New Media and Self-directed Learning: Enhancing Pedagogical Transformation in an Open Distance Learning Landscape

Abstract

In essence, open educational resources (OERs) are transforming the education landscape in many different fields. They are swiftly becoming important elements in support of open educational practices and the open education movement. Modern technological innovations permeate every aspect of life, and higher education is no exception. This study investigated the types and pedagogical value of the new media that academics have adopted to promote self-directed learning at the University of South Africa (Unisa). To realise the aim of the study, the following questions were addressed: Which new media approaches have academics adopted to enhance self-directed learning? What is the pedagogical value of using new media in an open and distance learning environment? The study was informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. A qualitative approach was employed, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 30 purposively selected Unisa academics from across different schools. Upon analysing the data using open and axial coding, dominant themes from the discussions were identified and discussed in detail. The findings revealed that various new media platforms, such as OERs, blogs, Camtasia Studio, Google Docs, and so forth, are used to promote self-directed learning at Unisa and have proven to be pivotal in opening avenues of communication and collapsing the transactional distance at this ODL institution. New media thus serve as strong catalysts for fostering pedagogical transformation.