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The premise of this brief opinion piece is that the fundamental paradigm of education appeared with Plato. It is that there is a co-location in time and space of learners, teachers, and resources. The absence of any of these elements can lead to shortcomings in the meaning of the term "to be educated". Recent events such as COVID-19 demonstrate that the paradigm is subject to challenge but that its premises are firmly established. It is recognised that there are complex philosophical and theoretical arguments surrounding distance education debates. It is not possible in a short article like this to canvass all the possible philosophical positions that affect education. Pointers to these debates are referenced in the article. For the purpose of this article, "philosophy" is taken to mean that department of knowledge or study that deals with ultimate reality, or with the general causes and principles of things. More narrowly, it is the study of general principles of some particular branch of knowledge, experience, or activity--in this case, distance education or flexible learning. "Theory" is taken to mean a scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena.

This research aimed to inform institutional leaders by producing and disseminating a system wide view of what tertiary education might look like in Aotearoa New Zealand, five years into the future. The researchers were responding to a challenge in a speech at the DEANZ 2010 conference by a highly respected national leader (Dr. Peter Coolbear). The outcome became known as the DEANZ2016 scenario set. Using JISC scenario planning methodologies, including interviews of 16 national and international education leaders, the scenario set was developed on an X axis depicting the tension between facing the academy vs facing New Zealand employers, professions and iwi, and a Y axis depicting the tension between standardized education vs customization to personalise learning. Each of the four quadrants aimed to expose and contrast potential future scenarios. These were entitled: "Articulation," "The "Supermarket"," "Quality Branded Consortia," and "Self Determination." Innovatively disseminated via the web, the DEANZ2016 website became the most popular section of the larger Ako Aotearoa website, which stimulated further research into uptake and impact of the project.

This invited article comprises three parts that document the history of distance and flexible learning in New Zealand and the professional association DEANZ/FLANZ (Distance Education Association of New Zealand, later known as the Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand), which serves this community. The first part was originally published in the DEANZ Magazine in July 2015 as "DEANZ: A Brief History". The second part was originally published in the FLANZ Magazine in July 2016 as "DEANZ Foundation". The third, newly written, part brings the history of DEANZ/FLANZ up to date, and is published for the first time here. FLANZ (formerly DEANZ) is a professional association. The Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning is the Association's flagship journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to inform institutional leaders by producing and disseminating a system-wide view of what tertiary education might look like in Aotearoa New Zealand, 5years into the future. The researchers were responding to a challenge in a speech by highly respected national leader, Dr Peter Coolbear, at the DEANZ 2010 conference. The outcome was this research, known as the DEANZ2016 scenario set. Using JISC scenario-planning methodologies, including interviews of 16 national and international education leaders, the scenario set was developed on an x-axis depicting the tension between facing the academy and facing New Zealand employers, professions and iwi; and a y-axis depicting the tension between standardised education and customisation to personalise learning. Each of the quadrants aimed to expose and contrast potential future scenarios. These quadrants were entitled:Articulation, The "supermarket", Quality branded consortia, and Self-determination. The project was innovatively disseminated via the web, and the DEANZ2016 website became the most popular section of the larger Ako Aotearoa website, stimulating further research into the uptake and effect of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the origins of and subsequent changes to correspondence education in Queensland and New Zealand to highlight how open and flexible learning practices are influencing the normal paradigm of educational teaching, learning and service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) and zygomatic arch (ZA) fractures are common injuries resulting from facial trauma and frequently require surgical management (Huang et al., Craniomaxillofac Trauma Reconstr 8(4):271-6, 2015). A substantial number of post-operative functional and cosmetic complications can arise from the surgical management of these fractures. These include scarring, inadequate facial profile restoration, facial asymmetries and diplopia (Ellis et al. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 54(4):386-400, 1996; Yang et al. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am 23(1):31-45, 2011; Kloss et al. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 40(1):33-7, 2011). Intuitively, most of these aforementioned complications arise as a result of inadequate fracture reduction; however, current standard practice is to assess reduction post-operatively through plain radiographs or computed tomography (CT) scans. The role of intra-operative CT scanning to assess the reduction of ZMC/ZA fractures and the potential impact on complications, has thus far not been established.Methods: This is a prospective randomised controlled trial currently being undertaken at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. All patients who require operative management of their ZMC or ZA fractures are offered enrollment in the trial. The patients are randomised into two groups: interventional (intra-operative CT) and control (no intra-operative CT). All patients in each group will have post-operative radiographs taken. From these radiographs, the reduction of the ZMC and/or ZA fracture is graded by a blinded assessor. Patients will be reviewed in clinic at 1 week and 6 weeks post-surgery. During these consultations, all patients will be assessed for scarring, diplopia, facial profile restoration and need for revision surgery.Discussion: Many complications associated with surgical management of ZMC and ZA fractures involve poor aesthetic results as a direct consequence of inadequate fracture reduction. Inadequate fracture reduction is predictable given that small incisions are used and only limited visualisation of the fractures is possible during the procedure. This is due to a desire to limit scarring and reduce the risk of damage to vital structures in an aesthetically sensitive region of the body. It follows that an intraoperative adjunctive tool such as a CT scan, which can assist in visualisation of the fractures and the subsequent reduction, could potentially improve reduction and reduce complications.Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12616000693426 . Registered on 26 May 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]