04. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 4 (PCF4), 2006
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- ItemOpen AccessCollaboration in Learning at the Farm Level to Achieve Development Goals(2006-10) Jones, MontyPCF4 // The success of innovation systems is correlated with the extent and openness with which the stakeholders across the whole value chain interact and exchange ideas and information. Smallholders and pastoralists have most knowledge of their own production systems and take the greatest risk in innovation yet they tend to be regarded as the recipients of knowledge rather than key actors in producing it. To take advantage of market demands they need to combine their unique knowledge with new knowledge on the potential marketable products. They must be enabled to learn where the markets are, what standards and regulation they will have to meet, and how to organise themselves to have the right quantities at the right times. They must also be able to get answers to questions promptly when they arise, such as on the outbreak of disease or turns in the market. The need for exchange of knowledge extends both ways because scientists and extension agents will serve the producers best when they can learn from the producers about their problems and can build on their knowledge. Advances in ICT and distance learning methodologies are opening opportunities for joint learning with remote rural communities in previously unimaginable ways. // Paper ID 141
- ItemOpen AccessUsing m-Learning Technologies to Support Tertiary-level Education in the Carbbean(2006-10) Maharaj, KiranPCF4 // m-Learning technologies can potentially deliver education at significantly reduced costs by leveraging the relatively cheap mobile infrastructure available throughout the Caribbean. Mobile devices also have a strong appeal among young adults that can be exploited to provide flexible learning opportunities regardless of the time or the location of learners. m-Learning technologies are a perfect complement to Open and Distance Learning (ODL), allowing communication with learners beyond their traditional places of learning. They can also support face-to-face learning by reaching out to learners outside the traditional classroom. // Even though m-Learning is still in its infancy, in this paper we show how it can be used to support blended learning in both traditional face-to-face formats and ODL, using technologies such as context and location awareness, mobile learning management systems, and mobile RSS. As an example, we consider an advanced course at The University of the West Indies. We show how classroom learning can be supported with m-Learning technologies that deliver concise course notes, summaries, assignments, and tutorials directly to individual learners after each class or topic is covered. The technology supports polls, opinions, and other forms of student interaction and communicates information on timetables/schedules, deadlines, news, alerts, etc. to an entire class. // Paper ID 389
- ItemOpen AccessRural Knowledge Centers: Partners in Promoting a New ODL Paradigm(2006-10) Dixit, SreenathPCF4 // It is called a Rural Knowledge Center (RKC), Village Information Center (VIC) or a Community Learning and Information Center (CLIC). It is a new institution in the Indian rural milieu. It is a one-stop center of the village where community members can be assisted with information ranging from how to manage pod borer infestation in their pigeonpea crop to what are the government schemes currently in operation his/her village. These are increasingly seen as vehicles of capacity building and educational change in rural India. Home to nearly 65% of the country’s population (1.2 billion), rural areas have little opportunity for the poor communities to learn life skills. The incidence of poverty, illiteracy and malnourishment experienced in this part of the country is much higher than its urban counterparts’. The information needs of the poor rural communities in agriculture, animal husbandry, health, governance and the like had so far been considered impossible to address owing to the vastness of the nation and remoteness of the areas to be catered. // Success of many ICT4D projects, a wealth of institutional knowledge and a long standing in open and distance education, have created opportunities for the country to provide right kind of information to the needy at the right the time. Technology mediated non-formal distance education with a focus on development and supported by rural knowledge centers is perceived as a new paradigm in distance learning. It is thought; this would play a major role in imparting life long learning skills to vulnerable rural communities and help them fight poverty. This paper examines the opportunities and challenges for RKCs in distance learning as experienced by different institutions engaged in this filed. // Paper ID 326
- ItemOpen AccessCreating Pathways to Community Economic Development through Open and Distance Learning: The University of Namibia Northern Campus Approach(2006-10) Nekongo-Nielsen, HaaveshePCF4 // Under normal circumstances community and economic development initiatives start with government or chambers of commerce setting goals for economic growth and taking steps to bring economic activities and projects to a particular community. However, the University of Namibia (UNAM) recognized that community economic development should be addressed through empowering community members who must participate in such economic activities. // During 2000 and 2001 UNAM, through its Northern Campus and in collaboration with Regional Councillors of north central Namibia, and two educational institutions in the USA, developed and implemented two educational programmes, namely the New Leaders Initiative Programme and the JobStart Programme. These programmes were developed to address issues of leadership development and eradication of unemployment among the youth of the region. The two programmes utilized open learning models to enable people who are far away from a University Campus, to learn and immediately apply what has been learned. // This paper will highlight the impact that the two programmes had made on the individual participants and their communities. It will provide information about the contributions the individual participants are currently making to the socio-economic development of their communities. The paper will further present useful learning outcomes as to what happens when a higher education institution tries to be involved in community development programmes of this sort. // The development and implementation of the New Leaders Initiative and JobStart programmes were made possible by a generous funding from The Ford Foundation. // Paper ID 209
