Open learning has emerged within the public imagination as a potentially disruptive force in higher education. It has attracted the attention of policy makers, venture capitalists and the technology sector, key functionaries in higher education, teachers, students, activists, progressives, futurists, and researchers. Despite the amount of attention it has received in popular media, there has been very little research on open learning from the perspective of learners. This case study was designed to provide that vantage point. Open learning pairs well with the core contexts and properties of connected learning. It is an analysis of connected learning within open learning, providing insight on how educators, designers, and technologists can continue to assess and design learning ecologies that promote the framework, designed with access and equity as foundational, of connected learning.
