ICDE Board hosted workshop on Global Advocacy & ICDE member receives award for excellence in Distance Learning
From the Award Ceremony: Dr. Mark Nichols (OPNZ) and Prof. Asha Singh Kanwar (COL)
14 to 16 September marked the dates for the Tenth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF10), hosted by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Athabasca University (AU).
The Forum, which took place in Calgary, Canada, is considered one of the world’s leading international conferences on open, distance and technology-enabled learning. Hosted by two ICDE members, it was only fitting that the ICDE Board was among the hundreds of participants from all around the world. As part of the program, the ICDE President, Dr. Neil Fassina, and ICDE Board members, Dr. Mark Nichols and Dr. Som Naidu, hosted a workshop on the ICDE Global Advocacy Campaign (GAC), advocating for positive change within Open, Flexible and Distance Learning on the international stage.
Open polytechnic New zealand received award of excellence
ICDE member Open Polytechnic New Zealand (OPNZ) was awarded the COL’s top award for Institutional Excellence in Distance Learning at the PCF10. The Award of Excellence is presented every three years by COL, and was developed to recognise the “significant achievements by institutions throughout the Commonwealth in the innovation and effective application of appropriate learning technologies.”
COL’s President and CEO, Prof. Asha Singh Kanwar, stated that the Open Polytechnic was unanimously selected for the Award by an Adjudication Panel for “its outstanding achievement in providing learning access to thousands of learners, including Māori and Pasifika learners, Disabled Learners, and those in rural communities.” Prof. Kanwar also elaborated on why OPNZ received the award: “The Open Polytechnic’s real-time analytics for educational performance is an exemplary innovation that fulfils the promise of technology to foster an enhanced learning environment for all.”
The Executive Director of Learning Design and Development and ICDE Board Member, Dr. Mark Nichols, was on hand to accept the award on behalf of the OPNZ.