- ItemOpen AccessWomen Academics have the Potential to Contribute to the Millennium Development Goals in Nation Building through Open and Distance Learning in Papua New Guinea(2006-10) Rangou, JanetPCF4 // Distance education in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is fast becoming the new trend which addresses accessibility and equity for the majority of potential students throughout the nation who are unable to attend on campus classes. Education for all and participation of women is echoed everywhere in government and private educational institutions. UPNG Women academics are often the silent achievers in their own rights thriving amongst the dominance of their male counterparts. PNG�s National Constitution calls for equal participation by all. The University of Papua New Guinea also has in place its Gender equity policy which calls for the recognition and participation of women. How can women academics at Higher Educational Institutions contribute more to distance education for nation building in PNG? // This paper aims at investigating how women academics can participate to nation building as course designers, writers, mentors, counsellors and Distance Education facilitators in PNG. An analysis of the current percentage of Women academics who are already involved in Distance Education will be presented along with motivators versus hinderances as well as the benefits for being part of UPNG�s distance education mission in PNG. // UPNG women academics are able to create conditions for innovative changes. They can share in UPNG�s vision for Distance Education and are valuable contributors as well as resources to this evolving nature of Distance Education in Papua New Guinea. // Papaer ID 247
- ItemOpen AccessCollaboration and Networking in Distance Learning: The Experience of the University of the West Indies with the M.Sc. Counselling Programme by Distance Education(2006-10) Jackson, ElainePCF4 // The University of the West Indies (UWI), through its commitment to education and training, seeks to expand the number of university trained personnel in the Caribbean and to promote distance education in the region. In response to this mandate the UWI has pioneered the delivery of its first M.Sc. Counselling Programme by Distance Education which is currently helping to build capacity in human services. The programme which originated in the Fertility Management Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Mona, in 2002, trained eighty-two professionals in nine Caribbean countries and produced sixty-five graduates in 2005. // In implementing this programme, the UWI has had to carefully forge alliances with governmental and non-governmental agencies to support professionals who can simultaneously be in practice, access training and apply new learning. These kinds of collaborative relationships and networking are critical to the programme’s agenda. // The UWI’s experience with the M.Sc. Counselling programme opens up new avenues for exploring its collaborative challenges re preparedness for distance education, the type and format of the programme, recruitment, affordability and the programme’s role in the region’s development. // The MSc Counselling Programme by Distance Education atThe University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, is a regional higher educational initiative which is delivered using a network of collaborative relationships both within and outside of the University. Higher education programmes at the University, including the MSc Counselling Programme, are supported by collaborative relationships which enhance their sustainability. This paper examines the dynamics of these relationships against the background of regional development. // Paper ID 333
- ItemOpen AccessDistance Education and Human Resource Development:Undergraduate Learners’ Perception towards Employability(2006-10) Gaba, AshokPCF4 // Human resource development in developing counties like India is imbalanced with respect to almost all kinds of social and economic aspects. There are disparities in terms of quality and standard of higher level of education, as well as the level of the educational attainment of different segments of the population. The quality of education and therefore of the labor force is a very important consideration in the context of human resource development. Distance education is considered to have significant influence on the quality of human resources in very many diverse ways including spreading necessary awareness among those whom such awareness might help, e.g. the large number of uneducated people, particularly women and also making available vocational and life skills to its clients. // In any distance education system, the learners (and therefore the graduates) hold the key in so far as the study of the effect of perception of the value of degree on programme completion, learner satisfaction, and future employment is concerned. This paper reports the findings of a study on the perceptions of bachelor level arts and computer science graduates towards programme choice, facilitation and individual perception of the value of their undergraduate degree. // Paper ID 157
