Purpose: This research examines the essential competencies open university students in Thailand require to meet the demands of the sustainable smart manufacturing industry. The study addresses skills gaps in technological, green, 21st-century and future-thinking dimensions, aligning with Thailand's 4.0 strategy and the United Nations Sustainable…

While high-accuracy machine learning (ML) models for predicting student learning performance have been widely explored, their deployment in real educational settings can lead to unintended harm if the predictions are biased. This study systematically examines the trade-offs between prediction accuracy and fairness in ML models trained on the…

The epistemological beliefs of students are an important area for higher education research. This paper firstly reports on a research review concerning the impact of epistemological beliefs on academic outcomes. This review indicates that students' epistemological beliefs are an influence on their engagement with learning and academic success, and…

Purpose: The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 has had a profound impact on education institutions at all levels. Open universities, with their privileged delivery method, have been in an advantageous position. In the earlier stages of the pandemic, they made remarkable contributions to assuring learning continuity. However, with more and more…

Following the conceptualisation of a third space of internationalisation at a distance (IaD) in this study, we aim to explore how international students at the largest university in Europe, the Open University, might consider their own identities and perspectives. At present over 5000+ international students study at a distance at the Open…

Open universities can improve learning outcomes and overall satisfaction among adult learners by addressing and enhancing online learning motivation. By applying latent profile analysis (N = 494) and adult learner interviews (n = 16), this mixed methods study aimed to better understand adult learners' motivation profiles in online learning…

Learning support services, categorized into academic and non-academic support, have been demonstrated to positively influence student development. However, the distinct mechanisms by which academic and non-academic support services impact academic performance remain underexplored in China. This study seeks to provide comprehensive insights into…

Learning analytics promise significant benefit to online education providers through improved, better-targeted student services. Much has been written about the potential of analytics and how they might be technically implemented, and various ethical considerations are published highlighting the significant potential risk of gathering,…

An effective educational response to the climate emergency requires disrupting existing ideas about universities' roles, curriculum design and the relationship between educators, students and communities. This study examines an approach to curriculum development taken by academics at The Open University, UK whilst developing the postgraduate short…

Digital badges as a recognition for learning, can motivate, provide a means to demonstrate credibility and professional development, and allow learners to showcase their skills and interests. They are an important means to recognise non-accredited learning and can be delivered in agile, educational or professional settings. The Open University UK…

The Open University is a university that has been around for a long time, so that it is able to develop a learning process that demands the development of science and technology, both online and offline independently. Therefore, this study aims to describe and analyze the process and results of the development of a virtual science laboratory to…

This paper aims to explore how the Hellenic Open University managed to adapt to the new normal of the pandemic and particularly what methods it deployed in its postgraduate Healthcare Management program. The first part introduces the key features of the Hellenic Open University and analyzes the strategic policy deployed by the University during…

The article investigates two cases of displaced universities facing challenges after a new phase of Russia's aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. We analyse prospects for displaced universities. Also, we identify models suitable for developing and reinventing universities, aligning their activities with wartime needs and allowing them to…

Dropout is a global and complex phenomenon affecting all universities. This study aimed at investigating the intrinsic and extrinsic factors causing dropout at the Open University of Mauritius (OU). Secondary data about 1885 learners were collected for five intakes and three levels of study -- foundation, undergraduate and Master courses. The…

This study explores users' perceptions of the Virtual Assistant application facilitated by the Anadolu University Open Education System. It assesses the application's effectiveness and user satisfaction by analyzing opinions regarding its importance and the experience it delivers. The research delineates its population as learners engaging with…