The Borderless Market for Open, Distance, and Digital Education

Abstract

This chapter highlights the historical, current, and emerging trends on the borderless market for ODDE. The rate of growth of the global market for ODDE is unprecedented. Both the public and private sectors are capitalizing on the seemingly limitless opportunities to expand educational offerings and the innovative delivery of ODDE. In the twentieth century, there is evidence of distance education using media formats such as television and delivery of course material through correspondence programs. With the development of the computer and internet, the depth and scope of the ODDE market in the twenty-first century is changing every day. As venture capitalists seek new financially lucrative opportunities and alternative learning formats open doors for those who otherwise may not have had access to learning opportunities, questions and concerns remain. The digital divide (access and inequality), quality assurance, regulation, privacy, and security remain central to areas of concern in the ODDE marketplace. Despite these concerns, across all educational sectors, the forging of partnerships within and across borders is enabling reskilling and upskilling of the labor force and advancing the conservation on how to improve transparency and protect vulnerable populations of current and future learners.