An update to a provocative manifesto intended to serve as a platform for debate and as a resource and inspiration for those teaching in online environments.

In 2011, a group of scholars associated with the Centre for Research in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh released “The Manifesto for Teaching Online,” a series of provocative statements intended to articulate their pedagogical philosophy. In the original manifesto and a 2016 update, the authors counter both the “impoverished” vision of education being advanced by corporate and governmental edtech and higher education’s traditional view of online students and teachers as second-class citizens. The two versions of the manifesto were much discussed, shared, and debated. In this book, Siân Bayne, Peter Evans, Rory Ewins, Jeremy Knox, James Lamb, Hamish Macleod, Clara O'Shea, Jen Ross, Philippa Sheail and Christine Sinclair have expanded the text of the 2016 manifesto, revealing the sources and larger arguments behind the abbreviated provocations.

The book groups the twenty-one statements (“Openness is neither neutral nor natural: it creates and depends on closures”; “Don’t succumb to campus envy: we are the campus”) into five thematic sections examining place and identity, politics and instrumentality, the primacy of text and the ethics of remixing, the way algorithms and analytics “recode” educational intent, and how surveillance culture can be resisted. Much like the original manifestos, this book is intended as a platform for debate, as a resource and inspiration for those teaching in online environments, and as a challenge to the techno-instrumentalism of current edtech approaches. In a teaching environment shaped by COVID-19, individuals and institutions will need to do some bold thinking in relation to resilience, access, teaching quality, and inclusion.

An update to a provocative manifesto intended to serve as a platform for debate and as a resource and inspiration for those teaching in online environments.

In 2011, a group of scholars associated with the Centre for Research in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh released "A Manifesto for Teaching Online,” a series of provocative statements intended to articulate their pedagogical philosophy. In the original manifesto and a 2016 update, the authors counter both the "impoverished” vision of education being advanced by corporate and governmental edtech and higher education's traditional view of online students and teachers as second-class citizens. The two versions of the manifesto were much discussed, shared, and debated. In this book, the authors have expanded the text of the 2016 manifesto, revealing the sources and larger arguments behind the abbreviated provocations.

The book groups the twenty-one statements ("Openness is neither neutral nor natural: it creates and depends on closures”; "Don't succumb to campus envy: we are the campus”) into five thematic sections examining place and identity, politics and instrumentality, the primacy of text and the ethics of remixing, the way algorithms and analytics "recode” educational intent, and how surveillance culture can be resisted. Much like the original manifestos, this book is intended as a platform for debate, as a resource and inspiration for those teaching in online environments, and as a challenge to the techno-instrumentalism of current edtech approaches.

“An insightful, engaging and thought-provoking book. The Manifesto for Teaching Online is essential reading for students, researchers and educators wishing to critically reflect on the current status quo in distance education and examine alternative futures.”
—Rebecca Eynon, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Education and the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

“This book has few peers, offering practical takeaways but never shying away from asking hard questions about the work of online teaching. The authors push the conversation forward in ways that will change the landscape of online education for the better.”
—Jesse Stommel, Executive Director of Hybrid Pedagogy; cofounder of Digital Pedagogy Lab
 
“The Edinburgh team have been cutting through the hype of e-learning for the past 15 years. This neat volume is full of ideas and inspiration for any critical educator who wants to move beyond the usual ‘what works?’ cheerleading that continues to dominate ed-tech.” 
—Neil Selwyn, Distinguished Research Professor, Monash University