Photo caption:泭Professor Cheryl Brown has been recognised as an international leader in inclusive digital education.
COL appoints distinguished experts to advance research, innovation and thought leadership.泭 joins the ranks of the six existing Chairs.泭
Professor Brown is Head of the School of Educational Studies and Leadership, and Co-Director of , the Digital Education Futures Lab at Te Whare Wnanga o Waitaha | 厙ぴ勛圖. Her research focuses on digital equity and inclusion and the role digital technologies play in enabling or inhibiting students participation in learning. She has led projects on digital education leadership and digital (in)equality and is passionate about supporting and developing young peoples digital literacies to enable them to participate positively in the post-digital world.
Professor Brown is looking forward to the new opportunity. Im excited to be able to expand my research around tertiary students access to and experiences with technology-enabled learning in resource-constrained contexts, she says.泭
Having recently completed a UNESCO Global Education Monitoring background paper on the role of technology in equity and inclusion in the Pacific region, I was struck by the paucity of information from the perspective of scholars in the region.泭
By exploring stories and experiences of educators and students in the Pacific region, I hope to better situate cultural values and traditional knowledges at the centre of discussions about the role different technologies can play in supporting inclusive learning and teaching.泭
This research will contribute to better ensuring open distance and flexible learning, purposefully addressing equity, diversity and inclusion.
It is an honour for COL to recognise Professor Browns exceptional work in the digital education sphere in this manner, Dr Jako Olivier, Adviser: Higher Education, and COL Chairs Programme coordinator, says. We are fortunate to draw from her expertise and her wide network within the Pacific to benefit the wider Commonwealth.
Hosted by the Government of Canada with headquarters in Burnaby, British Columbia, is the worlds only intergovernmental organisation solely concerned with the promotion and development of distance education and open learning.
