Open And Distance Learning Initiatives For Sustainable Development

Education plays a vital role in the positive development of communities at both a local and global level. By becoming more informed, citizens can make better contributions to society. Open and Distance Learning Initiatives for Sustainable Development is a critical reference source for emerging academic perspectives on the role of higher education programs in contemporary society. Including a range of pertinent topics such as mobile learning, environmental education, and community building, this book is ideally designed for educators, researchers, students, and professionals interested in the intersection between sustainable development and education.

With scarce material available in the field, this volume examines the nature of sustainability in open and distance learning in order to provide a guide to successful implementation. It is published in association with the Commonwealth of Learning.

Adaptability and the ability to handle rapid and ongoing change are essential for successfully managing any modern educational enterprise, and open and distance learning is no exception. In an often over-looked field, this volume examines the nature of sustainability in open and distance learning using case material from a wide range of current educational contexts worldwide. The books themes include: reflection and analysis of the management of change collaboration staff development quality assurance and funding in an increasingly globalized environment. This book also reassesses the core processes involved in course development, delivery, and student support, in a world that is both linked and divided by access to the latest technologies. In a rapidly changing world, this book shows how the path from policy to sustainable practice is rarely easy. However, through consistent attention and commitment to meeting the needs of learners, sustainability can be achieved.

This book addresses the links between climate change and the threats it poses to sustainable development, from a distance education perspective. Discussing current trends and challenges in sustainable development education, climate literacy and innovations in climate change education, it contributes to the global debate on the implementation of education for sustainability. It also assesses the role that e-learning can play in this process, addressing pedagogical concepts as well as the wide range of technological options now available.

Technology has broadened learning opportunities for students in the modern age. No longer limited by proximity and location, learners can utilize online education environments to attain their advanced degrees. Optimizing Open and Distance Learning in Higher Education Institutions is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly material on the development of e-learning programs and other technologies in university settings. Highlighting numerous topics such as quality assurance, learning measurement, and skill training, this book is ideally designed for administrators, teachers, academics, researchers, and professionals interested in emerging trends for open and distance education.

This revised and updated edition of Open and Distance Learning in the Developing World sets the expansion of distance education in the context of general educational change and explores its use for basic and non-formal education, schooling, teacher training and higher education. Engaging with a range of topics, this comprehensive overview includes new material on: non-formal education: mass-communication approaches to education about HIV/AIDS and recent literacy work in India, South Africa, and Zambia schooling: new research projects in open schooling in Asia and subsaharan Africa, and interactive radio instruction in South Africa the impact of new technology and globalisation: learning delivered through the internet and mobile learning the political economy: international agencies, the role of private sector, and funding. With its critical appraisal of the facts and examination of data about effectiveness, this book provides answers to problems and poses key questions for the consideration of policy makers, educational practitioners and all professionals involved in implementing and delivering sustainable open and distance learning.

Reimagining Digital Learning for Sustainable Development is a comprehensive playbook for education leaders, policy makers, and other key stakeholders leading the modernization of learning and development in their institutions as they build a high value knowledge economy and prepare learners for jobs that don't yet exist. Currently, nearly every aspect of human activity, including the ways we absorb and apply learning, is influenced by disruptive digital technologies. The jobs available today are no longer predicators of future employment, and current and future workforce members will need to augment their competencies through a lifetime of continuous upskilling and reskilling to meet the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This book features curated insights and real-world cases from thought leaders throughout the world and identifies major shifts in content formats, pedagogic approaches, technology frameworks, user and design experiences, and learner roles and expectations that will reshape our institutions, including those in emerging economies. The agile, lean, and cost-effective strategies proposed here will function in scalable and flexible bandwidth environments, enabling education leaders and practitioners to transform brick-and-mortar learning organizations into digital and blended ecosystems and to achieve the United Nation’s ambitious Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Chapter 18 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.