This article presents our findings concerning a MOOC named Introduction to R programming language, in which we applied design thinking combined with problem-based learning to enhance student engagement and improve the learning experience. The course was delivered to 575 students from Brazil between February 28 and March 18, 2022. Our research goal was to analyse the design and implementation of this program quantitatively and qualitatively. We followed a design-based research approach and collected quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaires. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data were processed using the five-phased language processing method. The main findings are as follows: 1) The use of personas enabled the design and delivery of a course aligned with students' interests. 2) The problem-based learning approach elevated students' engagement and bolstered their learning journey. 3) Demonstrating empathy, thoughtfulness, and providing swift feedback served as potent motivators for the students. 4) Combining problem-based learning with design thinking resulted in a heavy workload for the instructor, but it also boosted student engagement, leading to a completion rate higher than the average for MOOCs. These findings suggest that integrating Design Thinking and Problem-Based Learning in MOOC design can meaningfully enhance learner engagement and course alignment with student needs. Although this approach imposes a greater instructional burden, it proves effective in fostering motivation, improving the learning experience, and increasing completion rates. As such, this study contributes valuable insights for educators and instructional designers seeking to improve the impact and retention of learners in large-scale online courses.

This book review critically examines Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online (Howard et al., 2025), identifying it as a crucial intervention that bridges a significant gap in contemporary scholarship by envisioning online learning through the lens of feminist pedagogy. The collection challenges dominant instructional design norms and technological culture, underscoring fundamental values of care, equity, reflexivity, and social justice. Structured into four thematic parts, the book consistently emphasises praxis, showcasing practical tools like social annotation and cryptoparties to foster equity and collaboration in e-spaces. Its primary strength lies in modelling feminist pedagogical principles through collaborative and student-centred approaches. While praised for its diverse contributions, the review notes some chapters could benefit from more analytical engagement with structural barriers to feminist agency in institutional settings. It acknowledges potential conceptual repetitions for novice readers. Nevertheless, the book is considered a vital resource for all e-learning stakeholders, promoting value-driven, ethical, and transformative online learning environments.

This article explores the ideal educational ecosystem for Aotearoa New Zealand, integrating distance and in-person learning within schools. Based on interviews and focus groups with distance learning leaders, we identify four essential features of this system: it must prioritise student agency and choice, ensure equity and inclusivity, be cohesive and coordinated with consistent approaches and equitable regulatory frameworks, and be innovative and future-focused. Participants highlighted critical areas for attention, including leadership and policy reform, sustainable resourcing, enhanced infrastructure, redefined teacher roles, and improved accreditation. Recognising that some recommendations were influenced by organisational self-interest, we propose a comprehensive roadmap structured around the four ideal ecosystem characteristics. This roadmap outlines immediate, implementable steps within current frameworks alongside long-term transformational goals requiring broader policy reform. Achieving a more adaptable education system demands synchronised changes in regulations, teaching, and resources, coupled with bold leadership and a willingness to challenge traditional assumptions. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the necessity and possibility of this transformation, emphasising that integrated distance and classroom learning is the natural evolution of education in the digital age.

Originally published in 2004, the recent progress in New Zealand of flexible learning is reviewed, together with its underlying concepts as expounded at the 1995 DEANZ conference by Bruce King, an Australian. These concepts, which already are known and were developed in New Zealand during the 1990s, are considered in the context of changes in New Zealand's political policies for education. The implementation of flexible learning in that environment is traced, particularly in post-secondary institutions engaged in distance learning.

The OER Universitas (OERu) is a consortium of more than 30 higher education institutions on five continents. It was founded in 2011 to provide learners everywhere with learning opportunities and pathways to official recognition or credit. The OERu maintains a very economical base with very low expenses. It supports a sustainable learning environment with incremental increases in infrastructural capacity as and when it is needed. The OERu’s global digital infrastructure has been created to facilitate learner access to micro-courses on the internet from any geographical location. This Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE) is based entirely on free and open source software (FOSS). The OERu has established a working model for transnational micro-credentialling for approved university qualifications. To date it has supported more than 200,000 learners in over 100 countries. The OERu is based on a scalable, FOSS NGDLE which has dramatically reduced the cost of providing learning opportunities to anyone, anywhere, on the web.

