The first issue of inspired for 2026 appears at a significant moment for Open University Malaysia and for open, distance and digital education. National policy is turning toward AI and lifelong learning, and universities are expected not only to respond but also to help society understand these shifts.

This issue highlights work that often remains unseen. In his New Year message, President/Vice-Chancellor Prof Dato’ Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang notes that OUM’s progress rests on steady, routine effort in teaching, curriculum development, learner support and administration. He links this to the university’s four pillars and to OUM’s ambition to strengthen its identity as a digital university and a partner in lifelong learning.

The features gathered here take up the intellectual questions that follow. One essay warns against relying on generative AI before learners and professionals have enough grounding to judge its output responsibly. Another calls for more rigorous ODDE scholarship on AI, asking how AI is reshaping knowledge production and whether ODDE still retains a distinctive role in an AI-enabled landscape.

Across these pieces, a common thread emerges. Technology is changing how education is organised, but meaningful learning still depends on careful human judgement and sustained professional practice. As OUM moves beyond its 25th anniversary, this issue invites readers to recognise that ongoing work and to think concretely about the kind of digital university we are building together.

Best
Dr David Lim, Editor