Open Education 2036: Distance Learning connects with Open Educational Resources and Open Pedagogy
Like open education, online distance learning is a much-debated topic in the realm of higher education. Online programs catering to distance education students, especially at the graduate and professional level, continue to grow as colleges and universities look for ways to increase enrollments and revenue. Technology has made growth possible in both open education and online distance education. Many online students are working adults seeking to expand their knowledge and obtain degrees and certifications to advance their careers. They often don’t have the luxury, the financial means, or the desire to leave their current careers or jobs to become resident students. Online distance program enrollment is the answer for many of these individuals. These programs are growing (OLC).
What if we envision a future in which interconnections between online distance learning and open education become accepted standards? What if future distance education courses featured the exclusive use of open educational resources and focused on a curriculum that champions open pedagogy, forever banishing “disposable” assignments (Wiley 2013), to create meaningful practical learning exercises? Let's step into the future.
Welcome to 2036!
Online distance learning utilizes open educational resources and open pedagogy practices. Meet Anna. Anna is a graduate student working full-time at a well-known corporation. After completing her undergraduate studies, she wanted to attend graduate school but found her four-year degree debt so daunting that she chose instead to take an entry-level business position. She did apply to traditional graduate programs and was accepted to her first choice but even with the opportunity to attend the program and work as a graduate assistant receiving a tuition waiver and a small monthly stipend, taxes on her waiver and stipend left her with so little that she’d still need to take out additional loans. Instead, she chose to take a job and began paying her undergraduate loans. Now, seven years later, Anna has finally started graduate school. She enjoys her current job but knows that she will need a graduate degree to move up in the industry. She can’t afford to quit her job to attend graduate school full time nor does she want to give up the momentum she’s gained in her career. She has just begun an online degree program. She is taking two courses. She was not required to purchase textbooks for either of her courses. All of her course readings are integrated into the learning management system and can be read online or downloaded as pdfs for printing or reading on a mobile device. Anna’s course assignments include adding a section to a case study reading based on research and projects she’s conducting about her own company. She learns from the work of others and contributes to the resource to improve it for future students. Anna enjoys the course content. She has learned practical information from the educational resources. They were up-to-date and relevant to her interests and career goals. Her faculty is very engaged. She has also happy that she has not had to spend money on textbooks that will become old and dated but instead she will be able to continue to access the links to continuously updated course material, even after her class ends, that will be useful to her in her profession. Distance education and open educational resources have successfully merged and provide students like Anna, a quality online education featuring transformative learning experiences that utilize open educational resource and open pedagogical practices.
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