Mark Nichols

The paper argues that the longstanding terms ‘open’ and ‘distance’ no longer adequately advance the practices and identity of institutions historically aligned with open and distance learning (ODL). Drawing on institutional experience in New Zealand and sector developments, it proposes clearer framing for ‘open’ and suggests alternatives for the ‘distance’ label to align with current designs and modalities that remove geographic barriers.

This invited critical reflection examines the term “open, distance, and digital education (ODDE)” amid a proliferation of overlapping labels for models of education. Arguing that shared terminology is essential to clear discourse and policy, the article critiques ODDE’s utility and proposes reframing ‘open’ as available, inclusive, scalable, and sustainable, and replacing ‘distance’ with ‘designed’ to better capture contemporary educational approaches mediated by technology.

This commentary contends that ‘online’ has become so broad and inconsistently applied that it no longer communicates a specific educational meaning. Surveying uses from emergency remote teaching to LMS supplementation and synchronous lecturing, the author argues for either retiring the term or using it only with precise contextual qualifiers, to improve clarity in practice, research, and policy.

Using Leximancer text-mining on 1,777 BJET article titles and abstracts (1970–2018), this study maps evolving concepts and themes in educational technology research and analyses authorship trends. Common threads include distance education, instructional design, teacher education, and technology uptake. The authors note increasing internationalisation but underrepresentation from certain regions, and recommend future work on professional development, theory, policy, and collaborative research.

An invited addendum updating the 2016 review of on‑screen versus print reading. Incorporating studies discussed in subsequent blog posts, it reflects personally on digital reading practice and confirms that while results remain mixed, on‑screen learning can be improved through principled design; it also outlines priorities for further research and learner guidance.

With online provision growing, this review synthesises comparative studies of reading on screen versus print and proposes principles for on‑screen‑only learning design. While many learners prefer print—especially for deep study—screen-based approaches can enhance convenience, media‑richness, engagement, and support. The paper offers design guidance to improve on‑screen learning effectiveness within distance and online contexts.

Reporting on Laidlaw College’s targeted support initiative, this study compares first-time student outcomes across semesters with and without retention interventions, benchmarks results nationally, and explores student interviews. Findings suggest students often credit their own effort for success, implying support operates as a ‘hygiene factor’: its absence is noticed more than its presence. Implications are discussed via institutional transactional presence and service design.

Noting that practice has outpaced theory, this piece proposes ten hypotheses to stimulate theory-building for e‑learning across contexts. It argues that the absence of established theory hinders development and that shared principles can guide effective, scalable implementations of technology‑mediated learning.