Abstract
This study was set to investigate views of students and lecturers on students’ poor attendants to weekend schools. The sample constituted 20 students who participated in in-depth interviews and two student focus groups of eight making a total of 36 participants. Data collected through individual interviews, focus groups and document analysis were thematically analysed. It was revealed through this study that financial problems, social problems, poor student’s perceptions, poor lecturer’s competences and poor communication skills hinder students from attending weekend school tutorials. It was also revealed that ZOU interactive modules were so well written that some students students saw no reason of attending weekend school face-to-face tutorials. The study recommends conducting weekend schools at district centres, providing e-learning face-to-face tutorials, monitoring part-time tutors by programme coordinators and the quality assurance personnel and assist them conduct themselves professionally, making at least one weekend school compulsory, inducting students on the role of tutorial sessions so that they hold clear perceptions, scheduled weekend schools to be part of the students’ registration packages and e-mailing all students on the scheduled weekend schools. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n6p313
Highlights
Open and distance learning is becoming an accepted and indispensible part of the mainstream educational systems in both developed and developing countries (UNESCO, 2004.(Perraton, et al (2001) defines distance education as, “An educational process in which a significant proportion of teaching is conducted by someone far removed in space and time from learners
Students are expected to read the modules in advance and identify problems that tutors can help to solve during weekend school faceto-face tutorials
The purpose of this paper is to explore the weekend school face-face tutorial impediments in ODL
Summary
Open and distance learning is becoming an accepted and indispensible part of the mainstream educational systems in both developed and developing countries (UNESCO, 2004.(Perraton, et al (2001) defines distance education as, “An educational process in which a significant proportion of teaching is conducted by someone far removed in space and time from learners. ODL represents approaches that focus on opening access to education and training provision, freeing learners from the constraints of time and place and offering learning opportunities to individuals and groups of learners (UNESCO, 2002). ODL employs a wide variety of instructional learning strategies which include ICTs, print modules and face-to-face interaction. Like in many other ODL Universities, ZOU uses print modules as the main mode of delivery. Attendance to tutorials is not compulsory in the Zimbabwe Open University. Despite the important role of weekend school tutorials, students’ poor attendance to weekend school tutorials has propelled the researcher to conduct this study
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