What Can Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE) Contribute to a Sustainable Future? Implications for Leadership

This chapter examines the role of open, distance, and digital education (ODDE) in relation to sustainability in higher education. It explores how ODDE can support ecological, social, and financial sustainability, while also critically reflecting on associated risks and unintended consequences. While ODDE is often linked to expanded access and reduced environmental impact, these benefits are shown to be conditional and context-dependent. Empirical studies suggest potential carbon reductions, yet the growing reliance on digital infrastructures and artificial intelligence introduces new forms of resource consumption, environmental cost, and social inequality. Across all three dimensions, the chapter highlights enduring tensions between access and meaningful participation, scale and personalisation, and efficiency and sustainability. It calls for moving beyond efficiency towards more critical decisions about what kinds of digital provision are genuinely necessary for meaningful learning, and points to the need for leadership grounded in careful institutional judgement in navigating these complexities.