In 2023, China leads the world in the number of Open Online Courses (OOC, over 64500) and learners (over 1.88 billion). In this article, we provide a brief review of the development of OOCs in China and outline the current situation of Chinese OOC focusing on learning platforms, course size and structure, and micro-credential courses. We also…

This multinational authored article presents the findings and recommendations of a three-year, European-funded project 'OpenMed: Opening up education in South Mediterranean countries', which brought together five higher education partners from Europe and nine from the South Mediterranean region. This was the first cross-European initiative to…

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the attention of distance education issues to the fore in a way not seen before. All forms of educational provision and sectors were affected by the pandemic. The aim of this conceptual leading article is to highlight three pertinent issues that need to be taken into account in Open, Distance and…

Globally, children with disabilities are disadvantaged in the school environment. They are also disproportionately represented among out-of-school children. Inclusive Design for Learning provides a means to address this crisis of exclusion of persons with identified and unidentified disabilities, which may be permanent or episodic. This Knowledge…

A successful international learning initiative focusing on student agency began with a link facilitating OE-enhanced teaching between a UK university and a US high school class. It became an international trip organised and funded by five UK students and their teacher who travelled to California, teaching and performing music across formal and…

Technology is changing our world. The advancement in science and technology has propelled a drastic change in nature and structure of the modern world. Events that look weird or impossible years back are part of "normal" things in our contemporary world. Education has had its share of the paradigm shift in the anal of technological…

A complication of teacher education policy in Japan is rooted in a gap between an image of teachers, which is held by society as a whole, and includes various character traits and the reality of Japanese university education. On the other hand, the expansion of an "open system" and lack of nationwide standard are making individual…

The Open University of Catalonia (UOC) was established as public, online university and thus has grown quickly with the global interest in online courses. However, like other dedicated distance-education institutions, UOC has had challenges adapting to MOOCs, and the emergent world of Web 2.0 learning technologies. To meet these challenges, UOC…

Although ideas about digital media and learning have become an important area for educational research, little attention has been given to the practical and conceptual implications for the school curriculum. In this book, Ben Williamson examines a series of contemporary curriculum innovations in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia that…

This paper outlines a program utilized in the Countryside School which offers alternative learning environments in the elementary school. The program includes (1) semi-departmentalization; (2) team teaching; and (3) an open-alternatives program. Each of these areas is outlined and fully discussed in terms of student and parent needs. (YRJ)

Because the current Council for Educational Technology (CET) open learning systems (OLS) program is ending and the new OLS program being planned has very different concerns, this report reviews the initial program, assesses its impact since 1975, and identifies factors which aided its success as an innovative program. Aims and objectives for each…

Describes student-centered curriculum development for grades 7-12 at the Kickapoo Nation School. Discusses the merger of open education concepts and the Circle of Learning philosophy to provide education consistent with American Indian cultural values, but appropriate to functioning in the modern world. (SV)

One of the most successful motivators in elementary physical education today is the concept of "themed learning centers." Such themes might involve the popular topics of superheroes or television stars. Included in this presentation are lists of basic components and purposes for themed learning centers, and a sample learning center. (JN)

There is a need for a flexible education program with structured curriculum comparable to the formal system designed to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Flexibility in the open learning system in the selection of subject, selection of study center, credit accumulation, evaluation, and certification will encourage children with…

General session, small group activities, and on-site visits are represented in these papers from a conference which had the objectives of defining alternatives for systematic curriculum development, providing for the interchange of experiences in determining needs and instructional specifications for material production, and developing a plan for…