AU faculty member receives honorary doctorate from Mid Sweden University
Dr. Martha Cleveland-Innes, professor and program director for the Centre of Distance Education at Athabasca University (AU), was recently recognized with an honorary doctorate from Mid Sweden University.
For over 18 years, Dr. Cleveland-Innes has been involved in numerous research projects on open and distance learning at AU. She has also taught, supervised, and supported hundreds of graduate students working in the same area of education.
“It is truly an honor to be engaged with and recognized by Mid Sweden University, an institution dedicated to progressive, networked solutions to accessible, digital education opportunities. Evidence from scholarly and practice-based research at Mid Sweden University shapes the wider field of higher education reform and their own innovative education design and delivery.”
– Dr. Cleveland-Innes
According to a press release published by Mid Sweden University, Cleveland-Innes was nominated for her “research in distance education and technology-supported learning that helped make Athabasca University a world leader in that field. In her research she focuses on distance education and blended learning being accessible and of high quality for everyone regardless of the space and time constraint.”
Mid Sweden University stated that the rationale behind her nomination was for her achievements as a researcher and her engagement in open and available high-quality education. It was also because her research has contributed to the development of further research at Mid Sweden University, particularly within the field of distance education and the research group Higher Education and E-Learning (HEEL).
Cleveland-Innes explained that the ceremony itself was like none-other. “[Mid Sweden University] follows a 1000 year-old ritual that includes the replication of a royal court and the presentation of philosophers to the world,” she explains. “I received a solid gold ring (a laurel wreath) that symbolizes my vow to science.
Cleveland-Innes is currently collaborating with researchers at Mid Sweden University and holds a major research grant through the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to study the development of professional identity through online learning communities.
To read her full biography, or learn more about her current and previous research projects, visit the faculty webpage.
