01. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 1 (PCF1), 1999

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Open Access
Active Learning and Open Learning (Case Study)
(1999-03) Greene, Judith
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Judith Greene at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Distance Education for Rural Community Based Organizations: Correspondence Courses for Rural Cooperatives in Tanzania
(1999-03) Donge, L N
PCF1 // Distance education as a method of teaching, can be very effective to people who are at a distance and those who can not afford to leave their work and join schools. It is very useful for adults who still look after their children while studying. It is a solution to those people who can not trade off their life style with training because one can learn while working and earning money. Distance education is very useful for rural community organizations whose people are farmers and survive only by cultivating/ farming or looking after their farms as a means of their livelihood. // Moreover, distance education helps to promote farming skills for farmers who study while farming. It is indeed a right choice for farmers because it is flexible and allows one to study and at the same time work thus practice. // In this paper we are going to discuss how distance education has been able to improve farmers and peasants education levels and literacy in Tanzania. Moreover, we are going to see how correspondence courses have contributed to improved member education in cooperatives, with better cooperative knowledge, management and organization skills for farmers and keeping of records of their activities and enhancing their contributions in decision making in cooperative activities. //
Open Access
Developing the Commonwealth as an Educational Network
(1999-03) French, David
PCF1 // I want in this session to present a case study to you. Perhaps it will be a slightly unusual one, in that it is as much about an organisation and how it is reinventing itself for the next century, as it is about a project undertaken by an organisation. For me, for the moment, the organisation is the project. So I want to set our plans for the development of a Commonwealth Resource Centre firmly in the context of our perception of the strengths and potential for the Commonwealth itself into the next century. //
Open Access
Open University’s Contribution to Improving the Quality of Primary and Secondary Schooling in Sri Lanka
(1999-03) Gunawardena, Chandra; Fernando, T S
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Chandra Gunawardena and T S Fernando at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Open Schooling: Issues and Challenges
(1999-03) Siaciwena, Richard
PCF1 // Every government in the world has an obligation to provide education to all its citizens, chiefly because education is not only a human right but is also a critical factor in economic development and poverty reduction. In particular basic (primary and secondary) education helps reduce poverty “by increasing the productivity of the poor, by reducing fertility and improving health and by equipping people with the skills they need to participate in the economy and in society”. (World Bank, 1995: 1). // Many governments have developed a variety of strategies for developing education and training programmes. These include experimentation with innovative approaches and technologies such as open and distance learning. In particular the challenge of implementing goals for universalisation of primary education and the need to increase access to secondary education has contributed to the development and expansion of open schooling. // This paper outlines the development of open schooling, describes examples of open schooling and discusses the role of open schooling in increasing access to quality basic education especially to out of school children. //
Open Access
The Transformation of Distance Education in Africa
(1999-03) Adekanmbi, Gbolagade
PCF1 // One of the major developments in the field of education in Africa this century, apart from the taking over by Africans of the running of their education systems from departing colonialists, has been the relative growth of distance education. Emerging a century earlier in the circuitously pioneered offerings through colonial intervention, it has experienced some level of growth as to warrant an examination of its transformation. A quick appraisal of the nature of such transformation is the focus of this paper. // The acceptance of the system of instruction in Africa as an additional approach to teaching and learning has reasons that are not totally different from global ones. While geographical and socio-economic circumstances, problems of educational imbalance, the establishment of adult education units and departments in African universities were major factors, others such as improved communication systems and the introduction of the postal system in Africa were also noticeable. The diffusion of foreign educational practices from the colonies, and the growth of the entrepreneurial spirit in education were also major factors in the transformation of the system. //
Open Access
Changing Academics and Emerging Professionalism in Distance Education
(1999-03) Reddy, M V Lakshmi
PCF1 // Poster presentation by M V Lakshmi Reddy at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Planning Student Support in Open and Distance Learning in the U.K.
