Open Distance Learning Research Articles

Problematising Mentoring in Open Distance Learning Teacher Education: An Action Research

Open distance learning has helped produce quality teachers and has functioned as an alternative to qualifying underqualified and unqualified educators. This article problematises the effectiveness of mentoring and its strategies in the context of open distance learning using the case study of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education offered by the Zimbabwe Open University. The action research method was used to attain data and evaluate the effectiveness of mentoring strategies on professional development. The study reveals the importance of co-learning in mentoring processes. The findings also show a lack of dialogue between teacher-training universities and the practicing schools. It finally recommends that education policymakers review key areas such as mentor selection processes and mentor in-service training.

Quality system in open education and distance learning

The emergence of modern systems in education contributed to finding solutions for groups deprived of enrollment in education, and the fact that these systems are modern, the problem of legal regulation of them and the quality system has emerged, as the laws organized formal education provided by universities and colleges in traditional ways, and modern systems of education did not receive the necessary attention to them due to their being This research aims to define the legal system and the quality system for open education and distance learning with comparison with the legal system for higher education and universities that offer traditional education. Search to a number of results and recommendations.

INTERROGATING THE CONCEPT ‘OPENNESS’ IN OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL)

<p>Scholars in Open Distance Learning (ODL) often refer to distance education as ‘open’. The concept 'openness' on open and distance learning is very fluid and often misunderstood. It is the purpose of this desktop survey to review relevant literature and make interrogation of the concept 'openness'. We advance questions such as; How open is open and distance learning. In what aspects is ODL open and to what extent is the openness. We discuss openness concerning targeted potential students and entry requirements in ODL institutions, the openness of teaching, and learning approaches as well as openness concerning communication, the flexibility of curricula, and assessment. We conclude by answering whether or not ODL institutions are open as well as suggesting measures and ways of enhancing openness in ODL institutions.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0674/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Continuous professional development and student support in an open and distance e-learning institution: a case study

Faced with emerging technologies and a diversity of students entering higher education in South Africa, lecturers must continuously equip themselves with the necessary skills to teach and support today’s learners effectively. This article reports on the lessons learnt and experiences of academics at an open distance learning (ODL) institution who participated for the first time in the fully online teaching and learning programme at an international institution, through a partnership aimed at developing academic capacity in ODL. The author suggests that academics cannot impart and transfer to learners skills they themselves do not possess, and makes recommendations for striving towards an effective student support system through continuous professional development in distance education and e-learning. The study revealed that the participants appreciated the support they received and valued the skills acquired in the programme. They also indicated that they were planning to use the new skills to enhance their own teaching. The study followed a case study methodology and made use of a range of data collection methods and tools that are in line with qualitative studies.Keywords: continuous professional development (CPD), distance education, e-learning, student support, open and distance e-learning (ODeL), transactional distance, community of inquiry (CoI)

Linking Work-Life Balance and Employee Well-Being: Do Supervisor Support and Family Support Moderate the Relationship?

This study used the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method to investigate the influence of work-life balance (WLB) on individual well-being (career satisfaction and psychological well-being) among an Open Distance Learning (ODL) university’s staff. Furthermore, the moderating effects of supervisor support and family support on the relationship between WLB and both components of individual well-being were also examined. Data were collected via an online survey, in which 94 academic, academic support, and operational staff working in one of Malaysia’s ODL universities took part. The findings confirmed that the WLB of this institution’s employees influenced their career satisfaction and psychological well-being. Besides that, supervisor support and family support were found not to moderate the relationship between WLB and individual well-being. In addition, the findings have contributed to an improved understanding of the WLB of an ODL university’s staff.

Teaching through written assignments in the Open University: an approach to the “voice” of postgraduate students on Instructional Discourse

This paper aims to approach and analyse students’ views on educational work that is carried out through the preparation of and feedback on written assignments, which constitute a fundamental element of the Open University teaching procedure, by making use of the concepts of instructional discourse and regulative discourse from Basil Bernstein’s theory, as well as the concept of institutional habitus. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a sample of postgraduate students who were following the “Open Distance Learning” Module with the Hellenic Open University (HOU). The research findings reveal that the students would like Visible Pedagogies to be implemented during the conduct of distance teaching through written assignments. In particular, in contrast to the regulations of the HOU institutional habitus they would like to be provided with a great deal of time to produce their assignments, and for their assignments to be corrected by their tutors within a week. In addition, the students would like the requirements concerning the selection of the educational material they should consult, and the sequencing of their text, as well as the assessment criteria used to evaluate their written effort, to be made clear and obvious, as much prior to the preparation of their papers, as during correction of them .