- ItemOpen AccessBuilding the Capacity of Agricultural Facilitators and Farmers in Ghana: Providing Complementary Training with Open Distance Learning and Information and Communications Technology(2006-10) Osei, Collins KwabenaPCF4 // The need for food security in Ghana requires continuing education of agricultural extension agents (AEAs) who work with farmers in rural settings. The lack of continuing education opportunities is a drawback to AEAs performance. Increased access to quality education and training and new opportunities for learning and skill development in agriculture at the facilitator and farming community levels must be exploited to continually update the knowledge and skills of extension workers and farmers to better meet the challenge of sustaining and increasing agricultural productivity. // Emerging information and communication technology mediated open distance education (TECH-MODE) holds promise to provide new learning opportunities which will enlarge the information space and facilitate regular learning of improved technologies and increase access to knowledge and skills. Opportunities provided by TECH-MODE were therefore exploited to continually update the knowledge and skills of facilitators and farmer groups. // Paper ID 134
- ItemOpen AccessEngendering Development Needs: 'Doing' Gender Through Distance Learning In The English-Speaking Caribbean(2006-10) Yusuf-Khalil, YasmeenPCF4 // The Caribbean is described as less-developed, yet, its people are very conscious of contemporary developments in technology as well as the critical importance assigned to ‘high’ technology skills and training. ‘High’ technology usually requires financial and other resources not readily available in the Caribbean. Against this background, this paper presents a case study of a Distance Undergraduate Diploma Programme in Gender and Development Studies offered at the University of the West Indies to students in the English - speaking Caribbean. This programme seeks to develop a cadre of individuals in the Caribbean who can use gender as a tool of analysis in developing project proposals, programmes and policies responsive to the needs of women and men in their respective countries. It focuses on the distinctiveness of the Caribbean reality to examine the extent to which the programme design is consistent with its philosophy. This new model of learning requires a shift from a behavioral paradigm to one utilizing feminist teaching methods and, hence, the role of technology becomes a critical site for analysis of the programme’s utility and success. Challenges faced, best practices and invaluable lessons learned are identified. // Paper ID 222
- ItemOpen AccessDigitally Assisted Diffusion of Innovations(2006-10) Laurent, Carole St.PCF4 // Development can be described as changing one’s actions to produce better results. Diffusion of innovations (DoI) research shows that communication factors are more important predictors of an innovation’s adoption than its efficacy (Nutley et al, 2002:19). Thus, how one shares knowledge is critical for improving people’s lives. // Audiovisual content is recalled four or five times better than material heard in a lecture, and nine times better than written material (Fraser and Villet 1994). In the diffusion approach, in which trainees train others, only a subset of the required knowledge reaches second-generation learners (in one case, 14%), and some of the information is distorted (Röling et al (1976:162)). Video offers first and second generations of learners the significant benefits of seeing and hearing 100% of a message during in-person training, and on demand later. It facilitates DoI best practices, such as using local change agents, opinion leaders, languages and content. // Whether the application is in the field of health, agriculture, education, or any other sector, increasing the effectiveness of information sharing through video offers exciting possibilities to expand the impact of development programs beyond the limitations of in-person training. A solar cooking case study in Nigeria will inform points of discussion. // Content from audiovisual training materials is recalled four or five times better than heard material, and nine times better than read material. // (Fraser and Villet, 1994) // For several years, I have focused on how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can practically benefit impoverished communities in rural Africa. While working with telecentres in Nigeria, I noticed that text-based information in CD-ROMs, websites and emails were under-utilized, even when the source was personally known to the centre staff. This is not unique. In her research on the impact of ICTs for development in Africa, Thione (2003, p.66) reports that even information that communities request tends to remain unused. However, I noticed that the youth at one telecentre watched the only available music video daily. I began noticing the difference between my assumptions and preferences, as a member of a text-based culture, versus those of people from a more oral culture. For example, I used the Internet to search for information for the telecentre, and copied text-based resources to the hard drive for offline viewing. The telecentre staff did not review these resources. They primarily used the Internet for email, which they typed slowly, even if they had taken a typing course. My touch-typing skills surprised them. Also, they did not use their local languages on the computers. Their software and much of their writing was in English, the official language, although local languages are spoken almost exclusively. They had a Yoruba font to support their accents, but had not installed or used it. Later, when I asked for a written translation of an English video script, the project members referred me to a Yoruba expert after hours of struggle; writing Yoruba is much more difficult than speaking it. All of these experiences piqued my curiosity about the impact of audiovisual mediums versus text as tools for informal adult education and community development in Nigeria. This led to a joint solar cooking/video project with these telecentres. // The impetus for the project began when the Ago-Are Information Centre and Fantsuam Foundation asked for help learning how to solar cook. I sent them four-page illustrated instructions for building and using a cardboard solar cooker, which I had successfully implemented. My contacts were personal friends to whom I provided email support. The necessary materials were available for under $5 US. The instructions were