scholarly journals INTERROGATING THE CONCEPT ‘OPENNESS’ IN OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL)

Author(s):  
Cosmas Maphosa ◽  
Sithulisiwe Bhebhe

<p>Scholars in Open Distance Learning (ODL) often refer to distance education as ‘open’. The concept 'openness' on open and distance learning is very fluid and often misunderstood. It is the purpose of this desktop survey to review relevant literature and make interrogation of the concept 'openness'. We advance questions such as; How open is open and distance learning. In what aspects is ODL open and to what extent is the openness. We discuss openness concerning targeted potential students and entry requirements in ODL institutions, the openness of teaching, and learning approaches as well as openness concerning communication, the flexibility of curricula, and assessment. We conclude by answering whether or not ODL institutions are open as well as suggesting measures and ways of enhancing openness in ODL institutions.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0674/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Open Praxis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 313
Author(s):  
Juliet Obhajajie Inegbedion

The quality of the programmes and courses in ODL depends on the academics that plan the programmes, develop the curriculum, manage courses and programmes and carry out administrative duties. It is observed that the academics often complain of work overload. It also appears there is a mix-up in integrating the mode of planning workload in the conventional universities into the open and distance education universities. This may be attributed to inadequate spread in the duties assigned, which if not checked could affect the quality of teaching and learning. This necessitated the study that was carried out to determine academic workload in NOUN. The findings revealed a gap between academic activities and adequate utilisation of time. Also, inadequate spread of activities affects the quality of the academic inputs. This led to the development of academic workload model to guide the spread of academic activities in open and distance learning.


Author(s):  
Aras Bozkurt

As pragmatist, interdisciplinary fields, distance education (DE) and open and distance learning (ODL) transform and adapt themselves according to changing paradigms. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to examine DE and ODL from different perspectives to discern their future directions. The study concludes that DE and ODL are constantly developing interdisciplinary fields where technology has become a significant catalyst and these fields become part of the mainstream education. However, mainstreaming should be evaluated with caution, and there is a need to revisit core values and fundamentals where critical pedagogy would have a pivotal role. Besides, there is no single theory that best explains these interdisciplinary fields, and therefore, there is a need to benefit from different theoretical approaches. Finally, as a result of constant changes, we should keep the definition of both DE and ODL up-to-date to better explain the needs of the global teaching and learning ecosystem.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. G. Vasudevaiah

The idea of widening access to education, promoting independent and lifelong learning and adopting new methods to delivery of education is prominent in the goals of education in India. To facilitate human resource development in the country and widen access to education at all levels, the educational policy of the country has emphasized the promotion of use of ICT in its distance education programs. With the support of information and communication technology, thousands of people from remotest parts of countries have been able to access education through distance learning. The traditional method of education occurs in personal contact between the teacher and the learner in the classroom setting. This is anchored in the reality that teaching and learning take place at same time and same place. With the introduction of communication technology it has became clear that formal, informal or non-formal teaching and learning at the higher level could also be done via technology. This paper focuses on the concept of ICT and how it useful in open and distance learning and also discusses about various problems in usage of ICT in open and distance learning.


Author(s):  
A. T. Akindele ◽  
◽  
N. O. Akande ◽  
M. O. Fajobi ◽  
H. B. Olagoke ◽  
...  

Open and Distance Education (ODE) has proven to be a viable alternative for teaching and learning with more inherent benefits compared to the traditional model of education. This mode of teaching and learning aimed at eradicating the challenges of the face-to-face mode of learning such as distance, age, work schedules, limited access and other factors that have made the face-to-face mode of learning rigid. ODE flexibility is evidenced in the ability of learners to learn ubiquitously at their own pace, anywhere, anytime using smartphones, laptops and desktop computers. As ODE grows and expands, the need to review its conceptual foundations, approaches and also to receive feedback from learners, employers and other stakeholders are becoming more imperative. This study employed an investigative approach via the use of online survey forms to elicit pertinent information regarding the learners’ perceptions and experiences at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Open and Distance Learning Centre (LODLC). A total number of 2362 LODLC students participated in the online survey out of a total learners’ population of about 5,000. 54% of the respondents confirmed the adequacy of the LMS and the course material modules with more than 60% being able to easily access and download course materials from the LMS, 57% of the respondents rated the e-tutors to be effective knowledge facilitators while 60% believed the e-tutors stimulated learners’ interest by providing satisfactory answers to questions asked. This information amongst others will help administrators and management of LODLC programmes to make informed decisions about the conduct of the centres’ activities and adjust accordingly where necessary to improve service delivery.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Daudi Lazarus

An ongoing concern in the distance education system in Indonesia is students’ lack of commitment to ‘independent study’. The purpose of this paper is to review conceptual frameworks that could empower Indonesian students to accept responsibility for their learning at a level to address the learning challenges of distance education.  The review shows that to meet quality and equity expectations in online distance education, independent study modes should promote students’ self-responsibility based primarily on both autonomy and capability.  The findings have the potential to add new perspective to education through supporting teaching and learning approaches in an online distance education class to enhance self-responsibility.  The paper suggests that students would take more control of independent learning if they accepted primary responsibility to determine their learning needs, resources, activities and outcomes.  To do this they need to view themselves as active agents with power to take independent choices that can result in creating their own approaches to resolve their learning limitation.


