Browsing by Author "Kanas, Jane"

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    Designing Learning for Learners: A Study of Learning English through Distance at USP Emalus Campus, Vanuatu
    (2008-09) Kanas, Jane
    PCF5 Sub-theme: Cross-cutting Themes // In a region where English is an alien language but a seemingly important one for communication and education, Pacific Islanders have always faced a situation where they have to grapple with studies in a language so few of them call their own. For twelve countries belonging to the University of the South Pacific (USP) region, tertiary education has meant a need for good and comfortable command of the English language where students can be at ease to express their thoughts and intentions. Fluency has been an increasing urgency to address. With distance learning, materials have had to be tailored in ways that this mode brings its content in the most efficient and effective way possible for the success of the student. These challenges may put the average Ni Vanuatu in a situation where more effort is required in mastering a language enough to be able to study successfully at tertiary level. With proper and appropriate design of the learning materials, students are able to bridge these challenges and thus complete their courses successfully. // Paper ID 770
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    Erasing the Margins: A Case Study of Alternative Opportunities to Schools in Vanuatu
    (2008) Kanas, Jane
    The University of the South Pacific (USP) serves a unique region of the Commonwealth. It is a major provider of tertiary education to its twelve member countries of which each have their own individual educational curricula. These systems of education have always supported the development of academia amongst the islanders and have no doubt been the foundation of many of the region’s qualified scholars. Despite the success of these national curricula, it cannot be denied that most of these do not cater for the majority of their individual population. Many systems require a filtering of its students through various examinations at different levels of the formal educational lifetime. This has resulted in a high level of young push-outs who are almost always those from the rural areas where any further access to any form of education is a rarity. Reasons for their lack of accomplishment are numerous. It is now obvious that national curricula is not providing for the majority of its population. It is thus important that attention is brought to this situation and that some form of interference is applied. The Emalus Campus of USP, Vanuatu, caters not only for its regional students, but also for its national push-outs who hunger for another attempt at formal education. This campus has initiated the use of materials from the USP’s continuing education and foundation level in government schools and these have proven to be the better option especially for marginalized schools. It has also provided for its multilingual situation in trying to provide opportunities for all levels of peoples in the community. This paper will present the Emalus Campus situation as a case study. // Paper ID 409
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    Perfecting 1 amongst 109: English in Multilingual Vanuatu
    (2006-10) Kanas, Jane
    PCF4 // Of the 180 indigenous languages spoken by 12 University of the South Pacific (USP) member states, Vanuatu carries 106 of these languages as well as the official English, French and the national Bislama (Pidgin) languages. English and French are the languages of education and government, while Bislama and any of the indigenous ones are used in everyday communication. With English (or French), confined to classrooms and government, using it as a language of instruction and learning poses some interesting outcomes amongst Vanuatu students for a tertiary provider of education as USP. // Multilingualism provides illusions of deformity and fragmentation. This paper focuses on situations of multilingualism as experienced by distance students in Vanuatu especially having attempted or completed one or both of the compulsory English courses offered at the pre-degree and degree levels. Results from these two courses indicate that Ni Vanuatu students actually fare averagely and sometimes better than students of other mono-cultural/linguistic backgrounds. It stands then, that because diversity is normality and that a pidgin is the lingua franca (not English nor French nor a vernacular), the unique multilingual community that Vanuatu DFL students originate from, actually provide a somewhat solid background to their learning and acquisition of English. // Paper ID 180