Honorary doctorate for pioneer of digital education Mark Brown

Appreciation

By awarding the honorary doctorate, the Open Universiteit wishes to show its appreciation for the efforts of prof. Mark Brown to improve lives and societies everywhere with digital education. Rector magnificus prof. dr. Theo Bastiaens: 'Mark Brown can be considered one of the founding fathers of digital and distance education. Over the past 25 years, professor Brown has held several leadership positions in major, university-wide initiatives in digital learning and education. He has also been active in several European committees. His ongoing research efforts in distance learning innovation are an inspiration to the Open Universiteit community. We are very grateful for his unwavering commitment to a better future through digital education!'

Transforming for a better future

Before coming to Dublin, Mark Brown was Director of the National Centre for Teaching and Learning and Director of the Distance Education and Learning Futures Alliance (DELFA) at Massey University in New Zealand. He is a senior fellow of EDEN (European Distance and E-learning Network) and serves on the Supervisory Board of EADTU (European Association for Distance Teaching Universities). Mark Brown was named world leader in Open, Online and Distance Learning by the Commonwealth of Learning in 2017. He also received the National Award for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching in New Zealand.

Presentation

The honorary doctorate will be awarded during the celebration of the 40th dies natalis of the Dutch Open Universiteit in Heerlen, The Netherlands, on Thursday 26 September 2024. Honorary supervisor is prof. dr. Rob Martens, professor of Educational Sciences at the Open Universiteit.

Prof. Mark Brown