2008 ◽  
pp. 1105-1112
Author(s):  
Theresa M. Vitolo ◽  
Shashidhar Panjala ◽  
Jeremy C. Cannell

E-learning covers the variety of teaching and learning approaches, methodologies and technologies supporting synchronous or asynchronous distance education. While distance education is a concept typically used by conventional institutions of education to mean remote access and delivery of instruction, the concept of e-learning broadens the scope to all instances of learning using Web-mediated learning. The scope includes realizing learning organizations (Garvin, 1993), achieving knowledge management (Beccerra-Fernandez; Gonzalez & Sabherwal, 2004; Aussenhofer, 2002) and implementing organizational training.


2016 ◽  
pp. 48-73
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Valença Cavalcante Frade ◽  
Francisco Milton Mendes Neto ◽  
Rafael Castro de Souza

The advancement of technological resources has provided new possibilities in teaching and learning processes. This progress resulted in an improvement to the Distance Education (DE). However, this type of education still faces the serious problem of circumvention having as a major cause, lack of motivation among students. Thus, the use of new technological trends has been increasingly common with the purpose to provide greater attractiveness for student participation in distance learning courses. Thus, this study aims to propose a multiagent virtual environment in three dimensions to support the recommendation of learning objects in order to improve the teaching and learning processes in DE.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-119
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Cundiff ◽  
Olivia McLaughlin ◽  
Katherine Brown ◽  
Keiondra Grace

Mastery learning approaches were designed to improve student learning and elevate the level of understanding across a broader swath of students. These approaches operate under the belief that all students are capable of learning if given enough time. Little research has examined the utility or applicability of a mastery learning approach for social sciences outside of research methods courses. This study provides a review of the relevant literature on mastery learning, a discussion of the applicability of this approach to the teaching and learning of social sciences, and a review of the process and results of the conversion of more traditionally organized and taught courses to a mastery learning approach. Overall, our evaluation provides evidence that a mastery learning approach can make a significant impact on student learning.


Author(s):  
David Olugbenga Ojo ◽  
Felix Kayode Olakulehin

In the West African Region of Africa, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is the first full fledged university that operates in an exclusively open and distance learning (ODL) mode of education. NOUN focuses mainly on open and distance teaching and learning system, and delivers its courses materials via print in conjunction with information and communication technology (ICT), when applicable. This 'single mode' of open education is different from the integration of distance learning system into the face- to- face teaching and learning system, which is more typical of conventional Universities in Nigeria and other parts of the world. Thus, NOUN reflects a novel development in the provision of higher education in Nigeria. This study assesses the attitudes and perceptions of distance teaching and learning by students enrolled in the NOUN and of the National Teachers' Institute (NTI) compared to their experiences at conventional universities. One hundred and twenty (n = 120) randomly selected NOUN and NTI students of NOUN were the subjects of the study. The Students' Attitude and Perception Rating of Open and Distance Learning Institutions Inventory (SAPRODLII), developed by the researchers, was administered to the subjects to measure their attitudes and experiences. Results of the study showed that students generally have a positive perception and attitude towards ODL, compared to traditional forms of higher education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-81
Author(s):  
Janaka Selvaras

PurposeThe Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) is the only institution to deliver legal education through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Sri Lanka. This study aims to analyze technology usage in learning and teaching law in the ODL under OUSL to evaluate the accessibility and also challenges.Design/methodology/approachA combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies has been used for the study. This includes both interviews with teachers and surveying among students on the usage of technology in learning and teaching law at OUSL. Since the LL.B Degree Programme of OUSL delivered at six regional centres in Sri Lanka, this study also includes the comparative analysis of technology usage in teaching and learning at selected regional centres.FindingsThe findings indicate that the majority of students have access to technology through mobile phones and are aware of blended learning. Even though they prefer to integrate blended learning with learning law, they do not prefer learning entirely online. Social media and mobile applications are the most preferred modes of blended learning by students. It is also acknowledged that the internal staff has knowledge and access to the use of technology in teaching law while the external staff faces challenges and is in need of adequate training.Originality/valueThe original contribution of this article provides insightful guidelines not only to the OUSL of Sri Lanka but also to the institutions offering similar disciplines through ODL to understand lecturers, learners in the future integration of technology.


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