OnlineEd 2025

Eileen Kennedy is a Professor at UCL Knowledge Lab (Institute of Education, University College London), researching digital learning design, largely in contexts of displacement and crisis such as Lebanon and the Thai-Myanmar border. As part of this work, she has been researching innovative approaches to the co-design of digital learning through the CoMOOC model (Co-designed Massive Open Online Collaboration). The CoMOOC model realises the potential of open, online platforms for collaborative sharing of practice to support professionals in areas such as education, research and energy access to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Eileen has worked with universities in Ireland, Poland, Kenya and Lebanon on the digital transformation of learning, and her research has contributed to the production of openly accessible methods and tools, e.g. the Learning Designer app, as well as 7 CoMOOCs available on multiple platforms, including the most recent, Understanding Education in Conflict and Crisis Settings. Eileen is also applying social science and collaborative learning design approaches to support science communities to overcome social and cultural barriers to open science and digital transformation. She is the co-author of Online Learning Futures: An Evidence-Based Vision for Global Professional Collaboration on Sustainability (Bloomsbury).