This paper charts a forward-looking roadmap for open universities, drawing upon their historical evolution and current practices. It advocates a shift toward a universally accessible, personalized education system. At the heart of this proposed advancement lies the customization of learning paths and experiences, where individualized advising and…

Open education has existed for more than 6 decades. In its beginnings, it consisted of removing various controls that made it difficult for students to enter and remain in the educational system. Today, it involves characteristics such as accessibility, flexibility, and adaptability, in environments beyond academics. The student-centered teaching…

Leveraging technology to break the iron triangle of access, cost, and quality is a legacy of open universities (OUs), becoming a source of inspiration for higher education in general. Today, OUs face increasing competition from conventional universities, no longer enjoying the first-mover advantages as they did in the earlier years. Can artificial…

Can the open universities in the UK and Greece be seen as representing two ideologies of openness? That is the main question this article poses. I argue that these institutions, shaped by their unique social, political and historical contexts, embody different interpretations of openness. The Open University in the UK was founded with a commitment…

Openness in education has received significant attention in recent years. To comprehend this concept in education ecosystems thoroughly, a longitudinal study is crucial, offering a comprehensive perspective of its evolution. The study utilizes bibliometric techniques, social network analysis, and text mining to investigate openness from its origin…

Offering education by distance provides an important sociological tool for equalising opportunities in developed nations. However, for developing nations and more particularly some of the least-developed countries in the world, it has the potential to play a much larger role in providing both basic and advanced educational opportunities and,…

This study at The Open University in the United Kingdom examined the effectiveness of specifying internship opportunities for underrepresented student groups in two faculties. Our data, gathered through intern focus groups and supervisor interviews, demonstrate that the virtual internship scheme has been successful from both intern and supervisor…

Driven by competition amongst higher education institutions, increasing recognition of the benefits of international academic mobility, and the global pandemic, transnational distance education has accelerated in recent years. Despite its many advantages, quality assurance issues can pose significant obstacles to success. Using a collaborative…

This article discusses the practices followed by the youngest open university of South Asia and the only open university of Nepal for access and equity through online teaching and learning. Key initiatives that the university has undertaken in this regard are explored to understand how practices and strategies are applied by this higher education…

COVID-19 forced higher education to convert to distance operations at short notice. Establishing a "new normal" as the pandemic subsides will be equally challenging. Institutions will continue to offer face-to-face teaching and distance learning. They need strategies for ensuring quality instruction in both modes. In this article, the…

The access to university and the continuation of education for people in refugee situation are investigated herein as from four initial questions: how did COVID-19 find society and this is cause displacement cases?; what is a refugee's situation in the process of the world interruption of face-to-face education?; what are the conditions for…

People in social life often underestimated the presence of migrant workers caused by low skills and lack of education. The decision to continue higher education while working in the host country had tremendous challenges. This study aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the reasons, the problem encountered, and the learning strategies of…

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can appeal to very large masses as a distance education model and provide the same quality and standard education with large user groups worldwide via the internet. In MOOC systems, users can get the course they want for free or for a small fee in the application they are registered with, using videos, lecture…

This paper presents a study that focused on assessing computer and ICT skills of business subjects' learners at Botswana Open University (BOU). The study explored the levels of computer skills; existence of ICT skills and perception of business subject learners on the adoption and use of ICT skills for teaching and learning. A sample size of 223…

This report puts forward practical actions to address economic and social disparities across the United Kingdom (UK). It sets out the evidence of the impact universities are making across three main themes, outlines the potential to go further, and makes recommendations for how the government can work with universities to maximise their…