Colleagues, friends, and passerby…

The level of this here humble (meek!) podcasting endeavour has just gone up! Significantly!

The reason for this is, be assured, this absolutely first-rate convo between myself and Dr. Moeketsi Letseka, UNESCO Chair on Open Distance Learning (ODL), and Professor of Philosophy of Education and African Philosophy at the University of South Africa (UNISA)! UNISA is among the leading providers of online and distance education on the African continent… and globally, as well!

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Continents apart… but for the affordances of contemporary online technologies! #ednontech</figcaption></figure>
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If you’re even half-awake, this audio should get you moving! #ednontech

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Matt’s Notes

It’s difficult to describe what goes through your mind when somebody of Dr. Letseka’s significant stature is speaking… eloquently and passionately and with facts and information at the ready…

He’s been contributing significant research to South Africa’s education system through his numerous roles…

It should be noted that UNISA is a world-leading MEGA-university… with total enrollment exceeding 400,000 students across all programs and affiliates… whereas University of Toronto… Canada’s largest PSI has fewer than 62,000… UNISA’s enrollment being more than 6.5 times that of U-of-T…

When considering such scale… the challenges associated with delivery of any kind of learning outside traditional lectures become vitally important! Dr. Letseka and his international networks of colleagues have decades in of systematically building a body of research, practice, and literature to elevate educational outcomes across all sectors of contemporary South Africa’s economy, and across the wider society generally!

I will also disclose that of Dr. Letseka’s many ongoing projects:

I’ve just concluded a delightful skype interview with Dr Matt Stranach… on the work of the UNESCO Chair on Open Distance Learning (ODL), as well as ongoing ODeL research projects and projects that are in the pipeline, notably the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education Project, which is being developed jointly with the consortium comprising the Institute of Distance Education, Eswatini University; The Centre for Teaching and Learning, National University of Lesotho (NUL), and the SADC Centre for Distance Learning, Botswana Open University (BOU).

Dr. Moeketsi Letseka, UNESCO Chair on Open Distance Learning via Facebook

…I find myself compelled by all of it! For many reasons! I will also admit significant interest to the narrative series (multiple series) which are being written as we speak… including a work of memoir!

I will also add that, as discussed in the recording, the global COVID 19 pandemic occurred in the midst of Dr. Letseka’s first term as UNESCO Chair on Open Distance Learning! As such, I strongly recommend this video from fall 2020 to better contextualize the post-COVID learning environment(s)!

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His book from last year Mediating Open Distance e-Learning in the Advent of Global Crises is available as an OER (CC by 4.0) through UNISA Press!

We sincerely hope that Dr. Letseka will consider joining us again to talk about these and his many other research projects sooner than later!

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Dr. Letseka, it’s been an honor to have you join us! We are also grateful to anyone else!

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My mind’s made up, my mind’s made up
I’m gonna come clean tomorrow
My mind’s made up, my mind’s made up
I’m gonna fly straight as an arrow #ednontech</figcaption></figure>