Editor of the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning reflects on the journal’s role in advancing UNESCO’s goal of education for all
When Athabasca University launched the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL) in 2000, it was built on a foundation of innovation. It was the first fully digital and entirely free academic journal in Canada, with a bold mission: to transform students’ lives by publishing high-quality scholarly research on open and distributed learning for a global audience. 
In the 25 years since, IRRODL has continued to push boundaries. Today it is both the top education journal and the No. 1 open-access education journal in Canada. Internationally, Google Scholar ranks IRRODL 16th among all educational technology journals.
Aligned with AU’s commitment to remove barriers to education, IRRODL’s open-access model ensures that research about open education and online learning is freely available to anyone, anywhere in the world. This fosters world-wide collaboration, community building, and exchange of ideas.
Dr. Rory McGreal, IRRODL’s editor-in-chief and the AU UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources, said that equity is the essence of open access.
“Commercial content can be too expensive, and universities in the Global South can't afford it. Allowing people around the world to have access to information, that’s the key,” said McGreal. “One way we address this problem is through open access and open access journals like IRRODL.”
Pivotal role in advancing open access
In its early years, IRRODL was supported solely by AU as unlike today, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) only funded journals with paid subscriptions.
“At that time, open access was not widely accepted, and SSHRC initially rejected us. But we didn’t take no for an answer,” said McGreal, referring to the efforts led by Dr. Terry Anderson, then editor of IRRODL, and now an AU professor emeritus.
They appealed to Universities Canada and SSHRC, and the persistence paid off. SSHRC eventually revised its policy, making IRRODL the first open-access journal to receive funding. In 2015, SSHRC further changed its policy by making open access a requirement for funding—further proof that IRRODL was ahead of its time.
Recently, SSHRC announced that they will only support journals that offer free and immediate open access. “This as a great victory for open access,” said McGreal.
That innovation also made an impact on views of open access and the university press. When the former AU president Dr. Frits Pannekoek proposed the creation of a university press, Anderson and McGreal advocated that this new press should be open access. In 2007, AU Press became the first open access press in Canada, further solidifying AU’s leadership in open and online education.
Open access and open educational resources are key to achieving UNESCO's goal of education for all.
Dr. Rory McGreal, IRRODL editor-in-chief and AU UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources
Related: Knowledge for everyone: How open access expands the reach and impact of the university press
Expanding from ‘distance’ to ‘distributed’ learning
Initially called the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, in 2016 the journal sought to expand its focus as educational technologies and practices advanced. Its name was changed to the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning to reflect this evolution.
That same year and backed by UNESCO funding, IRRODL began publishing articles on open educational resources (OER), which are teaching, learning, and research materials that can be reused and adapted at no cost.
The UNESCO funding also enabled two significant initiatives. The first was bringing the Canadian Initiative for Distance Education Research (CIDER) under the journal’s umbrella. CIDER sponsors online professional development activities related to distance education research. The second, McGreal explained, was creating “the largest open access repository of open education articles anywhere”—the OER Knowledge Cloud.
Changing perceptions of open, distributed learning
McGreal said he’s seen a dramatic shift in how open and distributed learning is viewed. In the early days, distance learning—with students geographically separated from their instructors and learning remotely—was often seen as a second-class education for those who couldn’t attend traditional classrooms.
Today, the principles and practices of distributed learning—where students use a variety of learning platforms and technologies to interact with course materials, instructors, and peers—are widely accepted as integral to mainstream education and for promoting equity in learning.
“Open access and open educational resources are key to achieving UNESCO's goal of education for all.”
Maintaining reputation as a leader in open and distributed learning
The rise of predatory journals is an issue that’s created problems across academia, but especially for open-access journals. Predatory journals often appear to be open, but charge authors hefty fees, which has tainted views of open-access publishing.
To address this issue, the Directory of Open Access Journals provides a carefully curated database to ensure that listed journals are reputable and meet open-access standards. The directory also offers a seal to journals that adhere to best practices in open-access publishing.
IRRODL holds this seal and is recognized as a diamond open-access journal, maintaining a robust double-blind peer review process and refraining from charging authors or readers fees. IRRODL is also indexed in major citation systems, including Scopus, WoS, and SJR, which enhances its visibility and academic impact.
As both academic publishing and educational technology continue to evolve, McGreal said he is confident that IRRODL will remain at the forefront of shaping the future of online learning for years to come.
“In the field of education there are no easy answers, but the key to improving the quality of education is whether or not people around the world have access to knowledge.”