never fully implemented, although they confirmed their interest in solar cooking and requested I continue supporting them. // This intrigued and sobered me. If literate, educated people did not successfully use textual material to implement solar cooking, what would help them better? To test whether a video would be more effective than text alone, we collaborated on a solar cooking and video training project. While the project was too limited to fully answer this question, the initial results were encouraging. New videographers picked up camera and editing skills easily, and the amateur videos quite effectively trained people how to solar cook. // If audiovisual materials indeed communicate more effectively than text, then a great deal of development information could achieve better results if it was delivered differently. Studies show that “we retain 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we hear and see, 70% of what we say, and 90% of what we say and do” (Pike 1989, p.61, emphasis mine). In development contexts, content from audiovisual training materials is recalled four or five times better than heard material, and nine times better than read material (Fraser and Villet 1994). Ninety-two per cent of primarily illiterate farmers in Peru liked watching training videos because “it was like ‘actually being in the field’” (Fraser and Villet 1994). Multimedia content is also more relevant than text for many developing countries (Spence 2003, p.76). Centre de Services de Production Audiovisuelle (CESPA) in Mali uses culturally adapted visual pedagogy principles developed by Manuel Calvelo, and trains people to use educational videos for community outreach. // Text, radio, and verbal presentations are prevalent ways of sharing development information. If one retains only 10% of what one reads and 20% of what one hears, impacts when using these mediums are significantly curtailed. Adding audiovisual materials increases retention rates to 50%. When interactive training methods are used to prompt the learners to say what they have learned, retention increases to 70%. It reaches 90% when one explains the lesson out loud while practicing it. This is particularly encouraging for “train the trainer” programs. New technologies make creating and distributing multimedia content easier and less costly, and reduce or remove obstacles posed by limited access to bandwidth, electricity grids, and broadcast networks. In the North this is seen through the multiplication of amateur videos, video blogs and podcasts. In the South, it is time to take another look at development communications, their effectiveness, and the potential of video to improve development impacts at the individual and community level. // This paper uses the lens of diffusion of innovations (DOI) research to analyse how development communications can support programs such as introducing solar cooking. Strengths of DOI include its history, wide applicability (from marketing to health interventions), breadth of communications activities (from building awareness to persuasion to diffusion), and international relevance (Rogers 2003, p.59, 93-94, 102-105). This paper proposes ways that diffusion of innovations can be improved by the thoughtful incorporation of video. DOI also provides a valuable model for designing the most effective video content. Therefore video and DOI strengthen each other. This will be explored through the solar cooking case study. // Paper ID 158
- ItemOpen AccessDeveloping Literacy through Information and Communications Technology - a Jamaican School's Project(2006-10) Xuereb, KayPCF4 // This research developed from one Jamaican school’s desire to make more use of computers in teaching and learning. A literacy project was planned which provided teachers with computer skills, training in the pedagogy of Information and Communications Technology and provided computer-based learning for students. // Investigator observations of teachers from two grades in a primary and junior high school were conducted. This was followed by a KAP study using a structured self-administered questionnaire and a focus group interview. These were used to inform project development. // A computer software package was selected which enabled the students to create their own stories in pictures and words and then print them in book form. The software was obtained as a donation from a private company in England. // Large class sizes and a limited number of working computers meant that classes had to be divided into three groups, each group attending a forty-five minute session per week. These sessions were a combination of demonstration lessons given by the ICT specialist teacher and lessons given by the class teacher supported by the specialist teacher. // The intervention took place between January and July 2006. // Paper ID 152
- ItemOpen AccessBlended Learning: Rethinking Educational Delivery for Development(2006-10) Duhaney, DevonPCF4 // Blended learning is not a new concept; however, many consider it to be new. Recently, there has been a renewed focus on this learning strategy, both in the education and corporate sectors. Although the definition of blended learning is somewhat amorphous, it is generally described as an environment that includes the use of different modes of teaching and learning. Blended learning gained increasing popularity with the integration of technology in the teaching and learning environment. // Blended learning holds particular promise for developing countries as it can make available to them the resources of national, regional, and international educational institutions. This could allow them to redirect the often-limited resources that they have at their disposal to other developmental needs. Some developing countries are already participating in different forms of blended learning programs. An expansion of these programs can enhance educational development in many of these nations. // In light of the foregoing, this presentation is designed to examine blended learning and its use in enhancing education, training, and development. Consideration will also be given to best practices for planning and implementing the blended learning approach. The presentation will also continue the dialogue on how blended learning might foster development in developing nations. // Paper ID 304