(1999-03) Tait, Alan
PCF1 // This paper aims to identify the principles of planning for the development and management of student support services in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). It is intended that a robust but flexible framework of ideas will be developed, which will provide a basis for work in an international context in a range of different societies and educational systems. // First of all it is necessary to identify what is meant by student support services in ODL. By these are meant the range of services for individuals and students in groups which complement the course materials that are uniform for all learners, and which are often perceived as the major offering of ODL institutions. The function of student support services is to mediate the standard and uniform elements of course materials and other administrative services, primarily through recognising differentiated learner needs. Support services for students may typically include enquiry, advice and admission services, tutorial and counselling services, study and examination centres, and elements of continuous assessment and individualised correspondence teaching.. The division of labour between standard elements and student support services remains true irrespective of medium, e.g. whether core media are print and face to face, or the new generation of ODL of computer mediated conferencing (CMC). It is true however that CMC presents enormous opportunities to rethink student support in ways that are not yet well understood, in particular with regard to time and place. //
Open Access
One Year of Virtual University Experience at Makerere University in Uganda
(1999-03) Aguti, Jessica N
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Aguti, Jessica N at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
Open Access
Flexible and Open Learning: Delivery Issues for Students from Non-English Speaking Backgrounds in New Zealand
(1999-03) Panko, Mary
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Panko, Mary at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Programme for the Certificate in Pre-School Education in Sri Lanka
(1999-03) Wijeratne, W A R
PCF1 // Working paper presented by W A R Wijeratne at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
The Tanami Network: Placing the Technology in the Hands of the Remote Central Australian Desert Communities
(1999-03) Granites, Robin Japanangka; Holt, Peter
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Robin Japanangka Granites and Peter Holt at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Accessing Global Information: Locating the Right Information in an Information Abundant Society
(1999-03) Gehling, Joanna; Booker, Di
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Joanna Gehling and Di Booker at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
An Analysis of Learner Performance in Different Groups of Bachelor Students at YCMOU, Nashik, India: A Comparative Study
(1999-03) Rastogi, Satish; Pradhan, Ashok
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Satish Rastogi and Ashok Pradhan at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
The Canada Caribbean Distance Education Scholarship Programme: A New Frame of Reference for Scholarship Programme Delivery
(1999-03) Irvine, Dennis H; Zador, Gregory
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Gregory Zador and Dennis H Irvine at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Academic Standards of Extension and Satellite Programmes of Nigerian Universities: Management and Control
(1999-03) Ali, Anthony
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Anthony Ali at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Parental Awareness and Involvement in Primary Education: An Open/Distance Learning Strategy for India
(1999-03) Nair, M Chandrasekharan
PCF1 // Working paper presented by M chandrasekharan Nair at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
The Creation of an Effective Educational and Social Infrastructure Programme for India: School Net India and Technology
(1999-03) Rajagopalan, Gopal; Morgan, Gerry
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Gopal Rajagopalan and Gerry Morgan at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
Telematics and the Development of Open and Distance Education Institutions (The Zimbabwe Open University)
(1999-03) Ndlovu, Sikhanyiso Duke
PCF1 // Working paper presented by Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu at the First Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF1) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. //
Open Access
A Practical Approach to On-Line Course Development in Malaysia
(1999-03) Sapiyan, M; Fadzil, Mansor; Kaur, Abtar
PCF1 // Many universities in Malaysia started their open learning programs early this decade. The University of Malaya began its own program in 1994. Since then many has debated the wisdom of the program. However, with the recent advancement made in the computer technology we, in the University of Malaya, have accepted that open learning is here to stay. Thus, our effort now concentrates on how the program can be made to work effectively. // Our concern about the effectiveness of open learning is supported by recent studies on open learning. The failure rate among students, who followed these programs, were found to be very high; in some cases as high as 60 to 70 percent (Gan, 1998). Although a high dropout rate in the range of 30 to 50 percent is not uncommon for open learning programs, the figures should be closer to the lower end of the range after a few years (Moore and Kearsley, 1996). Many factors contributed to the failure rate. They range from lack of proper facilities to the attitude among students and teachers involved in the program. Many students do not have internet-ready computers to access materials for their courses. Some students were just not ready to follow such a program, where they have to endure the consequences of working independently most of the time, particularly the feeling of alienation and isolation. Not all teachers were ready either. Some are not sufficiently committed to adjust their teaching to suit distance learning, involving much distance communication. // In view of the above problem, we in the Multimedia Development Centre, University of Malaya (MDCUM) started developing a template of the Online Course for the university, which will be a stepping stone towards the development of an effective learning model for the university and other higher institutions. Our approach takes the view that the teachers are the best people to handle the instruction, though a shift in their teaching paradigm may be required. //