A framework for archives and records management education in an open distance e-learning environment in eSwatini

Literature review reveals that in sub-Saharan Africa, archives and records management (ARM) education is not yet grounded in institutions for higher learning. In eSwatini (previously Swaziland) the situation is even worse as only one institution of higher learning, the Institute of Development Mana gement (IDM) offers ARM programmes at undergraduate diploma level. This is compounded by a lamentation by the beneficiary of the programme, the eSwatini National Archives (ENA), and the education regulator, the eSwatini Higher Education Council (EHEC), that the programme does not address the public sector’s needs in the country and is below the expected standards. Furthermore, the University of eSwatini, which is the biggest institution of higher learning in the country with economies of scale, does not offer any programme in ARM. As a result, organizations in eSwatini either send their records management staff to neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia for training, or engage external consultants to conduct in-house training. Sending employees out of the country for training is expensive for organizations and it also paralyses operations during the absence of these staff members. Furthermore, in-house training does not address the in-depth needs and requirements of ARM due to time limitations. In light of this situation in eSwatini, this study proposes a framework for the design and implementation of an open distance e-learning programme on ARM programme. Such a programme can be offered through the University of eSwatini to accommodate students within and outside the country and thus ensuring the eSwatini becomes a player in ARM space within the African continent.

Indigenising Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Open Distance Learning

This article contributes towards an indigenised version of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). It is a conceptual framework termed indigenous-and-Western technological pedagogical content knowledge (INDANDWEST-TPACK). The article critically discusses the knowledge systems which lead to the framework. Current TPACK lacks the integration of indigenous knowledge systems and Western knowledge systems despite the literature which has attempted to indigenise TPACK. INDANDWEST-TPACK, therefore, helps to integrate indigenous knowledge systems and Western knowledge systems, especially in an open distance and e-learning (ODeL) environment. Hence, this conceptual study addresses the question: How can TPACK be modified to cater for a balance between indigenous knowledge systems and Western knowledge systems? It is important for ODeL institutions such as the University of South Africa (Unisa) to de-Westernise (reduce Western dominance) technology and its pedagogical and content delivery function by integrating indigenous knowledge to benefit students from non-Western or indigenous cultural contexts. INDANDWEST-TPACK can, therefore, contribute towards Unisa's Africanisation of the curriculum project.

An Examination of Open and Distance Learning Support System using Data Analytics: A Case Study of AIOU

This research paper was aimed to explore the trends in Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) open and distance learning support system (ODLSS). The study was quantitative in its approach and descriptive research design was adopted. Data were collected through Google data analytics software. In this research the data of ODLSS for four years were included from 2016-2019. To explore the trends in ODLSS the data were collected on number of visitors, visitors by time, city, country, technology, screen resolution, and language used. It was found that over the time period AIOU students increased in accessing the ODLSS using mobiles through android and windows sets. They mostly used chrome to access the website. At present no mobile APP has been developed by AIOU for the mobile users. So, it was recommended that AIOU should develop a mobile application for android users so that students may get information easily anywhere.

Alternative lifeworlds on the Internet: Habermas and democratic distance education

ABSTRACT Current distance education practices can be susceptible to the types of content-heavy, top-down instruction often seen in physical classrooms. These practices are similar to the activities of corporations, which use recommendation systems and game theory to mold the public sphere and fragment it. We propose that free knowledge creation through open, multichannel communication needs to be used in distance education to permit both individual and collective agency for students to process knowledge and develop higher order reflectivity. Such frameworks would help students of distance education and instructors to use critical thinking to discuss concepts as equal stakeholders and develop varied ideological outcomes that could contribute to creating social change. This conceptual paper places current distance education practices within Habermasian theory, discusses ways in which the Internet and its educative potential has come to be viewed thus far, and suggests platforms that could open distance learning to new possibilities.

