This was followed by a presentation by keynote speaker Zia Ul-Qayyum from Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in Pakistan. In exploring "The Genesis of Next-Gen Classrooms: How Blockchain and Generative AI can Transform Educational Realities", Ul-Qayyum discussed how generative artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology would revolutionize the world of education, including open higher education.

Next on the agenda was a presentation on the AAOU Journal by Tian Belawati and K.C. Li of the editorial board, who announced that the peer-reviewed journal had been indexed as Quartile 1 (Q1), the highest level in Scopus.

AAOU Journal is a source of pride for the global AAOU family, and it is expected that every faculty member and researcher at each member institution will submit their best manuscripts to this highly reputable international journal.

Moving on to the awards ceremony, the AAOU bestowed medals and cash prizes to each winner. Gold medalists received a cash prize of US$500, with silver medalists receiving $250.

Saw Fen Tan from Wawasan Open University in Penang, Malaysia, was the silver medalist in the Young Innovator Award category for his research "Revolutionizing Learning Management System with AIGC-Avatar: Insights from Students' Perspective".

The gold medal in the Best Paper Award category went to Jung Hyun Park and Jin Gon Shon from Korea National Open University (KNOU) in Seoul for their research, "Exploring the Impact of Motivational Factors on Learner Participation in E-learning", Meanwhile, the Best Paper silver medals went to "A Study on the Fulfilment of Practicum and Digital Literacy in Distance Education" by Jinah Seol et al. from KNOU, as well as to "Problematizing Technological Solutionism in Open Universities: Perspectives Drawn Using the Method of Empathy-Based Stories (MEBS)" by David Lim et al. from Open University Malaysia (OUM).

The Best Practice Award gold medal went to Nantha Kumar from OUM for "Leveraging Generative AI to Build a Bespoke Educational Chatbot". The silver medals in this category went to Roberto Figueroa from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) in Los Baños for his research "Ibook Plus: An Interactive Book-Based Approach in Open and Distance E-learning", and for "Development of Predictive Model for Student Learning Outcomes Based on Spatial Learning Analytics of Open and Distance Learning Students" by Hajrah Amir et al. from Pakistan’s National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) and the AIOU.

K.C. Li from Hong Kong Metropolitan University was recognized with the Meritorious Service Award (MSA), which is specifically given to individuals who have demonstrated their consistent dedication to the advancement of open and distance higher education over an extended period.

The final item on the agenda was an announcement by AIOU academic planning and course production director Zahid Majeed that the AIOU had been selected as next year’s host for the 38th AAOU Annual Conference.

The day’s events concluded with Ojat Darojat, AAOU president and rector of Universitas Terbuka (Indonesian Open University/UT), who officially closed the AAOU 2023 on Sept. 30 in the Turkish capital.

In his closing speech, Ojat expressed gratitude to rector Fuat Erdal and the entire organizing team at Anadolu University for successfully hosting this year’s AAOU conference, as well as providing each participant with a positive academic experience and fond memories of the historic city of Istanbul.

See you at the 38th AAOU Annual Conference in Islamabad, Pakistan!

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