ODLAA News
Nominations for the National Open and Distance Learning Awards - Now Open
Nominations are now open for ODLAA’s National Open and Distance Learning Awards, which recognise excellence in open, flexible and distance learning, education and training in Australia. Nominations are invited for each of the following categories:
- K-12 schooling
- Vocational education
- Higher education.
Nominate a worthy recipient today! To find out more, visit our National Open and Distance Learning Awards page.
Hot off the Press! The latest edition of the Distance Education Journal
The latest issue of ODLAA’s Distance Education Journal has been published with an outstanding collection of articles on the topic of Decolonizing digital learning: equity through intentional course design. This edition offers a collection of articles, teaching briefs and reflective essays.
New edition of Distance Education Journal published
The latest edition of our Q1 Distance Education journal Volume 45, Issue 2, May 2024 has been published.
This issue shares new insights into a broad range of topics from design of online learning, student experience, belonging in online environments, telecollaboration to recognising remote tutoring as a career.
First issue of Distance Education Journal published for 2024
The first issue of the DE Journal has been published with a thought provoking articles from Australian and international scholars. Articles in this edition focus on the silver linings for distance education following the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributions to this issue focus on aspects such as universal design, learner engagement, innovation and the human aspect of online and distance learning.
Winners of the National Open and Distance Learning Awards Announced
Congratulations go to the following outstanding educators for their outstanding and sustained contribution to Open and Distance Education:
- Glenn Beaumont, K – 12 sector
- Dr Deniese Cox, Vocational education sector
- Dr Kristy O’Neill, UNE, Higher education sector.
Visit the Hall of Fame to see the photos of these deserving reward recipients.
Nominations for the National Open and Distance Learning Awards - Now Open
Nominations are now open for ODLAA’s National Open and Distance Learning Awards, which recognise excellence in open, flexible and distance learning, education and training in Australia. Nominations are invited for each of the following categories:
- K-12 schooling
- Vocational education
- Higher education.
Nominate a worthy recipient today! To find out more, visit our National Open and Distance Learning Awards page.
Asia Pacific Online and Distance Education Week (APODE) 2023
Mark the date in your diary! The Asia-Pacific Online Distance Education (APODE) week will be held from 7 to 9 November 2023 and has the theme ‘Evolving Practice in Flexible Learning’. ODLAA and the Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand (FLANZ) are partnering to provide a series of webinars.
Globally, we partner with EDEN Digital Learning Europe who will be holding the European Open and Digital Learning Week (EODLW) together with the Coimbra Group Education Innovation and Doctoral Studies Working Groups and the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), who will be holding its National Distance Learning Week (NDLW). Read more on the APODE 2023 page on our web site.
Call for Papers - Special themed issue
The journal Distance Education is calling for papers a special themed issue: Micro-credentials – the Next Generation in Open, Flexible and Distance Education: Affordances for Assessment, Accreditation and Learner Agency.
The special themed issue is being edited by Professor Mark Brown (Dublin City University), Dr Mitchell Peters (Universität Oberta de Catalunya) and Dr Elaine Beirne (Independent Educational Researcher), with abstract proposals due on 15th December, 2023. To find out more about the special themed issue visit our Call for Papers page on our web site.
50 year Celebration event announced
The ODLAA Executive are delighted to announce a celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Open and Distance Learning Association. This free to members, partner institutions and non-member event is being celebrated on the evening of Tuesday 21st November in Melbourne and online. Visit our 50th Celebration page to find out more details.
We look forward to celebrating with you the wonderful achievements of our association, so mark the date in your calendar.
Lifelong Joy: Promoting the joy of online learning across context, audience, and time
ODLAA is very excited to be moderating a panel at Wester Oregon’s EdTech Conference. Our panel will consist of diverse and knowledgeable experts from around Australia representing the K-12, Vocational Education, and higher education sectors. Each speaker will present on their specialized topic related to promoting joy in online learning.