Program Evaluation on Learning Materials, Tutors, Assessment Matters and Overall Program Structure from ODL Students' Perspective

Open Distance Learning (ODL) is an approach in education practices in Open University Malaysia (OUM). One of its programs that are offered through ODL is the Bachelor of Psychology (BPSY) and it is one of the programs with the highest student intake in OUM. Since the program has been commencing for more than 10 years, it is the time to evaluate whether the program needs any revisions or improvements. Thus, the aim of the study is to determine the level of satisfaction of students on the Psychology program offered in OUM. A questionnaire was developed for this purpose which includes 4 areas of students' satisfaction, namely the learning materials, student perceptions on their tutors, assessment matters, as well as the overall program structure. The questionnaires were distributed to more than 1000 active students through online and face-to-face tutorials. A total of 439 students participated in the study. The results indicated that students are most satisfied with the overall program structure and least satisfied with the assessment matters with the mean score of 3.98 and 3.59 respectively. The study certainly benefits the university in taking action to revise and improve the program. Recommendation for future research is included at the end of the paper.

E-Pedagogical Support Strategies to Teaching Methodology of Economics Students at an Open Distance Learning University

A systematic review of the literature of e-pedagogical support strategies for an open distance learning context was done to explore the knowledge “gap” on existing scholarly works. This paper investigates the use of pedagogical support strategies employed to support student learning in an online Teaching Methodology of Economics course. The research followed a pragmatic approach—an explanatory mixed-methods design—to conduct the research. An online questionnaire and eDiscussion forum entries were employed to collect data. Convenient and purposive sampling of postgraduate students (n=179) in Teaching Methodology of Economics were selected. Students voluntarily completed the online survey. Findings and practical implications were formulated to advance online pedagogical strategies to support student learning and thus promote essential competencies for the course in the college of education at an open distance learning university. The current study has only examined a small sampling of student views regarding pedagogical strategies employed in a teacher education online course. More research is needed to establish whether a larger sample, comparing similar courses in the teacher education programme, will yield different results.

TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES IN OPEN DISTANCE E-LEARNING

The transformation of higher education, in line with the South African Constitution, has led to increased enrolments of students with disabilities. However, limited research has been conducted on teaching and learning support these students receive. Access of students with disabilities in higher education is a human rights issue yet research shows that it has not been linked to increase in instructional support. As such, their participation has been limited. Some of the barriers limiting their participation are lecturers’ negative attitudes due to lack of disability awareness and the unavailability or inadequacy of support in teaching and learning. As a result, higher education institutions have not succeeded in creating enabling teaching and learning environments for these students. This paper seeks to initiate discussion about the teaching and learning support needs of students with disabilities, particularly in an Open Distance e-Learning context and to propose strategies that can be employed to increase the quality of their participation and improve their academic outcomes.

The Challenge of Teaching Mobile Journalism through MOOCs: A Case Study

Smartphones have become a key social tool: They have changed the way people consume, receive and produce information, providing potentially anyone with the opportunity to create and share content through a variety of platforms. The use of smartphones for gathering, producing, editing and disseminating news gave birth to a new journalistic practice, mobile journalism. Incorporating mobile journalism is, thus, the current challenge for journalism educators. Our article aims at discovering whether new models of education, such as massive online courses, can help mobile journalism training. The research focuses on the first pilot project of a massive open online courses (MOOC) on mobile journalism, the Y-NEX MOOC. By assessing structure, functioning and participants’ opinion, the objective is to discover if MOOCs prove to be useful tools in mobile journalism training. Results show that this model of distance open learning can be helpful for mobile journalism training, providing some recommendations for improvement.

Editorial

Welcome to a new look Perspectives in Education. Not only did the cover of Perspectives in Education change, but also its Editor in Chief, Managing Editor, Editorial Board and a new reviewer team. In addition, we have moved online to offer our authors and reviewers a much better system of tracking the progress of articles and an ease of communication with the editorial team. May I use this opportunity to thank everyone who was part of this turning a new page. I trust that we will be able to offer our authors a much better system as we move towards the ideal of providing authors with an outcome on their articles submitted within six months. You are always welcome to provide us with your ideas to improve and better our service to the education fraternity. In line with all the technological changes and advances that PiE adopted, it also found a new home at the University’s technological hub and campus for Open Distance Learning, the South Campus in Bloemfontein.

