Richard (Rick) West
@richardewest.bsky.social
Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology, trail runner, reader of all genres, and follower of Christ and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Are you working on a literature synthesis related to distance education? Consider submitting it to our special issue! Abstracts are due soon! with Florence Martin, Olaf Zawacki-Richter, and Melissa Bond.
olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/ol...
olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/ol...
Call for Proposals - Special Issue on Evidence Synthesis in Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE)
| Online Learning
olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Are you working on a literature synthesis related to distance education? Consider submitting it to our special issue! Abstracts are due soon! with Florence Martin, Olaf Zawacki-Richter, and Melissa Bond.
olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/ol...
olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/ol...
CFP: Special Issue on Evidence Synthesis in Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE) in Online Learning Journal
Editors:
Olaf Zawacki-Richter (Oldenburg, Germany)
Melissa Bond (UCL, UK)
Rick West (BYU, USA)
Florence Martin (NC State)
Submit at:
lnkd.in/eCZP5jJc
Editors:
Olaf Zawacki-Richter (Oldenburg, Germany)
Melissa Bond (UCL, UK)
Rick West (BYU, USA)
Florence Martin (NC State)
Submit at:
lnkd.in/eCZP5jJc
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
October 28, 2025 at 3:08 AM
CFP: Special Issue on Evidence Synthesis in Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE) in Online Learning Journal
Editors:
Olaf Zawacki-Richter (Oldenburg, Germany)
Melissa Bond (UCL, UK)
Rick West (BYU, USA)
Florence Martin (NC State)
Submit at:
lnkd.in/eCZP5jJc
Editors:
Olaf Zawacki-Richter (Oldenburg, Germany)
Melissa Bond (UCL, UK)
Rick West (BYU, USA)
Florence Martin (NC State)
Submit at:
lnkd.in/eCZP5jJc
interesting article from Keith Sawyer on how getting to know people from other cultures deeply improves creativity. Immigration helps not only the immigrant, but also residents in their new country, to be innovative.
keithsawyer.substack.com/p/are-immigr...
keithsawyer.substack.com/p/are-immigr...
Are Immigrants More Creative?
Living overseas and being in a romantic relationship with someone from another culture leads to greater creativity
keithsawyer.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 8:14 PM
interesting article from Keith Sawyer on how getting to know people from other cultures deeply improves creativity. Immigration helps not only the immigrant, but also residents in their new country, to be innovative.
keithsawyer.substack.com/p/are-immigr...
keithsawyer.substack.com/p/are-immigr...
And while you're looking, remember that we are still accepting chapters for this book, which focuses on design strategies for practitioners based on psychology. The chapters are short, and meant to be useful. Consider authoring a chapter, and email me if you have ideas!
October 16, 2025 at 2:21 PM
And while you're looking, remember that we are still accepting chapters for this book, which focuses on design strategies for practitioners based on psychology. The chapters are short, and meant to be useful. Consider authoring a chapter, and email me if you have ideas!
New chapter in our Design Psychology book from
Xun Ge
and Eugene Yeoh! This is a classic one that I imagine will get used a lot about design affordances. I've already assigned it to my current design psychology class this semester. Take a look!
edtechbooks.org/design_psych...
Xun Ge
and Eugene Yeoh! This is a classic one that I imagine will get used a lot about design affordances. I've already assigned it to my current design psychology class this semester. Take a look!
edtechbooks.org/design_psych...
EdTech Books
edtechbooks.org
October 16, 2025 at 2:21 PM
New chapter in our Design Psychology book from
Xun Ge
and Eugene Yeoh! This is a classic one that I imagine will get used a lot about design affordances. I've already assigned it to my current design psychology class this semester. Take a look!
edtechbooks.org/design_psych...
Xun Ge
and Eugene Yeoh! This is a classic one that I imagine will get used a lot about design affordances. I've already assigned it to my current design psychology class this semester. Take a look!
edtechbooks.org/design_psych...
Wow, amazing response by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to raise money for the family of the shooter. While what he did was horrendous, his family is also suffering, especially his son who needs expensive medical care. www.givesendgo.com/helptheSanfo...
Help the Sanford Family
My name is Dave. Like all of you, I was shocked by the murders at the LDS chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on September 28. Multiple families were left griev...
www.givesendgo.com
September 30, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Wow, amazing response by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to raise money for the family of the shooter. While what he did was horrendous, his family is also suffering, especially his son who needs expensive medical care. www.givesendgo.com/helptheSanfo...
<2> This isn't surprising of course...except that apparently it's news to most universities which create badges the UNIV wants instead of either asking employers or students what they want. Consequently, many badge programs fall flat.
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YAXBM...
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YAXBM...
The effect of prior exposure to open badging on student motivation to earn additional badges
This study investigates student attitudes towards open badges after earning them as part of coursework or through library workshops. Previous research has presented conflicting evidence about the e...
www.tandfonline.com
August 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
<2> This isn't surprising of course...except that apparently it's news to most universities which create badges the UNIV wants instead of either asking employers or students what they want. Consequently, many badge programs fall flat.
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YAXBM...
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YAXBM...
<1> New article! Many studies ask, "would you like to earn a badge?" but people often don't know what they are. We talked to students who HAD earned a badge about whether they'd want to earn more. Not surprising, we found two reasons they'd want badges: 1) because boss values it or 2) they love it
August 22, 2025 at 5:59 PM
<1> New article! Many studies ask, "would you like to earn a badge?" but people often don't know what they are. We talked to students who HAD earned a badge about whether they'd want to earn more. Not surprising, we found two reasons they'd want badges: 1) because boss values it or 2) they love it
As a family we are looking forward to be traveling to Madrid, Spain in January, where I'll be a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad de Carlos III! Here's a little video with some footage from my work in South America. www.facebook.com/watch?v=1526...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
August 13, 2025 at 5:53 PM
As a family we are looking forward to be traveling to Madrid, Spain in January, where I'll be a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad de Carlos III! Here's a little video with some footage from my work in South America. www.facebook.com/watch?v=1526...
New ETB update from @roycekimmons , now available in the 2nd ed of our foundations text! AI-generated translations into Spanish, French, and Portuguese for any chapter, and whole translations at
edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Spanish) or edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Portuguese).
edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Spanish) or edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Portuguese).
July 25, 2025 at 6:17 PM
New ETB update from @roycekimmons , now available in the 2nd ed of our foundations text! AI-generated translations into Spanish, French, and Portuguese for any chapter, and whole translations at
edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Spanish) or edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Portuguese).
edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Spanish) or edtechbooks.org/foundations_... (Portuguese).
New Article out with Bobbie Sandberg, Jered Borup, Charles Graham, and Heidi Erickson, where we discuss how the push/pull/mooring theory with interviews of parents to explain why parents choose to enroll their kids in online schools.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Choosing Virtual: Understanding the Forces that Drive Parents Toward Online K-12 Education
We use the Push/Pull/Mooring (PPM) theory of migration to understand 20 parents’ experiences in choosing a K-12 virtual school. We enhance the understanding of the PPM theory by further defining mo...
www.tandfonline.com
July 22, 2025 at 3:50 AM
New Article out with Bobbie Sandberg, Jered Borup, Charles Graham, and Heidi Erickson, where we discuss how the push/pull/mooring theory with interviews of parents to explain why parents choose to enroll their kids in online schools.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
I've had the opportunity to take half a dozen trips down to South America with grad students to work on projects with various universities. This video discusses the overall Latin American Initiative at BYU.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDfs...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDfs...
The Latino Initiative - BYU's Relations with Latin America
YouTube video by STERLING MEDIA
www.youtube.com
July 9, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I've had the opportunity to take half a dozen trips down to South America with grad students to work on projects with various universities. This video discusses the overall Latin American Initiative at BYU.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDfs...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDfs...
Please apply, or recommend to a colleague that they apply, for the open research editor position for ETRD!
form.jotform.com/AECT/etrd-ap...
form.jotform.com/AECT/etrd-ap...
ETRD Application Form
Please click the link to complete this form.
form.jotform.com
May 25, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Please apply, or recommend to a colleague that they apply, for the open research editor position for ETRD!
form.jotform.com/AECT/etrd-ap...
form.jotform.com/AECT/etrd-ap...
My favorite Easter song! Take a minute and listen ... these children sing it so beautifully! Christ is risen!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gij...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gij...
Gethsemane | The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square & a Children's Choir
YouTube video by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
www.youtube.com
April 21, 2025 at 4:08 AM
My favorite Easter song! Take a minute and listen ... these children sing it so beautifully! Christ is risen!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gij...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gij...
I was deeply honored to receive the Cluff Excellence in Educational Researcher award at BYU. This is the video they made about my work. As the dean told me, this way my kids will have a way to remember what their old man did for work! Ha!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVVg...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVVg...
Rick West: Excellence in Educational Research (Benjamin Cluff Jr. Awards 2025)
YouTube video by BYU McKay School of Education
www.youtube.com
April 8, 2025 at 8:58 PM
I was deeply honored to receive the Cluff Excellence in Educational Researcher award at BYU. This is the video they made about my work. As the dean told me, this way my kids will have a way to remember what their old man did for work! Ha!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVVg...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVVg...
Excited to finally see this chapter published in the Oxford Handbook of Creativity and Education. Wonderful collaborators, an interesting handbook!
Designing for creative learning. In Oxford Handbook of Creativity & Education.
books.google.com.ec/books?hl=en&...
Designing for creative learning. In Oxford Handbook of Creativity & Education.
books.google.com.ec/books?hl=en&...
The Oxford Handbook of Creativity and Education
The Oxford International Handbook of Creativity and Education brings together cutting-edge scholarship about the global trends and future directions of creativity in education. Diverse models and fram...
books.google.com.ec
March 10, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Excited to finally see this chapter published in the Oxford Handbook of Creativity and Education. Wonderful collaborators, an interesting handbook!
Designing for creative learning. In Oxford Handbook of Creativity & Education.
books.google.com.ec/books?hl=en&...
Designing for creative learning. In Oxford Handbook of Creativity & Education.
books.google.com.ec/books?hl=en&...
Two new chapters in the Becoming an LIDT Pro book are now published! Both by @plowenthal! The first is a survey study into conference attendance. The second is a collaboration with Joanna Dunlop about cultivating a web presence. edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_... edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_...
February 13, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Two new chapters in the Becoming an LIDT Pro book are now published! Both by @plowenthal! The first is a survey study into conference attendance. The second is a collaboration with Joanna Dunlop about cultivating a web presence. edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_... edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_...
Final chapter in the 2nd edition of Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology is done! This chapter is a major revision and update of the design-based research article with Heather Horne Leary and Kimberly Christensen.
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
February 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Final chapter in the 2nd edition of Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology is done! This chapter is a major revision and update of the design-based research article with Heather Horne Leary and Kimberly Christensen.
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
new article published with Bobbie Sandberg, Qi Eyda Guo, Rocio Velasquez, Charles Graham, and Jered Borup! This research explores the important roles that parents play in supporting their students' online behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement! www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YSFTU...
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
January 13, 2025 at 10:44 PM
new article published with Bobbie Sandberg, Qi Eyda Guo, Rocio Velasquez, Charles Graham, and Jered Borup! This research explores the important roles that parents play in supporting their students' online behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement! www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YSFTU...
New chapter that represents my current thinking together around open recognition/badges/microcredentials. As you may also notice in the Open Education chapter I co-authored with @opencontent, I see open recognition as one of the 5Cs of open education.
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
December 30, 2024 at 7:29 PM
New chapter that represents my current thinking together around open recognition/badges/microcredentials. As you may also notice in the Open Education chapter I co-authored with @opencontent, I see open recognition as one of the 5Cs of open education.
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
New chapter! We update the Rigor, Impact, & Prestige framework to provide a triangulated approach to assesss the "quality" of scholarly publications. We also provide suggestions for altmetrics and openness as a 4th criteria.
edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_...
edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_...
EdTech Books
edtechbooks.org
December 28, 2024 at 10:33 PM
New chapter! We update the Rigor, Impact, & Prestige framework to provide a triangulated approach to assesss the "quality" of scholarly publications. We also provide suggestions for altmetrics and openness as a 4th criteria.
edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_...
edtechbooks.org/becoming_an_...
I'm really excited about this chapter with @opencontent! We summarize, briefly, the history and main ideas around open education and present a 5Cs framework for conceptualizing all the interconnected aspects of effective open education, including GenAI. edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
December 28, 2024 at 10:32 PM
I'm really excited about this chapter with @opencontent! We summarize, briefly, the history and main ideas around open education and present a 5Cs framework for conceptualizing all the interconnected aspects of effective open education, including GenAI. edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
New chapter in the Foundations of LIDT textbook. This is an updated chapter by Lloyd Rieber on "The Proper Training" for people in our field. This is a perfect chapter for a new student who isn't sure if they "fit in".
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
November 22, 2024 at 5:29 PM
New chapter in the Foundations of LIDT textbook. This is an updated chapter by Lloyd Rieber on "The Proper Training" for people in our field. This is a perfect chapter for a new student who isn't sure if they "fit in".
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
One reason why we delayed the 2nd edition of the Foundations textbook was to be able to get the final version of the U.S. national educational technology plan included. They finished the plan, and we've included highlights in a chapter in the book!
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
November 18, 2024 at 5:59 PM
One reason why we delayed the 2nd edition of the Foundations textbook was to be able to get the final version of the U.S. national educational technology plan included. They finished the plan, and we've included highlights in a chapter in the book!
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
New chapter in the Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology with Heather Horne Leary! This chapter is from Randy Davies on Learning Assessment! We're so excited to have an introductory chapter on this important topic for students in our field.
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
EdTech Books
edtechbooks.org
November 18, 2024 at 5:02 PM
New chapter in the Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology with Heather Horne Leary! This chapter is from Randy Davies on Learning Assessment! We're so excited to have an introductory chapter on this important topic for students in our field.
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...
edtechbooks.org/foundations_...