Welcome to IRRODL’s last issue for 2023 that offers 14 research articles and three book reviews covering the ongoing growth and interest in open and flexible, distributed learning. Additionally, we would like to bring to your attention the Call for Papers posted on our website for the upcoming Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence in Open and Distributed Learning: Does It Facilitate or Hinder Teaching and Learning?, by guest editors Dr. Ehsan Namaziandost and Dr. Afsheen Rezan from Azad University in Ahvaz, Iran. This timely topic will most definitely be of interest to our readers as educators, researchers, and practitioners in open and distributed learning, though an exploration of opportunities and challenges surrounding AI, from multiple perspectives, and from a variety of spaces including distance education, hybrid learning, and blended learning. We encourage you to share with your networks and consider submitting an article yourself! The CFP will close on January 31^st, 2024.

“Educational Technology Undergraduates’ Performance in a Distance Learning Course Using Three Courseware Formats” provides results from a quasi-experimental design from Nigeria. The researchers, Falode and Mohammed, found that printed, video, and Moodle-based courseware formats were each needed to support student retention, achievement, and satisfaction.

Cisel researched “On the Ethical Issues Posed by the Exploitation of Users’ Data in MOOC Platforms: Capturing Learners’ Perspectives.” This article examines the ethical implications and potential risks of learning analytics and MOOC participants’ viewpoints regarding use of learner data.

Use of OER for English language learners in Iran was the focus of Dashtestani and Suhrawardi’s study, “Discrepancies and Similarities Between Online and Face-to-Face Teachers’ Use of Open Educational Resources (OER) for Teaching Purposes.”

Auger, Baker, Connors, and Martin examined Indigenous students’ experiences in “Understanding Indigenous Learners’ Experiences During the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This study provides insights about the importance of listening as part of Indigenous online learning experiences.

“Measuring the Impact of an Open Educational Resource and Library e-Resource Adoption Program Using the COUP Framework” is a study from California. Squibb, Salmon, and Yan applied the cost, outcomes, usage, and perceptions to evaluate a zero-cost course materials program that further confirms OER beneficial cost-savings contributing to student success.

“Student Support in Online Learning—We Need to Talk About Money” by Simpson creatively examines how online institutional funding might be used to address student dropout and attrition rates.

Lane and Stephens use an historical inquiry to examine the development of online nursing education and purposeful pedagogy in their article, “What It Is and Is Not: Pedagogy in Online Nursing Education Delivery.”

“SCOPE of Open Education: A New Framework for Research” expands the theoretical base of open education research. Clinton-Lisell, Roberts-Crews, and Gwozdz propose adding social justice to the currently established components of cost, outcomes, perception, and engagement.

From Iran comes the study, “Integrating Community of Inquiry Framework Principles With Flipped Classroom Pedagogy to Enhance Students’ Perceived Presence Sense, Self-Regulated Learning, and Learning Performance in Preservice Teacher Education.” Taghizade, Azimi, Mahmoudian, and Akhash demonstrate that the COI framework with flipped classroom pedagogy enhances students self-regulated learning and performance.

Yilidirim, Ilgaz, Bayazit, and Akçapınar researched “The Effects of Exam Setting on Students’ Test-Taking Behaviors and Performances: Proctored Versus Unproctored.” The results support the assessment practices of online courses that have multiple low-stake formative exams.

Biem and Morrison researched K-12 online teachers in their study, “Collaboration and Ethics in Distance Learning Design.” This study provides insights regarding how online collaborative learning is actualized and barriers to its implementation.

“Development and Validation of the Sense of Online Community Scale” offers a validated scale. With this work, Shepherd, Bolliger, and McKim have supported other researchers investigating community in online environments in programs and institutions.

Researchers Zhang, Nan, Sun, Che and Kim from South Korea examined “Teammate Familiarity in Distributed Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: The Mediating Role of Social Presence.” The study found that social media platforms and class webpages were the most widely used channels for supporting student social familiarity.

“Weaknesses in Emergency Remote Teaching in Higher Education Within the Context of the ODL Learning Component in Turkey” continues to explore findings from the global pandemic. Genç and Kesim found that ERT has weaknesses with respect to teaching method, course structuring, and e-learning materials.

For this issue, there are three Book Reviews. The first reviewer, Bossu, examines Contextualised Open Educational Practices: Towards Student Agency and Self-Directed Learning edited by Olivier, du Toit-Brits, Blunt, and Dhakulkar. For anyone interested in open educational practices (OEP) in educational settings this 2022 book offers important considerations. The second book, reviewed by Carr, entitled Co-teaching and Co-research in Contexts of Inequality: Using Networked Learning to Connect Africa and the World edited by Shangase, Gachago, and Ivala highlights the human connection and relationship building to successful co-teaching, co-learning, and co-researching with many of the chapters applying digital storytelling. The final offering, written by Ali, reviews Blended Learning Environments to Foster Self-Directed Learning edited by van der Westhuizen, Maphalala, and Bailey. This edited book offers approaches that enhance self-directed learning (SDL) in blended learning environments.

Editorial - Volume 24, Issue 4 by Constance Blomgren is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.