We, colleagues and friends of David and Carole, are all immensely saddened at the news of David’s death just a short time after the anniversary of Carole’s passing. I knew David from my time at the Open University and the community of Milton Keynes, but I came to work with him directly and closely from the founding of the University of London’s Centre for Distance Education (now CODE). David was authoritative, reliable and energetic. His vision of education put the learner at the centre and consequently he focused on assessment and evaluation. His knowledge and insights brought him an international reputation and he was much sought after as a consultant. His enormous contribution to open and distance learning is reflected in the fact that he contributed two single authored and two jointly authored chapters to the recently published Online and Distance Education for a Connected World (about 20% of the volume). He will be greatly missed, but his work will continue to influence teachers and learners involved with ODE across the world.

Hugh Starkey (Chair of CDE 2005 – 2015)