Online open education and social justice: Seminar – 26 March 2019
26 February 2019
While open education is known to remove barriers to learning for a range of disadvantaged learners, and similar hopes were held for Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), the first generation of MOOCs rarely delivered in terms of “education for all”. Join CRADLE PhD candidate Sarah Lambert as she discusses the many ways in which contemporary open education – that is, free and online courses – can be considered social justice for marginalised cohorts and those typically excluded from higher education.
| When? | 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm, Tuesday 26 March 2019 |
| Where? | Deakin Downtown – Level 12, Tower 2, 727 Collins Street, Melbourne (Collins Square). Online and on-campus options are also available |
| Catering? | Afternoon tea will be provided |
| Cost? | This is a free event |
| Register? | Register here! |
Open education is known to remove barriers to learning for a range of disadvantaged learners. Recently, free online versions of open education were hailed by UNESCO as having great potential to reach masses of marginalised learners, particularly in developing regions where open education initiatives are framed to support both education as a human right, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Similar hopes were expressed for MOOCs; however, the first generation of MOOCs rarely hit the “education for all” mark and were predominantly taken by the already educated, including young males seeking to advance their careers. Despite this, institutions from all parts of the world have continued to develop MOOCs designed with a mission of equity or inclusion.
This presentation discusses the many ways that contemporary open education – that is, free and online courses – can be considered social justice for marginalised cohorts and those typically excluded from higher education. Cases from Australia, Europe, South Africa and Asia are presented, drawn from a systematic review of the literature which examined 48 studies and reports through the lens of a definition of open education that aligns with social justice principles (Lambert, 2018 
). These cases represent diverse global programs reaching over 200,000 disadvantaged learners in both distance and blended learning settings, and show progress in addressing gender, regional and linguistic justice. The scope is adult, further, and higher education rather than compulsory education; however, teacher-training initiatives are included.
The presentation reflects on this major piece of research work, and explicates different forms and outcomes that designing with redistributive, recognitive and representational justice can take. It shows that online technologies can be used to give a bit more to those who have less.
