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Integrating the Elements of Open Distance Learning (ODL) to Enhance Service to Students in a Developing Country
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Abstract
PCF5: Cross-Cutting Theme // The University of South Africa (Unisa) was the first university in the world to teach at a
distance. It initially started as what Taylor (2001) has labeled first generation or
correspondence education. Gradually it added elements of technology and contact. But
essentially, these were add ons, not integrated well with the academic endeavours of the
university, or used effectively. The merger between Unisa, the Technikon South Africa
(TSA) and the distance education campus of Vista University (Vudec) in 2004 created a
single, dedicated distance education institution for South Africa. The merger emphasized
the fragmented nature of the various add ons at the three institutions. As a consequence, an
initiative was started to investigate open distance learning best practice internationally as
well as to analyse the existing situation in the university with a view to transforming towards
a technology-enabled fourth generation ODL. //
The vision of Unisa is ‘Towards the African University in the Service of Humanity’. The
social mandate of the university is to provide access to higher education in a developing
country for people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to study: working adults,
people in rural areas remote from facilities; students coming straight from school into the
tertiary system without the school achievements or the means to attend contact universities.
Access to the university and access to various support mechanisms once registered are
hallmarks of ODL. //
The Unisa student profile has shifted over the past two decades from the traditional, working
adult towards more students choosing Unisa straight from school for reasons of access.
About twenty percent of the students registered fall into this younger group. This is a group
that demands more contact and has less access to technology than the working adult. //
The paper addresses the basic aspects underlying effective ODL in a changing
environment, where the focus is on development. The contribution of the paper is therefore
in the focus on access to appropriate learning for development. The paper will uncover
various initiatives aimed at integrating current good practice effectively to better support the
student: managed open admission, which enables the university to identify students at risk
prior to registration and put interventions in place; integrated development of courseware for
‘power’ courses; an extended tutor system more integrated with mainstream academic
departments; a more technology-enabled system for registration, administration of
assessment and student tracking as well as more access to technology for students. // Paper ID 321
Country
South Africa
Region
Africa
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Date
2008
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Commonwealth of Learning (COL)