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Dr. Afolabi Royes believes that online education should not only be accessible, but also creative.

Dr. Afolabi Royes Speaks on Opening Education and Sparking Creativity in Online Learning

By Emily Mistishen on Jul 13, 2018

Dr. Rachael Afolabi RoyesAs technology continues to evolve, education must adapt with it at a rapid pace. Educational institutions, from K-12 to colleges and universities, are consistently integrating courses into online settings. Online education is a massively growing field that discusses the importance of digital learning environments in not only improving information access, but also providing flexible and affordable options to those who need it the most. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, outstanding student loan balances reached a soaring amount of $1.2 trillion in 2015. Growing school expenses and long distances continue to push students to online learning. Dr. Rachael Afolabi Royes, from Carlow University, is the author of the chapter "Emphasizing Instructor Presence in Digital Learning Environments" from the publication Creating Teacher Immediacy in Online Learning Environments. She recently spoke with IGI Global about the importance and benefits of not only online education, but also the creativity of its pedagogy and curriculum.

What inspired you to pursue research activities in your field?

Access to education is a passion, almost an obsession to me! I believe education is the key to solving the problems that exist in the world today, and to open doors of opportunities to oppressed individuals. I believe in the flexibility and accessibility to education. When I first discovered the option of distance education and online learning using technology, I thought that it was an incredible opportunity. I was, at the time, just graduating from Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria in Nigeria and wanted the option to travel, work, and learn. Online learning gave me this opportunity, and I have worked in this field to develop online creative educational opportunities, providing access to education to people around the world.

Why are your respective areas of research important to the field at large?

Access to education, or the lack of, is a social problem. Online education is one way that educators can address this issue. There are many reasons that people choose to learn online. Reasons range from health, to distance, to cost savings, etc. My area of research in the field of education focuses on creative digital learning. While online learning provides access to education, the delivery and presentation of learning should not be ignored. For too long, the strategy around online learning was focused on “information dump” of inaccessible, non-creative lecture materials, activities that did not measure or assess learning and were very static content. My research and work in digital learning is not only in access to education, but also access to quality education.

In your opinion, what are some of the benefits of your research to its community of users?

Nearly all education literature discusses the importance of online learning in today’s advancement of technology and learning. Because of online learning, several parts of the world that did not have access to technology or certain content now have it at their fingertips and on demand. I think with a continuous focus on delivering quality digital education to this community of learners, the growth of educated individuals will continue to increase.

What are the future directions of your research areas?

Digital learning has expanded into deeper areas of technology such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It is important to the nature of digital learning that research in this field does not remain static. My research will continue to explore creativity in the development of online learning and include advanced technologies to expand the field of digital learning and expanded opportunities for individuals. Because of my research interest and focus on African culture as well, I am looking at expanding my body of work in digital humanities and storytelling.

What are some other evolving research trends you have observed in your industry/field over the past several months, and what would you say are some of the innovative research directions you foresee in the future? How do you feel your publication sets the pace for these innovations?

I think one of the areas that has begun to gain more attention and focus in digital learning is the field of assistive technologies. It is hardly an emerging field, but with the growth of new technologies in hardware and software technologies, assistive technologies are being reimagined in new ways. I had the opportunity to learn more about how disability is a man-made construct and digital learning practices that accommodate people living with disabilities have not been a strategy for many educators that teach online.

What has your experience publishing with IGI Global been like?

So far, I have had only one publication with IGI Global and it was a very rigorous but rewarding experience. I am working on several journal articles but will be undertaking a full book publication next year.

We would like to thank Dr. Afolabi Royes for sharing her thoughts on creative online learning. We hope the discussion will promote further conversations on the topic. Please be sure to view her chapter, "Emphasizing Instructor Presence in Digital Learning Environments", from the publication Creating Teacher Immediacy in Online Learning Environments and recommend it to your librarian.

For more information digital education, click here. To ensure this research is made available to the academic community, all of these publications are featured as a part of IGI Global's InfoSci^®-Books database which offers institutions access to 4,500+ books containing over 89,000 chapters of peer-reviewed research in core subjects such as Business & Management, Computer Science & Information Technology, Education, Engineering, and Social Sciences & Humanities. InfoSci-Books offers institutions full-text PDF and HTML format with no DRM and an unlimited number of users. Purchase or recommend a free trial for your institution today.

Additionally, view the recommended readings below and recommend them to your library:

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of IGI Global.

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Caroline Campbell
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