kind can help universities contribute to the global public good by achieving high quality learning at scale. The open online platforms being used in the book widen global access to professional education and create more porous boundaries between universities and the wider community. This is critical for achieving, for example, the full impact of the current policy discussions on the UN SDGs, such as climate and inequality. The evidence-base shows how co-designed, transformative digital education can be mobilised to support professionals such as teachers in crisis contexts, government officials investigating renewable energy solutions, or medics adapting treatments to local conditions. It also shows how to scale up professional development in areas where expertise is urgently required. The book concludes that scaled-up online learning can enable HE to deliver on the UN SDGs by equipping citizens and communities with the knowledge and skills needed to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

This book is an invaluable resource for understanding and expanding collaborative online learning innovations for worldwide and grassroots influence. All professionals involved in UN-SDGs research, learning and implementation will greatly benefit from the book for scaling up transformative education in a digitally enabled world. -- Preeti Shroff-Mehta, Professor and Director of IMC Executive Programs, Northwestern University, USA
Following the period of educational uncertainty created by Covid-19, this book offers a welcome and insightful call to arms for practitioners and tertiary education providers to rethink professional learning provision combined with a series of practical steps for implementation for the wider benefit of all within our global society. -- Caroline Lewis, Academic Director (PCET), University Of Wales Trinity St David, UK
As the number of people who have been forcibly displaced has more than double during the past decade, it has become evident the universities have an unique role to play in stepping up to ensure the learning needs of this population can be met. Open and online learning are central to this, however they cannot be delivered as top down or pre-packaged solutions which ignore existing power disparities. The collaborative and co-designed approaches outlined in this important new book provide us with critical tools to unlocking the potential of digital technology, even in low resource environment, to create collaborative and diverse learning environments for the forcibly displaced. -- Frankie Randle, Connected Higher Education Specialist, UNHCR

ISBN: 9781350324237

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

264 pages