Call for Papers: Reclaiming 'Open' and 'Distance' Education in a ‘Digital’ world

2025-02-13

Guest Editor for Volume 2, Issue 2:
Dr. Mark Nichols1,2                                                                                                                                                               

1President of the International Council of Open, and Distance Education (ICDE)
2Executive Director Learning Design & Development at Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

 

Rationale

In the post-COVID 21st century, is it still helpful to talk in terms of ‘open’ and ‘distance’ learning? Now that most forms of education, particularly in infrastructure-rich countries, are ‘digital’, and education practice becomes increasingly flexible, is there still an ‘open’ and ‘distance’ conversation to be taken forward?

The most recent ICDE (International Council for Open and Distance Education) strategy now seeks to “shape inclusive, scalable and sustainable education” (ICDE, 2024, “Purpose”), in part to avoid practice-based and factional terminology. Globally, some nations refer to ‘smart’ education; others, ‘blended’; still others ‘online’. ‘Open’ and ‘distance’ no longer represent a unique call to access, innovation, and quality alternate opportunity as they used to.

So, what ought we do? Does it even matter? Are we better to describe educational models in terms of open, online, flexible and technology-enhanced (OOFAT) approaches (Orr, Weller, & Farrow, 2023)? Accept that the term ODDE (Open and Distance Digital Education) suffices to describe this landscape (Zawacki-Richter & Jung, 2023)? Maintain the use of ‘open’, even though its meaning is continuously morphing (Koçdar et. al., 2023)? Accept that ‘distance’ is now a convergent form of education, and accept the use of the term by campus-based universities (Xiao, 2018)?

This Special Issue call has as its thesis that Open and Distance Learning (ODL) needs re-branding, beyond acknowledging that much of it is now ‘digital’ (in the sense of ODDE). The thesis is that ‘open’ is now too open in meaning to guide education advocacy, and ‘distance’ is now too distant from contemporary discourse to shape education thinking. Nichols’ papers (2023, 2024a, 2024b) suggest that the terms ‘open’ and ‘distance’ are no longer helpful in general education discourse, proposing that ‘open’ needs a tighter, agreed focus; that ‘distance’ might be replaced, refined or reframed as a term in an age where traditional ‘distance’ methodologies and theories are increasingly bypassed; and that ‘digital’ is not a sufficient addition to the ODL acronym to bring any further clarity.

 

Focus and Scope

The inaugural editorial of the JODDE (Zawacki-Richter et.al., 2024) draws attention to the matter of terminology, contra Nichols (2024b) stating that “We do not see eye to eye with him on several issues” (Zawacki-Richter et.al., 2024, p. 4). This Special Issue seeks to provide a forum for debate among all authors in the broadening field of education practice. Submissions that explore the contemporary meaning and future relevance of the terms ‘open’, ‘distance’, and ‘digital’ as they relate to describing specific forms of higher education are welcome. Submissions proposing alternative nomenclature and comprehensive descriptions and examples of practice are also invited.

With these considerations in mind, authors are invited (but not limited) to discuss the following guiding questions:

  • Are alternative terminologies or frameworks (e.g., OOFAT, ODDE) more effective in addressing today’s challenges? How can the principles of inclusivity, scalability, and sustainability serve as a unifying framework for diverse educational models, avoiding potential fragmentation caused by terminology debates?
  • How do different educational contexts (global South vs. global North) perceive and adapt to the changing terminology?
  • How can we reclaim the values of openness and distance without giving in to a techno-centric or market-driven narrative? Or should we?
  • What are the benefits and/or risks in aligning too closely with terms like ‘smart education’ or ‘blended learning’ that may reinforce neoliberal educational frameworks?
  • What methodological approaches can best capture the evolving nature of ‘open’ and ‘distance’ education?

The references offer a starting point for critique; however, authors are welcome to engage directly with the thesis. Sympathetic, divergent, and creative views are welcome, as are pieces challenging the worthiness of this retrospection being of relevance.

Timeline

  • Feb 2025: Publication of CfP
  • 30th Apr 2025: Submission of abstracts (500 words, excl. References)
  • 30th Jun 2025 (or earlier): Submission of full papers to JODDE
  • 30th Jul 2025: Reviewer feedback provided
  • 30th Aug 2025: Submission of revised papers
  • 15th Sep 2025: Final decision on acceptance of papers
  • 30th Oct 2025: Copyediting completed
  • 30th Nov 2025: Final proof corrections due
  • From Dec 2025: Opening the issue and publication of the first articles

JODDE promptly publishes articles upon acceptance to prevent any publication delays (rolling issues).

For further information, please contact the Guest Editor Dr. Mark Nichols at mark.nichols@openpolytechnic.ac.nz

 

References

ICDE (2024). ICDE Strategic Plan. https://www.icde.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2024/12/ICDE-Strategic-Plan-2025-2028.pdf

Koçdar, S., Bozkurt, A., Uçar, H., Karadeniz, A., Erdoğdu, E., & Naidu, S. (2023). Openness in education as a living idea: A longitudinal investigation of its growth and development. Distance Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2023.2268321

Nichols, M. (2023). Commentary: What, exactly, is ’online’ education?. Journal of Learning for Development, 10(2), 142–148. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v10i2.1054

Nichols, M. (2024a). We need to talk about how we talk about what we talk about: Revisiting ODL. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 19(1). Retrieved from https://www.asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/786.

Nichols, M.(2024b). What’s in a name? Wrestling with ‘ODDE’. Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education, 1(1), 1-16. Retrieved from https://doi.org/ 10.25619/fd6dch73.

Orr, D., Weller, M., & Farrow, R. (2018). Models for online, open, flexible and technology enhanced higher education across the globe – a comparative analysis Final Report. International Council for Open and Distance Education, Oslo.

Xiao, J. (2018). On the margins or at the center? Distance education in higher education. Distance Education, 39(2), 259-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2018.1429213

Zawacki-Richter, O., Jung, I. (2023). Shaping the Field of Open, Distance, and Digital Education. In: Zawacki-Richter, O., Jung, I. (eds) Handbook of Open, Distance and Digital Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0351-9_94-1

Zawacki-Richter, O., Xiao, J., Slagter van Tryon, P. J., Lim, D., Conrad, D., Kerres, M., Lee, K., & Prinsloo, P. (2024). Editorial – Inaugurating the Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (JODDE). Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education, 1(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.25619/ozr2ce72