Abstract
Best practice can be defined as that combination of structure, educational technology and content of a learning opportunity, which, in certain contexts and for particular groups of learners, is most likely to achieve the purposes of the main stakeholders. However, the rate of change of technological, political, economic, social and cultural contexts suggests that best practice may become a redundant concept, in that what is judged as best one day may not be so judged the next. This article considers what some significant contributions to the literature on open and distance learning practice have to say about the development and provision of best practice and about the place of critical reflection by stakeholders. It also considers the challenges facing the development of best practice presented by change, concluding with the identification of the most significant areas of development yet to be made.
Highlights
How many of us could have anticipated the exponential growth of open and distance learning which we see around us? What was initially seen as a form of learning provided by a few national universities which specialised in distance teaching is currently ubiquitous across all levels of learning and all forms of institutions
Religious, military, commercial, industrial and educational organisations are among the agencies in over 102 different countries who offer open and distance learning courses (Calder & McCollum, 1998)
The lack of agreed definitions of terms, the lack of systematic, reliable and accessible data at all levels – local, national and international – and the paucity of rigorous research tends to be ignored in the rhetoric surrounding the expansion of open and distance learning
Summary
How many of us could have anticipated the exponential growth of open and distance learning which we see around us? What was initially seen as a form of learning provided by a few national universities which specialised in distance teaching is currently ubiquitous across all levels of learning and all forms of institutions. The very nature of open and distance learning means that the boundaries to the field are still changing and look likely to continue to change well into the millennium Much of this change is driven by those in government and industry who, in attempting to respond to the profound changes taking place in the global economy, place a perceived link between education, training and the economy at the centre of their thinking. It is a source of optimism in that the rapid spread and development of an innovation which challenges many of our preconceptions about teaching and learning suggests that there is an openness and receptivity to new ideas among the policy makers and strategic thinkers in many countries It is a source of concern in that the development and introduction of many open and distance learning initiatives is driven by a desire to achieve simple low cost solutions to complex social and economic problems. The quality of the provision appears often as a fragile afterthought rather than as fundamental to its development
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