IRRODL

This study analyzed the role of open and distance education (ODE) in reducing the educational gap in Indonesia, particularly between urban and rural areas. The research method was a literature review that collected and analyzed various articles and reports related to ODE in Indonesia and other developing countries. The findings indicated that ODE had great potential to enhance access to education in remote areas; however, this potential has been constrained by uneven technological infrastructure, lack of teacher training, and educational policies that are not yet inclusive. This study recommended improvements in policies to support the development of digital infrastructure and continuous teacher training. Practical recommendations include providing subsidies for devices and Internet access for students in rural areas. While ODE has provided solutions to similar educational gaps in other developing countries, such as India and Nigeria, the implementation of more inclusive policies and enhanced teaching capacity is necessary to optimize its benefits in Indonesia.

This study focused on procedures for creating, testing, and developing a set of reusable online resources for use in English for academic purposes programmes. The aim of the materials was to help migrants and refugees develop the linguistic and cultural skills, knowledge, and understanding they would need to engage, interact, and collaborate effectively in a multicultural context. Development of the materials involved an iterative process using a three-stage approach:

1. Expert review: Experts in relevant fields worked through the first version of the materials and provided critical feedback, which guided initial revisions.
2. Usability testing groups: Small groups of target users (students and teachers) used the revised materials in workshop settings, and data were gathered from observations, interviews, and written comments.
3. Wider evaluation: Larger-scale use and evaluation of the materials (which is ongoing, beyond the scope of this paper).

This article reports on the second stage.

This study investigated how the community of inquiry (CoI) framework can inform digital platform design for interprofessional continuing professional development (ICPD) in healthcare. Using a three-stage comparative methodology, we analyzed technological tools from foundational CoI literature (stage 1), conducted a rapid review of current digital ICPD practices (stage 2), and synthesized findings through matrix-based comparison (stage 3). The analysis of 10 foundational CoI studies and 11 digital interprofessional education studies revealed four distinct adaptation patterns: (a) technological convergence in core communication tools (asynchronous forums, Learning Management System (LMS) platforms); (b) evolutionary divergence in collaborative technologies (video conferencing, real-time document sharing); (c) implementation gaps in reflective and scaffolding tools; and (d) professional context adaptations addressing healthcare-specific needs. While current ICPD practices have demonstrated strong alignment with CoI principles in communication and collaboration tools, significant gaps exist in structured reflection mechanisms, automated feedback systems, and adaptive facilitation features. Critically, systematic CoI framework application in authentic ICPD contexts with practicing professionals has remained largely unexplored, with studies predominantly focused on pre-licensure interprofessional education. Current implementations have used CoI retrospectively as an analytical framework rather than proactively for design guidance. These findings suggest selective rather than comprehensive CoI integration in professional continuing education contexts. The study provided preliminary theoretical guidance for enhancing digital ICPD through CoI-informed design while highlighting the urgent need for empirical validation with practicing healthcare professionals.

Collaborative knowledge-building is an important mode of learning in which students’ cognitive presence has a significant impact on learning outcomes. To better understand how cognitive presence influences collaborative learning, this study applied three complementary analytic approaches: epistemic network analysis, which maps how ideas are connected in discussions; sequential pattern mining, which identifies temporal sequences; and social network analysis, which examines the interaction patterns and roles among group members. Using data from 37 students divided into 8 groups in a university course on academic reading and writing, we compared high-performing groups (HPGs) and low-performing groups (LPGs). The results showed that HPGs demonstrated stronger exploratory, integrative, and problem-solving abilities in their cognitive networks, with members actively exchanging ideas, questioning, and summarizing. In contrast, LPGs relied more on encouragement and reminders to sustain discussions. Furthermore, HPGs displayed more complex and varied behavioral sequences and clearer leadership and facilitation roles within their social networks, whereas LPGs showed simpler and less developed interaction patterns and lacked core members in their networks. These findings provide insights for instructors on how to better design and guide group knowledge-building to enhance online collaborative learning outcomes.

The effectiveness of technical education may vary depending on the delivery method. This study compared the effects of online, face-to-face (F2F), and hybrid learning on engineering students’ academic performance. The study involved 450 second-year students pursuing an engineering degree at a technical university in China. The pre-test and post-test scores for the five core academic subjects (i.e., computer programming, further mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, and analytical mechanics) revealed a statistically significant improvement in academic performance across all subjects after use of hybrid learning (p < 0.000). The average gains were 3.46 points in computer programming, 4.07 points in further mathematics, 3.24 points in physics, 2.5 points in electrical engineering, and 3.06 points in analytical mechanics. The online and F2F delivery groups exhibited a statistically significant improvement with respect to scores for electrical engineering (p < 0.000) and physics (p < 0.002) only. The one-way ANOVA and Scheffe’s test results revealed that the hybrid model had the strongest learning effects compared to online and F2F. A SWOT analysis helped to further explore students’ perceptions of the three delivery formats. The present findings, which highlighted the effectiveness of hybrid learning, can be helpful in creating adaptive learning programs for engineering students.

Editorial – Volume 27, Issue 1