THEN, NOW & FUTURE of Online Learning
Rory McGreal is the Athabasca University Chairholder of the UNESCO/International Council for Open and Distance Education Chair in Open Educational Resources. He is a professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Athabasca University – Canada’s Open University, based in Alberta, Canada. He studied the implementation and management of distance education systems and networks from technological, pedagogical, and policy perspectives. His present research interests include the use of Open Educational Resources and standards in technology-assisted learning, particularly in the development and application of formal assessments at a distance. He is also researching how these would be applied on mobile devices for M-learning. Most recently, he is researching the possible educational impacts of Hearables.
This presentation will provide particpants with background on distance education in the past, and how it relates to the present situation and the future of online learning. Past technological advanced in education and the reaction of educators to them will be presented. The challenge for educators in the 21st century will be posited along with information on the effects of the Covid pandemic on education worldwide. Open Educational Resources (OER) and their impact on education will be introduced. Future trends, including game-based learning, microcredentials, artificial intelligence and blockchain are explored in relation to a stronger focus on learning-centred pedagogy. Research issues in online learning will be introduced along with information specifically on OER research.