Learning in an open world

Learning in an Open World encompasses a broad range of definitions of Open Education, including the specialities of Open Educational Resources (OER), MOOCs, open-access publishing, and open educational practice. With a history of expertise in content sharing, open licensing, and open collaboration, our research covers the impact of open education on learners, teachers, and educators across society. As Open Education has grown in mainstream prominence, we seek to answer questions of the most vital importance in education, industry and developing markets, including in areas such as open textbooks, online identities, and how universities adapt to free and informal learning. The impacts extend throughout and beyond universities, with public engagement and awareness vital for societal issues such as health, economics, jobs and education.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA or research methods training at MA level (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.

Current/recent research projects

• Extending Design Thinking with Emerging Digital Technologies: ExtenDT² | Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University
• Global OER Graduate Network: GO-GN | Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University
• Protecting Minority Ethnic Communities Online (PRIME): PRIME | Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University
• Innovating Learning Design in Higher Education: iLED | Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University

Potential Supervisors

• Dr Carina Bossu
• Dr Tim Coughlan
• Dr Rob Farrow
• Dr Elizabeth FitzGerald
• Dr Fereshte Goshtasbpour
• Dr Francisco Iniesto
• Dr Leigh-Anne Perryman
• Dr Beck Pitt
• Prof Eileen Scanlon
• Dr Sagun Shrestha
• Prof Denise Whitelock

Fees and funding

PhD fees

Professional doctorate fees

Some of our research students are funded via The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

• Learning in an Open World | Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University
• IET Research