Date: Wednesday, August 16, 7am to 8am (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Location: Zoom
Register: https://sites.google.com/mail.wou.edu/woutechcon/schedule-and-info#h.2a2apu12ob5s
Congratulations and thank you
At the ODLAA AGM held on 30 May, a new executive team was elected for the next two years. Congratulations goes to:
- President: Dawn Gilmore, RMIT
- Vice-President: Sarah Prestridge – Griffith University
- Secretary: Lucia Stejer, TAFE NSW
- Treasurer: Mutuota Kigotho, UNE
- Member Representative: Chen Wang,
We would like to acknowledge the outstanding work of Jay Cohen, the outgoing ODLAA president, for his enthusiasm and dedication to advancing ODLAA over the past two years. Jay was instrumental in forging many partnerships including our strong partnership with FLANZ. We wish you all the success in your future endeavours.
Call for Proposals for Distance Education Special Issue 2024
The journal Distance Education is calling for expressions of interest in the development of guest-edited themed issues to go to press in May 2024. Guest editors should send a clear and concise proposal using the following guidelines to the Executive Editor, Som Naidu ([email protected]).
All expressions of interest in developing a themed issue of the journal will be carefully considered for their appeal, timeliness and alignment with the scope and coverage of the journal. Proposals could be revised or combined if that strengthens them and/or the editorial team. Visit the Open Call for Proposals page on the ODLAA web site to find out more.
Call for Nominations for the ODLAA Executive
ODLAA is currently seeking nominations for the following positions on the ODLAA Executive Committee, which are being vacated at the AGM due to regulations of our constitution:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
Each position is for a 2-year period commencing immediately following the AGM to be held on 16th May, 2023.
If you would like to nominate for one of these positions, please email your nomination to the ODLAA executive officer at [email protected] and include the names of two (2) financial ODLAA members who have agreed to support your nomination (If you need assistance with this, please contact one of the current ODLAA executive members.)
Please use the following wording in your nomination:
I would like to nominate for the position of ………………. on the executive of ODLAA.
My nomination is supported by (name1, email 1) and (name 2, email 2) who are both current financial members of ODLAA.
Please submit your nomination by no later than 4pm (AEDT) 10th April 2023. If more than one valid nomination is received, then a ballot will be held in accordance with rule 5.4.3 of the constitution. If only one nomination is received for a position, then that person will be appointed following the conclusion of the eAGM. If no nomination is received, then nominations will be called for during the eAGM.
For further information about any of the positions or the nomination process, please contact the Executive Officer, Joanne Scott +61 2 6331 1415 email – [email protected].
Celebrating International Women's Day with "Women Pioneers of Online Learning" webinar
ODLAA in partnership with FLANZ were delighted to present Women Pioneers of Online Learning webinar with Dr Susan Bainbridge and Dr Norine Walk, the authors of “The Encyclopedia of Female Pioneers of Online Learning” to coincided with International Women’s Day. This event attracted a large international audience. If you missed the event, why not catch up by viewing the recording of the webinar.
Another outstanding year for our Distance Education journal
Our Distance Education journal continues to go from strength to strength. Metrics recently released by our publisher Taylor & Francis show that in the time period of 2019 – 2022 there has been 119% growth in the number of Distance Education journal articles downloaded. To find out more visit the Distance Education page on our website.
Calls for proposals for developing a themed issue of Distance Education (2024)
The journal Distance Education is calling for expressions of interest in the development of guest-edited themed issues to go to press in May 2024. Guest editors should send a clear and concise proposal using the following guidelines to the Executive Editor, Som Naidu ([email protected]) on or before March 30th, 2023.
All expressions of interest in developing a themed issue of the journal will be carefully considered for their appeal, timeliness and alignment with the scope and coverage of the journal. Proposals could be revised or combined if that strengthens them and/or the editorial team. Visit our Call for Proposals page on our website to find out more details.
