Double honours give OU academic a seat at the European research table

image of a blonde-haired woman with a blue, yellow and white scarf round her shoulders

EDEN Digital Learning Europe has honoured Professor Denise Whitelock with a lifetime fellowship in recognition of her more than twenty-five-year contribution to the research, design and evaluation of online and computer-based learning in higher education.

The network for the professional community for smart learning announced the Institute of Education Technology (IET) Director’s selection as an EDEN Fellow at its annual conference in Tallin, Estonia, in June 2022.

EDEN Digital Learning Europe shares knowledge, improves understanding among distance and e-learning professionals and promotes enhancements to policy and practice in Europe and around the globe.

EDEN also confirmed Professor Whitelock’s appointment as its Vice-President for Research during the Tallinn conference. The fixed-term role will see her work with her management board colleagues to steer its research agenda during the next three years.

Professor Whitelock said: “I’m incredibly grateful to EDEN Digital Learning Europe for giving me the honour of a lifetime by making me an EDEN Fellow. I also feel humbled by the EDEN family’s warmth in giving me the tremendous responsibility of being its Vice-President for Research.

“My priorities for the next three years are to collaborate with my fellow management board members to enhance and expand the reach and impact of the network’s research and to focus on developing and empowering the next generation of young scholars. I also look forward to drawing on the OU and IET’s expertise in developing cutting-edge Alternative Reality and Extended Reality learning environments, automatic feedback systems and innovative pedagogies to lead European research projects in these areas.”

Professor Whitelock’s appointment will also support the IET in building valuable networks for critical projects in the coming years, such as its soon-to-launch EdTech Foundry. This online start-up incubator dedicated to technology-enhanced learning will open to EdTech projects ready for a broader market with the potential to scale from autumn 2022.