Leaders & Legends of Online Learning

Dr Ratna Selvaratnam is Manager of Learning Technologies & Innovation at Edith Cowan University (ECU), Australia. Ratna is a Design Champion with ECU’s University of the Future project, she has recent forward-facing publications in the areas of micro-credentials and governance of artificial intelligence, and is on the ACODE (Australasian Council for Open and Digital Education) Executive as Treasurer. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1747436/c1e-qw1vu2dk3gck20kk-2ogx8x7ws8-griarp.mp3 | recorded March 2024 Ratna’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ratna-malar-selvaratnam/ Nominated works (free to access):

Dr Gabi Witthaus is a Research Fellow at University College London specialising in education in contexts of mass displacement, and Senior Digital Education Developer with the University of Birmingham. Gabi is a keen advocate of open education resources and widening participation to higher education. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1728059/c1e-pgwvs5548nc1xd75-zo544qg8tgj-2rhegm.mp3 | recorded February 2024 Gabi’s online profile: https://artofelearning.org/about/ Gabi’s blog: https://artofelearning.org/ Gabi’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GabiWitthaus Gabi’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiwitthaus/ Nominated works (free to access): Nominated works (may require purchase):

Junhong Xiao is Emeritus Professor at the Open University of Shantou in China. His current research interests cover various aspects of open, distance and digital education. His international publications include a major contribution to the Springer Handbook of Open, Digital, and Distance Education, and many contemporary themes of online learning. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1716725/c1e-owpjuv99mvf708dx-5r51zq0ph789-t5r3pd.mp3 | recorded March 2024 Junhong’s online profile: Junhong Xiao is Emeritus Professor at the Open University of Shantou (formerly known as Shantou Radio & Television University), a local branch of the Open University of China and a founding member of the Center for Open Education Research, the University of […]

Paul Levinson, PhD, is a pioneer of online education, still teaching classes in person and via Zoom as a Professor at Fordham University in New York City, after nearly 50 years in university classrooms, and online classes in the 1980s at Connected Education which he co-founded with his wife Tina Vozick. Paul is a dedicated pedagogue, novelist, and singer/songwriter, whose advocacy for online education remains as energetic as it was in his early days with Connect Ed. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1677255/c1e-xw7gumr1nofownkg-jkw61wqoujr0-jwztjj.mp3 Paul’s personal homepage: https://paullev.com/ Paul’s blog: https://paullevinson.blogspot.com/ Paul’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.levinson/ Paul’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paullevinson/ Paul’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PaulLev Paul’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PaulLevinson Paul’s Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@PaulLev Paul’s Threads: […]

Mike Sharples is Emeritus Professor of Educational Technology in the Institute of Educational Technology at The Open University. Mike’s extensive career and multiple publications are concerned with innovation in educational technology, which include the Innovating Pedagogy report series and early involvement with Artificial intelligence. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1657678/c1e-d41xtk0ggpfj4pw8-7n5mro1ghwn4-tizqag.mp3 | recorded November 2023 Mike’s online profile: https://iet.open.ac.uk/people/mike.sharples Mike’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-sharples-1633153/ Nominated works (free to access): Nominated works (may require purchase): Mike’s Twitter/X account: https://twitter.com/sharplm

In this episode, you’ll learn about Emeritus Professor Otto Peters through his last PhD student Professor Olaf Zawacki-Richter. Otto is one of the founding theorists in distance education – in fact, Otto Peters created that term. Otto is now 98, but his work continues to inspire. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1735373/c1e-72rxt447p4s3vd5z-5r5zkmq6fm09-bqjgs5.mp3 | recorded April 2024 Professor Olaf Zawacki-Richter wrote about an interview he had with Otto, published in the first issue of the American Journal of Distance Education in 2024: Full article: Speaking Personally – with Otto Peters (tandfonline.com), dated 23 December 2023. Please do take opportunity to enjoy Olaf’s interview and investigate […]

Professor Florence Martin is Professor of Learning, Design and Technology with North Carolina State University. Florence’s teaching spans asynchronous, synchronous and bisyncronous modalities – and her applied research (and associated systematic reviews of literature) informs her teaching, while also enriching the practice of others. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1637297/c1e-qw1vu41vj3uk20k0-p80xpov4s3zo-ssdngh.mp3 | recorded December 2023 Florence’s online profile: http://opening-up.education/about Florence’s Google Scholar account: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=n_Nf3fgAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Nominated works (free to access): Nominated works (may require purchase):

