The editors of The American Journal of Distance Education would like to thank our readers and authors for another interesting and productive year. We close our 37th year with a special issue, the genesis of which arose from conversations with our guest editors prior to the Critical Media Literacy Conference of The Americas, held in 2022. In line with Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy, the aim of that conference was to facilitate critical discourse about media-influenced society – and to deepen understanding and transformation of society toward greater social justice and environmental sustainability. Distance education has traditionally provided opportunities to non-traditional students, and the conference’s focus on democratic ideals and social justice values nicely aligns with the trajectory of lifelong learning, adult, and distance education.
The editors express our thanks and want to congratulate guest editor Sara Osuna-Acedo – and all of the authors in this issue – for their work over the past year to bring this final special issue to The American Journal of Distance Education’s 37th volume.
Over the past year, in our previous three volumes, we have published articles that address a variety of areas in the education and corporate sectors. Online and distance education topics have included historical studies and contemporary issues such as the history of a high-quality correspondence school for Black students that operated during the 1920s, the use of artificial intelligence in predicting engagement, the application of Open Educational Resources (OER), the effectiveness of innovative teaching tools like student-produced podcasts, and college developmental education coursework. We’ve also covered the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual training in community-based settings, and MOOCs. These topics span across various sectors such as technology, higher education, K-12, vocational training, science, and community development. We also are pleased to continue our Speaking Personally series of interviews with knowledgeable colleagues in our field and to have continued to expand our range of articles that are written and published in Spanish.
The editors look forward to author submissions in the upcoming year and want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of the peer reviewers, authors, and publication team members.