Supporting students to succeed in open and distance learning in the Open University of Sri Lanka and Universitas Terbuka Indonesia

Aminudin Zuhairi,Navaratnasamy Karthikeyan,Saman Thushara Priyadarshana

doi:10.1108/aaouj-09-2019-0038

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal how support services for open and distance students are designed, developed and implemented to ensure successful learning to take place, with specific references to the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) and Universitas Terbuka (UT) Indonesia. Success in distance learning is one major challenge for open universities to respond to expectations of students and stakeholders. This study focuses on the strategies of student support services in OUSL and UT, investigating related factors including instructional design and development, learning engagement and motivation, policy and strategy in reducing dropouts, use of OER/MOOCs, and quality assurance.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study was employed involving analyses of documents; interviews and focus group discussion with senior administrators, academic staff, students; and on-site observation in locations of teaching and learning.FindingsThis research is exploratory in nature. Findings of the study are expected to improve our understanding of student support in distance learning, in which analysis is based on good practices, challenges and rooms for improvement of both OUSL and UT.Practical implicationsFindings of this study reveal practices and lessons learnt that may be useful as reference to open universities, taking into considerations the fact that each open university has been established to address specific challenges in its own unique circumstances.Originality/valueThis research may be adopted as baseline framework for analysis of student support for open universities. Further in-depth study is needed to understand how various aspects of student support contribute to success in open and distance learning.

Highlights

Introduction and literature reviewHigher education systems are confronted with the tasks of addressing the differing needs of students using learning technology that allows them to learn in a more open and flexible manner, and share common goals relating to access, retention, flexibility and employability (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2014)
OUSL and Universitas Terbuka (UT) as institutions OUSL and UT are single mode open universities established in the 1980s to address demands by the society for access, equity and participation in higher education, following up the success of the UK Open University
Findings of this study are expected to improve our understanding of open and distance education in theory and practice, in the areas of student support services that ensure successful learning, based on the experiences of OUSL and UT. These findings are expected to help both OUSL and UT and probably other open universities improve the provision of student support services to facilitate distance learners

Summary

Introduction

Higher education systems are confronted with the tasks of addressing the differing needs of students using learning technology that allows them to learn in a more open and flexible manner, and share common goals relating to access, retention, flexibility and employability (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2014). In Asia, higher education systems are expanding to accommodate more students at undergraduate and post-graduate levels, and increasingly focusing more on continuous quality improvements (UNESCO, 2014). Advances in technology challenge higher education further to transform themselves into addressing the changing needs of the world of work and to provide access and quality.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion