Quality and Equity in learning: A Comparative Study on Students Performance In Masai Technical Training Institute

Abstract

Education is facing drastic change, with open, distance and flexible learning taking the centre stage. The increased demand of education among the adult learners and the learners in informal sector is changing the way education is perceived and accessed; and learning in institution is no longer the usual business with the teacher being the sage in the podium, disseminating knowledge. This paper compared the training using open, distance and flexible learning with traditional approaches in order to determine the students’ performance. Various case studies were analyzed to ascertain the performance of learners in open, distance and flexible learning and traditional learning approaches; A document review to investigate and compare the performance of students in four classes trained by different lecturers on national examinations is considered at Masai Technical Training Institute; drawing results from the analysis of case studies by various authors, and document review from Masai Technical Training Institute, the study showed that learners who used open, blended learning approach performed better as compared to those who used traditional methods. The research concluded that the training approach in open, distance and blended learning environment enabled learners/facilitators to engage in discussions, collaborations among others and thus improved in the content masterly leading to lifelong learning hence better livelihood. The paper advocates for more research to be done to ascertain its finding.//Paper Id 101