Engaging and motivating learners to successfully complete their studies are crucial elements for the success of distance educators around the world. The researchers’ AIM newsletter, which is formatted in accordance with motivational learning theory, has been delivered to first-year learners in economics at Open Polytechnic of New Zealand from 2010 to 2022. AIM is an acronym for Academic content, Information for the course, and Motivation— three critical elements that are required to meet the challenges of effective online course facilitation. This paper uses Keller’s IMMS to evaluate the learner’s perspective of the AIM newsletter. Results show that learners consider AIM newsletter attracts the learner’s attention and provides relevant links between theory and current world examples, linking the learner’s own experiences, increasing their confidence in the course, and providing overall satisfaction with the learning experience. In essence, AIM newsletter provides an effective and efficient method of delivering and motivating learners throughout their studies.

The researchers of this case study explored English language learner (ELL) parents’ experience as they supported their children’s English language development in an online (virtual) kindergarten programme. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Then the researchers used thematic analysis to describe the participants’ lived experience with the phenomenon. Findings indicated that online learning increased the emotional stressors for parents of ELL children, and altered the communication between parents and teachers. Meanwhile, the use of breakout rooms reinforced the children’s language development, and translation services supported parents. Based on the findings, the researchers recommend that schools and boards provide the parents and families of multilingual learners with ongoing workshops to give them the tools and confidence to continue supporting their children in person and online. They also recommend a greater investment in translation services.

This study aims to explore lecturer attitudes to, and intentions for, using a learning management system (LMS) in a Vietnamese university. Its two main purposes are to (a) identify the factors that influence lecturer attitudes and intentions to use an LMS, and (b) examine the causal relationships among the factors. To achieve this aim, the study used Davis’ (1985) technology acceptance model (TAM) as a baseline. The study expands the original model to include two constructs: perceived internet self-efficacy (PIS), and support to use (SU). The results of the study revealed that PIS was a significant direct predictor of lecturers’ perceived ease of use and behavioural intention to use an LMS. However, the support to use construct did not predict perceived ease of use. The study suggests that institutions should conduct an in-depth survey of teacher needs to assist with making well-informed decisions about developing an LMS for future emergencies.

All too often in our practice of distance education we overlook the history of the field and our theories as we embrace new technologies or, as in the past year, when we are forced to adapt to a regional or global crisis that necessitates a temporary move to a remote learning scenario. When we set our theories aside, this approach can lead us to recreate the wheel in our pedagogical approaches, and ignores the unique pedagogy of distance education and the unique characteristics of learners studying at a distance. This article looks at why our distance education theories continue to be critically important for us to constantly return to and reflect on. Our theories help us to keep focused on the learner, learner characteristics, and the individualised nature of learning, while we undertake design and development work in partnership with faculty and other members of the design team. Our distance education theories remind us to ask the hard questions about what we are trying to accomplish and to what end for the learner, and through which design strategies.

Developing online learning communities is a promising pedagogical approach in online learning contexts for adult tertiary learners, but it is no easy task. Understanding how learning communities are formed and evaluating their efficacy in supporting learning involves a complex set of issues that have a bearing on the design and facilitation of successful online learning experiences. This paper describes the development of a framework for understanding and developing an online learning community for adult tertiary learners in a New Zealand tertiary institution. In accord with sociocultural views of learning and practices, the framework depicts learning as a mediated, situated, distributed, goal-directed, and participatory activity within a socially and culturally determined learning community. Evidence for the value of the framework is grounded in the findings of a case study of a semester-long fully online asynchronous graduate course. The framework informs our understanding of appropriate conditions for the development and conduct of online learning communities. Implications are presented for the design and facilitation of learning in such contexts.