inspired readers would probably be unsurprised to learn that OUM is a member of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU). Having joined in 2004, OUM has since enjoyed 20 years of scholarly exchange and participation in such regional activities as collaborative research studies, publications, conferences, and seminars. This is something we deeply value; after all, along with other Asian open universities, we have reaped benefits that would otherwise be impossible without the coordination and support of the AAOU.

This sense of gratitude accompanies my missive in this 23rd issue of inspired, as OUM and our Asian open and distance learning (ODL) counterparts prepare ourselves for the 37th AAOU Annual Conference, to be hosted by the Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad, Pakistan this 15 to 17 October.

OUM is a member of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU). Having joined in 2004, OUM has since enjoyed 20 years of scholarly exchange and participation in such regional activities as collaborative research studies, publications, conferences, and seminars.

Themes and Zeitgeists

AAOU full members, currently numbering 44 universities, take turns hosting the annual conference, each time attracting hundreds of Asian ODL scholars, and often those outside the Asian continent as well. OUM has hosted the conference twice: once in Putrajaya in 2007, and then in Kuala Lumpur in 2015.

The themes of past AAOU conferences allude to the fascinating evolution of ODL in Asia, offering glimpses, one might say, into the zeitgeist or the spirit of the time. They link to key global events as well: think Covid-19, the proliferation of mobile technologies, and the current digital explosion.

We are fortunate that ODL has been so favourably accepted across Asia, allowing open universities to surpass so many milestones.

The first AAOU conference was held in Bangkok in 1987, which was more an inaugural meeting involving AAOU’s seven founding members: Indira Gandhi National Open University, Universitas Terbuka, University of the Air (now Open University of Japan), Korea Air and Correspondence University (now Korea National Open University), Allama Iqbal Open University, Open University of Sri Lanka, and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the themes addressed fundamental questions associated with the newness of ODL, e.g., prospects of running ODL courses, face-to-face and interactive components, the economics of distance education, and system structures. In the years when ODL had become more commonplace, such emerging topics as global cooperation and quality assurance were brought into focus.

At the cusp of the new millennium, the 1999 host, China Central Radio and Television University (now Open University of China), chose to highlight the approaching 21st century, ushering in a new era and setting the stage for later themes that reflected the growing complexity of the ODL environment, with such emphases on inclusivity, equitability, and sustainable approaches.

In 2021, the 34th host Open University of Sri Lanka organised a hybrid conference, thanks to reasons that have now become all too familiar, and appropriately directed the spotlight to the re-orientation of ODL to surmount challenges. Those who attended the conference in Colombo were seen donning facemasks, while those who participated remotely did so on-screen with their personal offices and living rooms in the background. This physical/virtual divide will surely be the enduring hallmark of that particular zeitgeist.

So, what can we take from all this?

Hindsight has its value: through these themes there is an opportunity to self-assess and consider how far we have come, what issues continue to preoccupy us, and what targets we should dedicate ourselves to next.

From something completely unfamiliar to becoming an established approach and subsequently the norm during the pandemic, ODL has seen it all. We are fortunate that ODL has been so favourably accepted across Asia, allowing open universities to surpass so many milestones. Nevertheless, such milestones have not come without challenges, which, as hindsight shows, have become increasingly complicated as well.

The ‘iron triangle’, featured in Sir John Daniel’s keynote address at the 25th conference in 2011, represents one of the primary challenges faced by all open universities. Open universities, he insisted, had the best chance of leveraging technology to break the triangle’s three vectors of access, quality, and cost.

Much time has passed since the iron triangle dominated our conversations, but certain issues, like the digital divide, have lingered. Meanwhile, there are ever-newer concerns we must keep in our sights, such as artificial intelligence (AI), academic integrity and governance, a changing employment landscape, and even geopolitical and climate crises.

All this and more, I am sure, will be discussed at length in Islamabad, where the chosen theme is “Expanding Horizons: Innovations in ODL.”

OUM in Islamabad

This October, ten of us from OUM will be in Pakistan to present nine research papers on a variety of topics, including leadership, psychology, and critical AI literacy.

This October, ten of us from OUM will be in Pakistan to present nine research papers on a variety of topics, including leadership, psychology, and critical AI literacy.

As OUM’s Vice-Chancellor, I will be sharing my personal perspective on what it takes to steer an open university through a process of digital transformation. For OUM, though our own digital transformation initiative is a work in progress, it constantly reveals opportunities for improvement, especially in terms of providing the right direction to keep the university on the right track.

Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Tajudin Md Ninggal, our Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Research) and resident expert in counselling psychology, will talk about the connection between personality, stress, and lifelong learning inclinations among open and distance learners: a fitting title indeed considering how learners’ personal well-being has become quite the focal point in the last few post-pandemic years.

In addition to Prof Tajudin, several other OUM academics will also be presenting their research findings. Dr Hamidah Mat, trained in Islamic education, and Mohammad Naim Ismail, with a background in business studies and marketing, will both address different aspects of AI in education. Meanwhile, Dr Raziana Che Aziz, a mathematician by training, will talk about the role of professional certification in fulfilling the requirements of the modern workplace.

Their efforts to engage in research topics beyond their individual scholarly qualifications mean a lot for OUM, because there are many facets to the ODL approach that we must strive to better understand. Research is certainly one of the ways our academics can help inform decision-making, especially in areas that specifically affect teaching and learning.

Rounding off our paper presenters are two non-academics who will talk about their individual professional experiences in human resource and learning material development. Overall, I hope the diversity in OUM’s representation at the conference this year will be mirrored in the submissions by other scholars and academics around Asia.

It would be wonderful, of course, if OUM could repeat last year’s success when two of our academics – computer scientist Assoc Prof Dr Nantha Kumar Subramaniam and English studies expert and inspired editor Assoc Prof Dr David Lim – bagged two awards at the 36th conference hosted by Anadolu University in Istanbul, Türkiye.

However, our aim in Islamabad, as I believe is the case for many other participants, is to absorb as much as we can while also comparing notes with our peers. This is a chance for us to peer over the fence, so to speak, to see what others are working on, with the hopes of sparking new initiatives, forging worthwhile alliances, and adopting useful ideas into our own unique Malaysian context.

As my parting words in this final issue of inspired for 2024, I would like to bring to the readers’ attention another gem by Sir John Daniel. He says that the online learner sits on a three-legged stool, with each leg representing learning materials, learner support, and administration and logistics. The stool (i.e., online learning) will only work if all three legs can evenly support the weight put on it. Otherwise, the one sitting is likely to fall.

In Islamabad, I hope the numerous aspects of all three will be deliberated for the benefit of open universities connected through the AAOU. At every opportunity, we should seize the chance to expand our horizons and ensure that online learners do not fall from their stool.

Prof Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang
President/Vice-Chancellor