Ms Anne-Marie Scott named new Vice President of the Commonwealth of Learning.
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) @COL4D is delighted to announce that Ms Anne-Marie Scott has been appointed as COL’s new Vice President from June 2025.
Speaking from COL's HQ in Vancouver, Canada, Professor Peter Scott @peter_scott, President and CEO, said that "Ms Scott's passion for Open Education raised her above a very strong field of candidates for this role and spoke to new and innovative thinking to move learning from business-as-usual to the much needed deep impact, that it can now have."
Ms Scott is an inspiring senior leader with over 20 years of international higher education experience and a rare blend of academic and professional expertise in digital, distance, and open education. Her leadership will help advance COL’s mission to promote the ‘Open' in learning at all levels across the Commonwealth.
Sought after as a thought leader and speaker by a wide range of institutions and organisations internationally and as a partner for scholarly research and teaching, Ms Scott has consistently demonstrated a proven, long-standing commitment to quality assurance, good governance, open practices, equity, risk management and the potential for education to transform lives.
Ms Scott previously served as Deputy Provost at Athabasca University, where she led academic and digital strategies. Before that, she spent nearly two decades at the University of Edinburgh, spearheading digital learning initiatives, and has served as the Board Chair of the Apereo Software Foundation, is a Board member of the Open Source Initiative team, and is a member of the Government of British Columbia’s Digital Learning Advisory Committee.
The Vice President Designate commented, “Across my career, I have focussed on opening access to knowledge and educational opportunity for as many as possible, with particular care for those most marginalised in our societies. I have seen many times over how education transforms lives and know from experience that technology can be a powerful enabler of inclusion, opportunity, and positive social change when used creatively and thoughtfully. Our world faces enormous challenges, and I am excited to bring my leadership and my passion to COL to achieve even greater impact in its mission to promote learning for sustainable development in the Commonwealth.”
Professor Scott also acknowledged the significant contributions made to COL by the outgoing Vice President, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Venkataraman Balaji for his fantastic work as VP since 2019. Dr Balaji has driven excellence in Commonwealth open education to new and great heights. Dr Balaji is now stepping in to a new role in COL, with so much more yet to do in driving excellence in our member nations.”
Media inquiries, please contact:
Dave Jackson, Communications Manager, COL
Phone: +1 604 775 8263
#COL4D #Education #Commonwealth #Leadership #HigherEd #LearningForAll #EdTech #GlobalLearning #WomenInLeadership #LifelongLearning #CapacityBuilding #OnlineEducation
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4th Vice Chancellors’ Roundtable advances ODL in India and South Asia.
The 4th Vice Chancellors’ Roundtable Meeting, co-organised by the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) @COL_CEMCA – the Commonwealth of Learning’s @COL4D regional centre and Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) – marked a pivotal moment for the advancement of ODL in India and South Asia. Held in Nashik, India, the gathering convened Vice Chancellors from Open Universities across the region to chart collaborative pathways for implementing India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and expanding Graduate Employability through a new consortium of open universities. Participants underscored the meeting’s importance in strengthening ODL’s credibility, improving learner outcomes, and positioning open universities as critical drivers for achieving SDG4.
In his welcome address, Professor Sanjeev Sonawane, VC, YCMOU, highlighted the critical role of ODL in achieving SDG4, with open universities contributing to 11 per cent of the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in India, over 50 per cent of whom are female learners. He also emphasised the need for skilling and employability, with YCMOU leading valuable initiatives such as developing courses for the prospective workers at Palghat port and grape farming in Italy in collaboration with international partners.
Delivering the valedictory address, Mr Mrutyunjay Behera, Economic Advisor (Higher Education) at the Ministry of Education, Government of India. He emphasised the significance of such gatherings in gaining insights into the innovations and technological advancements transforming ODL across the region and underscored the urgent need to dispel the doubts about the quality of education delivered through the ODL system. “The time has come to erase the question mark surrounding the credibility and effectiveness of ODL and to recognise its potential in shaping the future of education,” he asserted.
Dr B. Shadrach, Director, CEMCA, highlighted the importance of the Ahmedabad Declaration, a guiding document for ODL, adopted and endorsed by all OU VCs in August 2023. He also reiterated the need for increased collaboration between academia and industry to bridge the employability gap.
The meeting also saw participation by OU VCs from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who shared their experiences and best practices in ODL. Pakistan’s Allama Iqbal Open University highlighted its inclusive education model, while Bangladesh Open University discussed its blended learning and vocational training efforts. Sri Lanka’s Open University showcased its success in employability through industry partnerships and career advisory services.
The key outcomes of the meeting included the formation of a consortium for open universities aimed at sharing resources and best practices and the creation of an Open Educational Resources (OER) repository to be managed by CEMCA. The consortium will address challenges such as funding, digital infrastructure, and regulatory hurdles while promoting innovation and collaboration among open universities. The meeting concluded with plans for future initiatives, including an AI masterclass for VCs and establishing community radio stations in OUs to enhance learners’ and community outreach.
In all, the 4th Vice Chancellors' Roundtable Meeting marked a sizable step towards strengthening the ODL ecosystem, focusing on quality, inclusivity and innovation in education.
#COL4D #COL_CEMCA #OpenDistanceLearning #ODL #HigherEducation #OnlineEducation #EdTech #DigitalLearning #SouthAsia #IndiaEducation #EducationForAll #InclusiveEducation #LifelongLearning
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Photos from COL4D's Empowering Women & Girls's post
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