- ItemUnknownODL for Agricultural Development and Rural Poverty Reduction: A Comparative Analysis of Innovation and Best Practice in Asia and the Pacific(2006-10) McLean, ScottPCF4 // Education and learning are widely recognized as essential to processes of development and poverty reduction. Given the inadequacies of conventional systems of education, training, and agricultural extension, many developing countries have introduced innovative approaches to open and distance learning (ODL). // The authors of this paper, supported byCOL, organized and analyzed five case studies from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and the Pacific Islands. The primary objective of this research project was to understand and improve the application of ODL strategies to the challenges of agricultural development and rural poverty reduction. Our case study research found that successful innovation and best practice is grounded in basic principles regarding motivation, sensitivity, infrastructure, engagement of stakeholders, and soundness of pedagogical models. // Further, the keywords that appear in our case studies include: collaboration, networking, public/private partnerships, efficiency, effective use of technology for learning, practicality, accessibility, acceptability, validity of content, economics, gender sensitivity, basic education, geographic reach, and sustainability. // In our presentation to the Pan Commonwealth Forum, we will describe the common elements of successful innovation and best practice among these five institutions, and discuss the lessons learned from this project that may be generalized to other developing countries in the Commonwealth. // Paper ID 124
- ItemOpen AccessStrategies for Sustainable Learner Support Services in Developing Nations(2006-10) Ipaye, BabatundePCF4 // Developing nations are anxious to provide mass access to higher education for the citizenry. Open and Distance Learning seems to be the most reliable means which combine accessibility and affordability for the individual and cost efficiency for government and providers. However, issues like appropriate technology, acceptable academic culture and practices, enabling infrastrucutre, and various individual characteristics need to be attended to. Open and distance learning institutions could help provide mass access; it could help reduce the cost of university education, it could help meet the yearnings of the individual for university admission and could help rebuild confidence in those who struggled for places in conventional universities that all is not lost. But, all these do not guarantee success. ODL instituions need support services which help reduce to the barest minimum, issues of isolation, lack of motivation or inability to self motivate. There is thus need for a sustainable learner support services. // This paper discusses the various ways of making such services sustainable in developing nations. It discusses the cost effectiveness of support services, it compares the cost of high attrition rate with that of high completion rate, examines the concept of community ownership of study centres and how this can work in developing nations where the citizenry believes that government has to provide all things; and discusses the attitudinal disposition of consumers of services in study centres in relation to sustainability. // Paper ID 57
- ItemOpen AccessStudent Expectations of Classroom Sessions at the Open University of Sri Lanka – ODL or Conventional?(2006-10) Rajamanthri, SenaniPCF4 // In most distance learning institutions, face to face contact sessions form a component of the student support services provided to learners. This study focuses on student expectations of classroom sessions conducted by five different departments at the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). It attempts to identify student expectations of classroom sessions and the reasons underlying them. // The methodology employed is qualitative; the data collection technique is in-depth interviews inclusive of a probing interview protocol. The interview protocol includes a combination of structured, unstructured and open ended questions. // The subjects include asample of final year undergraduates in five different degree programmes. Data analysis is done using qualitative content analysis methods to determine similarities, difference, recurring regularities, and patterns of data. // Five categories of expectations emerged through data. They are expectations regarding the content, teacher effectiveness, social needs, day-schools structure and physical infra-structure facilities. Students assign a great deal of importance to classroom interactive sessions. Organization of informal small group discussion sessions by students themselves is also a common practice. Very high dependency by students on classroom sessions stems from a severe lack of orientation to the Distance education system and further aggravated by limitations in the instructional material and constraints for self study. Tutor effectiveness, the day-school structure and infra structure facilities are noted as significant in conducting effective sessions. // Paper ID 242
