The African Virtual University, Nigerian higher education leader Olugbemiro Jegede and Russian academic Irina Smirnova were awarded major global awards related to open, distance and e-learning by the International Council for Open and Distance Education on Friday.
There were 900 delegates from 67 countries at the biennial conference of the ICDE. The 26th ICDE World Conference was held at Sun City north of Johannesburg from 14-16 October, hosted by the University of South Africa under the theme “Growing Capacities for Sustainable Distance e-Learning Provision”.
And on the final day of the event, a prize giving ceremony led by ICDE Secretary General Gard Titlestad shone a light on outstanding work in open, distance and e-learning by people and institutions around the world.
The winners
The winners were as follows:
Institutional Prize for Excellence
African Virtual University
The African Virtual University, or AVU, was acknowledged for achieving remarkable success in delivering e-learning programmes to 57 countries. Despite limited resources, and working with network partner universities, it has educated students across cultural and linguistic barriers.
Dr Bakary Diallo, rector of the AVU, received the award on the institution’s behalf and said he was honoured by the recognition.
“The ICDE is a worldwide renowned institution, which we have been working very closely with since 2011. This prestigious award sheds light on the work done by the AVU,” Diallo said.
“I deeply believe that innovation in education is instrumental to the development of human capital. We must therefore exploit it to make a lasting impact on learners and their communities.”
Lifelong Contribution to the Field
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede
The founding vice-chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria and former secretary general of the Association of African Universities is now secretary to the Kogi state government, the Oguruefa of Ogoriland, in Nigeria
Jegede congratulated those who had walked the open distance learning journey with him and thanked the ICDE for acknowledging his contribution on his home soil.
“This award has reinforced my conviction that the open and distance learning that I first came into contact with in 1981 has become mainstream in my lifetime and is not just on the periphery,” said Jegede.
Individual Prize for Excellence
Dr Irina Smirnova
Head of the department for international projects at Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics, Dr Irina Smirnova was honoured in absentia for her academic leadership at regional, national and global level.
She has been involved in a wide array of international projects focusing on the role of ICT in advancing open and distance learning.
ICDE Prize for Innovation and Best Practice in Open, Distance, Flexible, Online Education and E-learning
These are the five winners of this prize targeting excellent work by young academics in the open, distance and e-learning field. Below are their names and the titles of their winning academic papers:
New ICDE leadership
The ICDE also announced the composition of its new executive committee, following elections.
Professor Asha Singh Kanwar and Professor Belinda Tynan have joined the committee as institutional representatives, and Professor Alan Tait was elected as an individual member (he was previously an institutional representative). They join Professor Mandla S Makhanya, Dr Yang Zhijian and Maxim Jean-Louis on the executive committee.
Current ICDE President Professor Tian Belawati and Marta Mena, an individual representative, complete their terms in the executive committee later this year, after both having served the constitutional limit of two four-year terms.
The ICDE executive committee will elect a chair from among its members who will also be the president of the ICDE. This will take place at the first committee meeting for 2016, scheduled for January.
GLOBAL
Break down learning barriers to sustainable development
GLOBAL
Blending higher education into an uncertain future
UNITED STATES
Education expansion can balance access with equality
GLOBAL
Open learning must support global ethics and development
GLOBAL
Improving MOOC retention by a multiple of five
There were 900 delegates from 67 countries at the biennial conference of the ICDE. The 26th ICDE World Conference was held at Sun City north of Johannesburg from 14-16 October, hosted by the University of South Africa under the theme “Growing Capacities for Sustainable Distance e-Learning Provision”.
And on the final day of the event, a prize giving ceremony led by ICDE Secretary General Gard Titlestad shone a light on outstanding work in open, distance and e-learning by people and institutions around the world.
The winners
The winners were as follows:
Institutional Prize for Excellence
African Virtual University
The African Virtual University, or AVU, was acknowledged for achieving remarkable success in delivering e-learning programmes to 57 countries. Despite limited resources, and working with network partner universities, it has educated students across cultural and linguistic barriers.
Dr Bakary Diallo, rector of the AVU, received the award on the institution’s behalf and said he was honoured by the recognition.
“The ICDE is a worldwide renowned institution, which we have been working very closely with since 2011. This prestigious award sheds light on the work done by the AVU,” Diallo said.
“I deeply believe that innovation in education is instrumental to the development of human capital. We must therefore exploit it to make a lasting impact on learners and their communities.”
Lifelong Contribution to the Field
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede
The founding vice-chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria and former secretary general of the Association of African Universities is now secretary to the Kogi state government, the Oguruefa of Ogoriland, in Nigeria
Jegede congratulated those who had walked the open distance learning journey with him and thanked the ICDE for acknowledging his contribution on his home soil.
“This award has reinforced my conviction that the open and distance learning that I first came into contact with in 1981 has become mainstream in my lifetime and is not just on the periphery,” said Jegede.
Individual Prize for Excellence
Dr Irina Smirnova
Head of the department for international projects at Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics, Dr Irina Smirnova was honoured in absentia for her academic leadership at regional, national and global level.
She has been involved in a wide array of international projects focusing on the role of ICT in advancing open and distance learning.
ICDE Prize for Innovation and Best Practice in Open, Distance, Flexible, Online Education and E-learning
These are the five winners of this prize targeting excellent work by young academics in the open, distance and e-learning field. Below are their names and the titles of their winning academic papers:
- Asamenew Demessie Bireda – “Challenges to the Doctoral Journey: A case of female doctoral students from Ethiopia”.
- Ashok Gaba and Wei Li – “Growth and Development of Distance Education in India and China: A study on policy perspectives”.
- Maximus Gorky Sembiring – Validating Student Satisfaction Related to Persistence, Academic Performance, Retention, and Career Advancement within ODL Perspectives”.
- Shironica P Karunanayaka, Som Naido, JCN Rajendra and HUW Ratnayake – “From OER to OEP: Shifting practitioner perspectives and practices with innovative learning experience design”.
- Patrina Law – “Recognising Informal e-learning with Digital Badging: Evidence for a sustainable business model”.
New ICDE leadership
The ICDE also announced the composition of its new executive committee, following elections.
Professor Asha Singh Kanwar and Professor Belinda Tynan have joined the committee as institutional representatives, and Professor Alan Tait was elected as an individual member (he was previously an institutional representative). They join Professor Mandla S Makhanya, Dr Yang Zhijian and Maxim Jean-Louis on the executive committee.
Current ICDE President Professor Tian Belawati and Marta Mena, an individual representative, complete their terms in the executive committee later this year, after both having served the constitutional limit of two four-year terms.
The ICDE executive committee will elect a chair from among its members who will also be the president of the ICDE. This will take place at the first committee meeting for 2016, scheduled for January.
GLOBAL
Break down learning barriers to sustainable development
GLOBAL
Blending higher education into an uncertain future
UNITED STATES
Education expansion can balance access with equality
GLOBAL
Open learning must support global ethics and development
GLOBAL
Improving MOOC retention by a multiple of five
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