Stephen Downes

I don't usually link to a journal editorial as it's usually a summary of the issue's contents, and this one is no different. But there's a tension here I want to address. No doubt context is important in any design, development, and evaluation of open and distance learning (ODL). But analyses of "x perceptions of y" is a poor substitute for context. Personal perceptions are often misreported, are usually uninformed, should not be aggregated, cannot be shown to have casual impact, and essentially amount to opinion disguised as research. If it were up to me this staple of academic writing in education would be disallowed.