Dr Christian Stracke is the Coordinator for Virtual Coordination and Cloud Strategy at the University of Bonn in Germany. His main research areas are open education, Artificial Intelligence and their societal impacts building on many years of international scholarship related to learning innovations and quality in digital education. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/1623613/c1e-w67pc92ow8t6m066-5rp5r92jud9q-j2twad.mp3 | recorded September 2023 Christian’s online profile: http://opening-up.education/about Christian’s LinkedIn profile: https://de.linkedin.com/in/christian-m-stracke Nominated works (free to access): Nominated works (may require purchase):

Professor Tian Belawati is the former Rector of Universitas Terbuka (Indonesia Open University), a keen advocate for inclusive online learning, and a previous ICDE President as well as the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) President. Tian has seen Universitas Terbuka transform over time from a traditional correspondence open university into a major provider of accessible education. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/c7923e4a-035d-4098-9adc-4edd50547730-089-Tian-Belawati.mp3 | recorded September 2023 Tian’s online profiles: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tian-Belawati | https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?user=N2vAWSUAAAAJ&hl=en Nominated work (fee to access): Nominated works (may require purchase):

Distinguished Professor Dr Vanessa Dennen is an international expert in education, with a specific focus on instructional systems and learning technologies at Florida State University. Her scholarship dates back to the early days of online education, as does her ‘people first, content second, technology third’ approach. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/e353214d-a9a7-4fb5-a387-031f6d614039-088-Vanessa-Dennen.mp3 | recorded July 2023 Vanessa’s profile: https://cehhs.fsu.edu/vanessa-dennen Vanessa’s blog: https://vanessadennen.com/blog/ Vanessa’s Google Scholar account: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=fkGwM8YAAAAJ Vanessa’s publications and presentations (some may require purchase): https://vanessadennen.com/recent-publications-and-presentations/ Additional access to works: https://meme.create.fsu.edu/publications-presentations/ MEME Research Group website: https://meme.create.fsu.edu/

Dr Liz Marr is an advocate of lifelong learning, drawing on her own success as a lifelong learner. Liz is a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Universities Association for lifelong learning and served as Pro-Vice Chancellor (Students) alongside other teaching and learning roles with The Open University, UK. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/d56b1da3-4f49-4a4e-8857-bb06c2e1c458-087-Liz-Marr-Final.mp3 | recorded September 2023 Liz’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-marr-60393429/ Nominated work (fee to access): Nominated works (may require purchase): Twitter: @liz_marr1

Professor Martha Cleveland-Innes is Professor of Open, Digital, and Distance Education with Athabasca University. Her work related to the Community of Inquiry model continues to advance thinking in the area of online learning practice. Listen out for a good IDEA related to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility and how these might be combined through robust education planning. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/9b6762fe-1cbf-4015-b321-1bba2f59b071-086-Martha-Cleveland-Innes-Final.mp3 | recorded August 2023 Martha’s online profile: Dr Martha Cleveland-Innes is a Professor of Open, Digital, and Distance Education at Athabasca University. She is Editor-in-Chief of the bilingual Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, and the co-author of open source publications […]

Senior Professor Shironica P. Karunanayaka of the Open University of Sri Lanka is a firm believer in the principles of teaching and learning as foundational for online education. Her research into ICT in education, learning experience design, and OER and OEP now extend into a role as a Commonwealth of Learning Chair, following an academic career of almost 30 years in open and distance education. Interview: https://episodes.castos.com/onlinelearninglegends/b8d7e7d5-568a-46f7-9f97-05431250aed9-085-Shironica-Karunanayaka.mp3 | recorded June 2023 Shironica’s online profile: https://shironicakarunanayaka.wordpress.com/ Shironica’s ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shironica-Karunanayaka Shironica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shironica-karunanayaka/ Blogs mentioned in interview: Nominated works (free to access): Nominated works (may require purchase): Twitter: @ShironicaK

Professor Santosh Panda is Professor of Distance Education since 1997 and Director, Staff Training & Research Institute, Indira Gandhi Open University, India. A former Fulbright […]

Professor Geesje van den Berg is with the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of South Africa. Geesje teaches on a Master’s […]

Professor John Traxler is Professor of Digital Learning in the Institute of Education, and a UNESCO and Commonwealth of Learning Chair, based at the University […]

Dr Maren Deepwell has been Chief Executive Officer of the UK Association of Learning Technology (ALT) for 15 years. Her work in all things open […]

Dr Helen Crompton is an Associate Professor of Instructional Technology at Old Dominion University. She has a broad range of contemporary research interests and over […]

Dr Phil Hardman brings a scholar’s perspective to learning design, based on decades of learning science and a dedication to creative online and hybrid education. […]

Frances Ferreira is Acting Director of Skills with the Commonwealth of Learning. She is a keen advocate for quality, accessible and affordable education as her […]