Sneak peak of our February 2023 webinar
In this webinar you will hear about a study that explored students’ perceptions of the use of live chat technology for online academic help-seeking in a higher education setting, with a focus on comparing online and blended learners’ perspectives. The findings provide a strong endorsement for the use of live chat in higher education, particularly for online learners.
Join us at this webinar to find out more in February, 2023. Register today.
Save the date: November 7 - 10 is APODE Week
ODLAA and FLANZ in association with ICDE in are delighted to bring together some exciting speakers as part of the Asia-Pacific Online and Distance Education Week (APODE). To find out more and to register for these free events have a look at the APODE Week – 2022 page on our website.
Doctoral students’ perceptions of student-led discussion forums in online classes webinar
The purpose of this study was to examine graduate students’ perceptions regarding student-led discussion forums in online classes. Five distinct themes emerged through participants’ qualitative responses: in-depth learning, diversity of thoughts, student engagement, teaching skills, and time-consuming.
Register to attend this webinar to find out more.
Toward building a fair peer recommender to support help-seeking in online learning webinar
Join us for our September webinar being held on 29th September at 9:30 AEDT where we where Wanli Xing from the University of Florida, USA, will share with us their new method of providing fair and accurate insights towards building a peer recommender to support help-seeking in online learning. Want to know more? Register now for this free webinar.
Home broadband and student engagement during COVID-19 emergency remote teaching
Join us for our next webinar being held on 28th July at 15:30 AEST where we Ciarán Mac Domhnaill, Gretta Mohan, Selina McCoy from the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin, will share with us the findings from their study, which investigated the influence of high-speed broadband availability on student engagement with distance learning during this period in Ireland. Register now to join us for what promised to be an interesting discussion.
Distance Education Journal Metrics
The Distance Education Journal has received notice of its performance over the past two years—2020-21. The journal has received a 2021 Impact Factor of 5.500 which is a very significant increase from the 2020 score—2.952. The IF is one indicator of a journal’s impact on scholarship in the field and it should be seen as such. Want to know more? Have a look at the Distance Education Journal metrics.
Expressions of Interest: Copyediting (Distance Education)
The Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia is looking for a copyeditor for its journal Distance Education. Recognised as one of the premier journals in the field, Distance Education is published by Taylor and Francis, and produces 4 Issues per volume (January/May/August/November). The work of the copyeditor is carried out completely online under flexible working conditions.
Please direct all queries to the Executive Editor, Som Naidu ([email protected])
Distance education students’ satisfaction: Do work and family roles matter? webinar
Join us for our next webinar on June 30 at 3.30 pm (AEST), where Philippa Waterhouse, Rajvinder Samra and Mathijs Lucassen from The Open University, UK will discuss their research into whether work and family roles can predict distance education students’ satisfaction. Join us for some interesting insights. Register today.
Effects of online teaching presence on students’ cognitive conflict and engagement webinar
Join us for our next webinar on May 26 at 9.30 am (AEST), where Yang Wang from Nanjing Normal University, China will discuss the effects of online teaching presence on students’ cognitive conflict and engagement. Join us to find out the results of this interesting study and gain practical advice for online teaching. Register today.
New Executive Committee Appointments
We would like to congratulate ODLAA members who were elected to the Executive Committee at the ODLAA AGM held on 10th May, 2022. Dr Mitchell Parkes (UNE) was elected as a Member representative and Sharon Altena (QUT) was elected as Vice President. We would like to acknowledge the work and dedication of Professor Mark Brown, the outgoing ODLAA Vice President.
2023: Distance Education Special Edition - Call for Papers
Distance Education Journal would like to invite proposals for their upcoming special edition, which is focussed on addressing the ‘challenging’ elements of learning at a distance. This special edition will be edited by Rachel Fitzgerald, University of Queensland, Henk Huijser, Queensland University of Technology, Sharon Altena, Queensland University of Technology and Professor Ale Armellini, University of Portsmouth. Proposals for the special edition are due on 1 June 2022. For more details access our calls for papers page on the ODLAA website.
