This paper explores elements of open education within the context of higher education. After an introduction to the origins of open education and its theoretical foundations, the topics of open and distance learning, international education issues in open education, open educational practices and scholarship, open educational resources, MOOCs, prior learning accreditation and recognition, and learner characteristics are considered, following the framework of macro, meso, and micro levels of research in open and distance learning. Implications for future research at the macro, meso, and micro levels are then provided.

In response to the surging COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Ghana shut down all schools on March 16th, 2020. This compelled many higher education institutions globally and in Ghana to adopt emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL) to ensure continuity of academic work. This chapter chronicles the experiences of Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) with the ERTL from March 2020 to date. Specifically, the chapter discusses what they did as an institution in terms of ERTL from the perspective of management, faculty, and support services. In this chapter, the authors provide a chronology of experiences with ERTL, the rationale behind actions taken, the mode of implementation, as well as the results of ERTL for faculty and students. Based on these experiences, the chapter advocates for the adoption of the pragmatism, accessibility, content, context, and empathy (PACCE) framework as a useful heuristic tool in ensuring equity and effectiveness of ERTL.

This study examined African higher education students' digital media use for learning. A total of 64 papers were selected for final synthesis from 1046 publications between 2010 and 2021. The review was dominated by campus-based undergraduate studies in the STEM subjects. The synthesis confirmed a variety of digital media usage; however, learning management systems were mainly used for course delivery and primarily accessed by students through weak internet-enabled mobile devices. Digital-media learning activities include communication, information search, instruction, knowledge management, exploration, assessment, collaboration, and simulation. Subject areas were found to have no associations with type of learning activity. These findings suggest an emphasis on transmissive learning modes in digital environments, which may not promote active learning. Although African countries have leapfrogged the development of tethered devices and internet applications, connectivity cost, reported incompatibility, technical issues, and low digital proficiency still prevent the upscaling of technology-enhanced learning via mobile devices.

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