Citation

Rice, M. F., Lowenthal, P. R., & Woodley, X. (2020). Distance education across critical theoretical landscapes: Touchstones for quality research and teaching. Distance Education, 41(3), 319-325. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1790091

Abstract

In proposing this issue, we intended to open a space for research and theory that considered, or even challenged, notions of diversity in a critical frame. The issue was to be a venue for scholars, researchers, instructional designers, and classroom teachers to engage with critical theories and diversity in open, flexible, and technology-mediated distance learning environments. We wanted to broaden the conversation about online and distance learning research, practice, and even policy about how to make learning with technologies accessible, relevant, and supportive of multiple intersectional identities. We realized that opening such a space would require us to find authors who were not merely studying diverse individuals, but who were engaging with the nuance and complexities of challenges faced by different groups.

We invited submissions that considered a wide variety of technologies, pedagogies, modes, and settings (e.g., K-12, higher education, and industry or corporate settings). In addition, we encouraged submissions that represented a range across multiple intersecting theoretical landscapes. This included, but was not limited to, critical race theory, critical pedagogies, disability studies, feminisms, heutagogy, and LGBTQIA+ studies. Five articles were rigorously peer-reviewed and selected for inclusion in this issue. Ideas that cut across these theories consist of democratization, encounters, and openness.

Keywords: diversity, disability studies, accessibility,

PDF: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01587919.2020.1790091