Jako Olivier is an Advisor: Higher Education at the Commonwealth of Learning, Canada. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia where he lectures a course on Open Education Design as part of a Master’s in Leadership in Open Education. From 2018 to 2022 he was the holder of the UNESCO Chair in Multimodal Learning and Open Educational Resources and professor of Multimodal Learning in the Faculty of Education, North-West University, South Africa. Since 2021 he has acted as a mentor within the Open Education for a Better World (OE4BW) initiative. His research is focussed on open and distance learning, self-directed multimodal learning, open educational resources, multiliteracies, blended and e-learning in language classrooms, and multilingualism in education. He holds a rating from the South African National Research Foundation and was awarded the Education Association of South Africa’s Emerging Researcher Medal in 2018. He has published numerous articles and book chapters.Andreas Rambow is a senior educational adviser, consultant, and instructional designer with more than 27 years of leadership experience in higher education. He uses an evidence-based approach to provide consulting and advising services in a variety of areas in higher education to clients worldwide. These services include competence-based learning (CPL), problem-based learning (PBL), syllabus creation and virtual classroom design, best practices in blended learning, student engagement, training in learning management systems, faculty development, use of open educational resources, and executive education. He is also a Senior Faculty Member at Webster University, Leiden Campus, the Netherlands. He teaches courses in finance, accounting, economics, and general management to non-traditional students, senior managers, and executives. He has extensive experience working with students, learners, and executives from a distance using appropriate synchronous and asynchronous platform solutions for online teaching and learning. He has also been involved in the design of corporate training programs for the University of Maryland Global Campus, formerly the University of Maryland University College, and instrumental in the implementation of the online program between 2004 and 2011. The online program has won numerous awards in the United States, including the SLOAN award.