Institutional barriers to learning in the South African open distance learning context

The discourses surrounding student success and risk have shifted emphasis from the concept of risk as residing with student attributes, aptitudes and socio-economic history to the concept of contextualized risk, which is a result of the interaction between student, institution and the broader higher education context. This shift in discourse has led to a change in understanding the role that institutions play in “creating” at-risk students through institutional culture, procedures, policies and assumptions about the nature of teaching and learning. Institutional barriers to learning have received relatively little attention in the scholarship of teaching and learning when compared to the wider body of research on student-bound risk factors. Institutional barriers to learning refer to those institutional characteristics that, when combined with the attributes of the student body, create inadvertent barriers to successful study completion. This article makes use of frameworks derived from prior research into the barriers to learning and established models of student support to identify what students perceive as institutionally embedded barriers to teaching and learning in an institution in the South African open, distance and e-learning context.

A Framework for Document Delivery Services in an Open Distance e-Learning Environment Library

Document delivery service in an open distance environment is one way of taking library services to remote students. However, this service is not without challenges. For example, problems related to document delivery services may include unclaimed library materials by students, which costs the library money, and ‘return to sender’ parcels from the post office. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the provision of document delivery services in an ODeL environment with reference to the University of South Africa (UNISA). Data were collected through document analysis and interviews with purposively UNISA library staff working at the document delivery section. The findings indicated that UNISA library uses mail, courier and e-learning platforms for the provision of document delivery services. It was established that often, courier companies deliver parcels without contacting the students, which sometimes results in the parcel being received by the wrong recipient or returned to the university. It is concluded that even with the use of modern technology in document delivery services at UNISA, delivered documents still get lost. A framework for implementation of document delivery services that can speed up delivery and minimize loss of materials is suggested.

Stimulating ODL research at UNISA: exploring the role and potential impact of the UNESCO Chair

ABSTRACT This paper offers insights into the establishment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair of Open Distance Learning (ODL) at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The aim of the UNESCO Chair is to stimulate ODL research at UNISA. The paper briefly describes UNISA, which is the largest dedicated distance education institution on the continent of Africa, with student enrolments in excess of 300,000. Notwithstanding its size and mandate to provide expanded access to quality higher education to previously excluded blacks, UNISA is hampered by a lack of capacity in ODL research in the form of articles, the UNESCO Chair at UNISA was established to respond to this challenge of a lack of ODL research capacity. The paper (1) provides a brief outline of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme; (2) outlines the objectives of the Chair in relation to UNISA’s challenges of capacity for technology-assisted teaching, learning and research; (3) maps out the imperative for technology-supported teaching, learning and research at UNISA with respect to digital literacy, digital proficiency, and digital fluency; and (4) closes with some concluding remarks.

Challenges for Tutoring Through Blended Mode of Education Delivery in Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Programme of Bangladesh Open University

Tutoring is the only mean of face-to-face contact of learners with tutors at Bangladesh Open University. But there are a number of problems that hampers tutoring and as a result the quality of education of this programme is deteriorating. This study investigates the problems of tutoring for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) programme of BOU already existing and hampering the quality of the programme. The quantitative study was carried out with 42 tutors with a survey. The research design was delineated in such a way that the objective, design and methodology of the study allowed to bring out and highlight the tutoring system in Open Distance Learning (ODL) considering the perspectives of both tutors and learners. This study concluded that there were problems of tutoring related to either management or academic. However, these were mainly related to tutor and learner-two key players of tutoring on ODL system. The problems of tutoring in SSC programme of Bangladesh Open University were: less communication between tutors and learners; incapability of understanding course content; lack of interest in learning; inadequate number of tutorial classes; excess and complex course content; appointment of less qualified tutors; lack of training of tutors; dissatisfaction on honorarium for tutoring; lack of knowledge in use of ICT.

Discourse on student participation in the Open Distance Learning using Open Educational Resources

The concepts Open Distance (ODL) and the Open Educational Resources (OER) are central to Higher Education around the globe. Although the OER are understood to be freely available online material that anyone can use for teaching and learning purposes, there is some evidence to suggest that majority of students in the African continent do not use the OER. On the other hand, existing research recognises the ODL as the learning environment that breaks the barriers that limit students to access higher education such as location and distance from the university, financial pressures and other social problems. This paper reflects on the students’ participation and use of OER, focusing in purposively three selected ODL institutions. Drawing from community of inquiry framework, and given the nature of the ODL environment, this paper argues that students’ lack or limited participation in the use of OER seem to be dominated by what the OER can do which is promotion of access, equity and quality. This argument is presented with the full acknowledgement that access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is essential to access, adapt and use the OER.