- ItemOpen AccessCreating e-Portfolios through Collaborative and Technology-Mediated Learning(2006-10) Walcott, PaulPCF4 // Participants of this demonstration will be expected to construct their electronic teaching portfolios through collaborative and technology-mediated learning. The participants should be academics of any discipline who are able to use computer applications for tasks such as word processing and browsing the Internet. // Teaching portfolios are important since they are often used in the assessment process for promotion and tenure at Universities. Creating electronic versions of these teaching portfolios (e-Portfolios) make them even more accessible, especially if published on the Internet, but also allow the inclusion of multimedia presentations. This cannot be easily achieved using traditional teaching portfolios. // During the demonstration participants will be instructed on the required contents of their e-Portfolios and through the use of on-line tools, such as mark-up language validators and editors, learn how to design and construct simple web pages. This basic knowledge will be used by the participants in the construction of their e-Portfolio from a pre-defined HTML template created by the instructor. // The main objectives of the demonstration are to construct a simple web page; and to design and construct an e-Portfolio, which consist of a description of research interests, a description of courses taught, and a list of publications. // The expected outcome of this demonstration is three-fold. Firstly, participants will acquire the all-important technical skill of web page construction. Secondly, participants will have created their e-Portfolio; and finally, participants will have had an opportunity to begin to reflect on teaching practices as they collaborate during the demonstration. This reflection should help them to define a clear teaching philosophy. Further collaboration is also possible after the demonstration if participants publish their e-Portfolios on the Internet and solicit comments from their peers at a local, regional and international level. // Paper ID 309
- ItemOpen AccessConnecting Community with Knowledge: An ICT mission(2006-10) Nanda, BijayPCF4 // After the 'Super-Cyclone-1999' the coastal fabric of Orissa has got devastated and thus seen extreme poverty. Extreme poverty exists when people are denied the opportunity to lead a long, healthy and productive life. Extreme poverty persists due to lack of mission-zeal & appropriate opportunities. An innovative attempt is here with demonstrated to address the rigid problems with solutions. // The actions include: // 1. Expanding access to knowledge using ICT/ ODL on health education and care. // 2. Making education and adequate nutrition a priority so that children can grow up to lead healthy and productive lives. // 3. Providing skills training and support for small entrepreneurs to increase opportunities for employment and income generation. // 4. Protecting the environment, to ensure that natural resources are conserved and renewed for future generations. // 5. Addressing gender inequality, to increase opportunities for women and to ensure that they have a say in decisions that affect the lives of themselves and their children. // 6. Strengthening the role and capacity of local organizations, to make communities more self-sufficient. // 7. The practiced strategies are to educate the coastal-poor on the wise-use of natural coastal wetland –marine resources. // 8. The CCRC translates the missions with a slogan “connecting community with knowledge. // Paper ID 69
- ItemOpen AccessThe Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Science Education: the Case of the Namibian College of Open Learning(2006-10) Nitschke, Jan JacobusPCF4 // The buzzword in communication today is technology. It becomes more relevant where distance, especially long distances apply. // In the case of Open and Distance Learning Institutions, technological development is crucial to ensure sustainability, oppose competition and manage threats. However, in the developing world, the financial implications of technological development become a serious challenge in endeavours to keep abreast of latest technology, but more so to innovate and lead technological development. Although it can be cost-saving when applied correctly, these technologies are very costly to acquire. Good collaboration among ODL institutions and the sharing of resources might be a viable option to address some of these financial challenges. // Namibia has three Government-subsidized ODL institutions, and a few privately owned institutions. Since our population is relatively small, there is not a big local market for ODL. This situation increases the risk of investments in technological development. This research intends to find out what the challenges of these institutions are and how best to address these challenges in the Namibian context. // Paper ID 213
- ItemOpen AccessPreparing Teachers to Facilitated Blended Learning(2006-10) Crichton, SusanPCF4 // This presentation and paper shares findings of a four-year study into the preparation of pre-service teachers for work in online and blended learning environments. Starting with interviews from practicing online teachers, the study investigates the impact of a pre-service course in blended learning on subsequent teaching practices. The study follows pre-service teachers into the field to see the impact of their university work on actual practice. // Samples of the student work will be shared as well as lessons learned. This presentation will share actual practice, looking at how an understanding of instructional design and delivery impact education – especially when technology is used seamlessly. // The general importance of this study rests in an understanding of how the intentional design and planning to support rich and innovative blended learning experiences for a range of learners – K-12 to post secondary. // Paper ID 318
- ItemOpen AccessRapid Customization of Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs): A new paradigm for Content Generation and Localization for Open Distance Agricultural Education and Extension(2006-10) Guntuku, Dileep KumarPCF4 // In the recent days, content designers and developers of electronic learning are being introduced new technology dependent approaches for content generation. Most of the electronic learning content always developed for a specific purpose based on a specific technology, which is highly expensive and time consuming process. // In this paper the authors present a new paradigm for content generation and localization based on an instructional technology called “Reusable Learning Objects”, which follow the features of reusability, interoperability, durability and accessibility. This technology would bring a major change in designing and development of cost effective educational material for mass agricultural education and extension in an open distance mode. // Paper ID 300