2022: Distance Education Special Edition - Call for Papers
Distance Education Journal would like to invite proposals for their upcoming special edition, which is focussed on inclusive distance education for learners with dis/abilities. This special edition will be edited by Mary Rice, University of New Mexico and Michael Dunn, Washington State University. Proposals for the special edition are due on 16 May 2022. For more details access our calls for papers page on the ODLAA web site.
Notice of ODLAA AGM
The Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia’s e-AGM is being held on online between 9.00 am – 12.30 pm on Tuesday May 10, 2022. All ODLAA members are invited to attend the e-AGM. To register your attendance and to be able to vote at the e-AGM, please email [email protected] prior to 9 am on May 10. All reports tabled at the meeting will be sent to you in advance of the meeting.
ODLAA membership survey
The ODLAA team would like to invite members of ODLAA to provide feedback on the initiatives of the association to help inform future directions of the association via our 2022 membership survey available at: https://odlaa.org/membership-survey/. The survey is available until April 30.
The New ODLAA website
The ODLAA executive is delighted to launch the new ODLAA website. This has been a major project of the ODLAA Executive over the past 9 months. The ODLAA Executive is delighted with the result and will add new member features to the site over time.
Why not take the time to become familiar with the new website? Explore:
- the Get involved page to learn about the opportunities provided to ODLAA members
- find out about upcoming webinars
- view past webinars.
Open Education Week 2022, March 7 – 11
This year Open Education Week celebrates its 10th anniversary. In just 3 years this event has brought together 23,701 people from across the globe. The Open Education week is more than just webinars and presentations, there are also global activities such as Book Fairs, Twitter Events, round table discussions and chats to get involved in. Take a look at what EDEN, our European partner, is offering over the week with input from ODLAA members.
Keep up-to-date with the latest Open Education Week events on Twitter #OEWeek or join the conversation on OE Global Connect.
Calls for Proposals for a Special Themed Issue of Distance Education
Congratulations to Executive Editor Som Naidu, Associate Editors Junhong Xiao, Patricia J. Slagter van Tryon, Olaf Zawacki-Richer, and Sanjaya Mishra, Copy Editor Antonina Petrolito and the Editorial Board of Distance Education who have ensured another highly successful year for the journal.
Did you know that last year there were almost 150,000 downloads from the journal website? View the 2021 Distance Education Journal metrics page for more details.
We also sincerely thank the authors for their quality contributions that ensure Distance Education remains such a highly regarded journal.
Another outstanding year for the Distance Education Journal
Do you have an idea for a special issue of Distance Education? The Editorial Board of the Distance Education journal is calling for expressions of interest in the development of a guest-edited special issue to go to press in 2023. What is new and emerging in our field and might benefit from a special issue? Why not look at the past special issues for some inspiration?
All expressions of interest for a themed issue of the journal will be carefully considered for reader appeal, timeliness and alignment with the scope of the journal.
The guidelines for submitting a Proposal for a Special Issue are:
- Name and affiliations of guest editor(s)
- A clear concise statement of the special edition theme
- The relevance to the scope of the journal, and
- The need for a focus on the theme at this time.
Guest editors should send a clear and concise proposal addressing the guidelines above to the Executive Editor, Som Naidu before March 30, 2022.
Call for research participants
Conceptualising a sense of belonging in first year undergraduate fully online courses
PhD Candidate: Sharon Altena
Griffith University Ref No. 2021/903
Do you teach first year fully online course/class/unit at an Australian University?
Do you design and facilitate students’ sense of connectedness and help them “fit in” as a member of your online class?
If yes, then I would love to hear from you, to participate in a Griffith University PhD research study being conducted under the supervision of A/Prof Sarah Prestridge, A/Prof Jeannie Allen and A/Prof Chris Campbell. If you are interested in participating in this study, please complete this short 5 minute confidential online survey.
Thank you for considering this request.
Sharon Altena
PhD Candidate
Contact
