scholarly journals Using Future Research Methods in Analysing Policies Relating to Open Distance Education in Africa

Open Praxis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpine Elizabeth Makoe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Past ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Participation In Higher Education

Many African countries have developed policies to reform their education system in order to widen participation in higher education. To achieve this, open, online and distance education based models have been advocated as the most viable delivery tools in expanding access to higher education. However, the policy analysis of Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia revealed that the integration of open, online and distance education in these countries’ education systems is inadequate. The purpose of this study is to analyse policies in order to determine why policy goals are not achieved and how the present reality and the past knowledge impacts on the desired outcome. The future research methods of forecasting is used because it looks at policy interventions with the aim of assisting us to understand probable development in education that may have led to the weak implementation of the policies.

scholarly journals Access To Higher Education For National Development In Nigeria: Distance Education To The Rescue

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-294
Author(s):  
Tewo V. Bakare
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Adult Education ◽  
National Development ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Formal Approach ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
The Right

The paper examined the place of Distance Education (DE) as a method of Adult Education in Nigeria and its contribution to national development. The paper discussed DE practice and challenges in some African countries and related this to the Nigerian situation. The paper further noted the challenge of the national admission body for regular tertiary institutions with reconciling the ratio of applicants to those admitted. Incidentally, DE, which is originally a form of Adult Education, is fast becoming a replacement for regular higher education. The implication of this on Adult Education practice in Nigeria is that the changes in the demographics of participants in DE, along with other challenges, affect the essence of Adult Education provision, access and its conduct. The paper analyzed the concept of DE and noted that distance education is currently used to replace, instead of support mainstream education in Nigeria by eroding the more desirable non-formal approach. The paper agrees that DE can be used as a tool, per excellence, for human and national development, if practiced in its proper context, and attracts the desired target candidates. Several suggestions were proffered for better conduct of DE, including the use of awareness campaigns to attract the right candidates into DE programs as well as better provision of access to regular education for the youth to stem their influx into DE. The discourse has great implications for lifelong learning, access, national development and adult education practice in Nigeria and globally.

scholarly journals Higher education provision and access for early years educators: Localised challenges arising from national policy in England

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Hoskins ◽  
Sue Smedley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The Past ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Funded Project ◽  
Recent Policy ◽  
And Training

Much has been written about the sustained attempts by successive governments to professionalise the early years sector over the past 20 years in England. A feature of these policy interventions has been to focus on creating a graduate workforce to improve academic outcomes for young children. In this article, the authors draw on data from their recent Froebel Trust-funded project, which involved interviews with 33 early years practitioners, to first explore the challenges facing state-maintained early years settings in contrasting geographical contexts in England, including rural, suburban and urban, as they work towards achieving compliance with the recent policy aim of one graduate in each of their settings. Second, the authors use policy enactment theory to inform their analysis of senior staff members’ perceptions of tensions and opportunities created by having a graduate workforce in state-maintained early years settings. Third, the authors tentatively explore how to reconceptualise staff education and training with existing, experienced early years staff that would re-emphasise Froebel-informed approaches to enable practitioners to theorise their practice in a move towards what the authors have termed in this article as ‘developmental professionalism’. The data shows that there is uneven access to higher education in contrasting geographical contexts for those professionals seeking to gain graduate status, and the authors examine the implications of this for early years practitioners and managers attempting to access graduate qualifications.

scholarly journals Private Participation in Higher Education in Sub- Saharan Africa: Ghana’s Experience

2016 ◽  
pp. 20-22
Author(s):  
Henry Fram Akplu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Push Factors ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
The Past ◽  
Private Participation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Participation In Higher Education ◽  
Country Specific

Private participation in higher education has contributed to the transformation and internationalization of higher education in Sub-Saharan African countries over the past two decades.  The country-specific (Ghana) experience described in this article illustrates the push factors, policy responses, transformations, and ways in which deregulation has contributed to internalization of higher education. 

scholarly journals Using the Lens of ‘Possible Selves’ to Explore Access to Higher Education: A New Conceptual Model for Practice, Policy, and Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Possible Selves ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Sociocultural Context ◽  
General Readership ◽  
Participation In Higher Education

The concept of ‘aspiration-raising’ has been ubiquitous in the discussion of differential rates of participation in higher education in England for many years. Potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds are constructed as setting their sights too low and therefore not considering higher education or ignoring elite universities that they could access. However, it is increasingly understood that aspiration-raising is unable to explain patterns of participation and that it risks ‘blaming the victim’ by failing to appreciate the structural constraints forged through their sociocultural context. The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative lens in the form of ‘possible selves’. This is drawn from the discipline of psychology and aims to explain how we all conceive and develop visions of ourselves in future states. These images create a motivational impetus for actions in the present in order to achieve a like-to-be self—or evade a like-to-avoid self. Notably, the theory takes specific account of the individual’s expectations and the importance of having a clear pathway towards a long-term destination. This paper provides an overview of the foundational theory and empirical evidence for a general readership, before presenting a new conceptual model focused on access to higher education. This is then used to explore the principles that might underpin interventions to support participation from disadvantaged groups within highly stratified systems, as well as suggesting a new policy agenda and priorities for future research.

scholarly journals Gender Barriers in Higher Education: The Case of Taiwan

2001 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Ru-jer Wang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Gender Barriers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Advanced Study ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
Institutional Difference ◽  
Participation In Higher Education ◽  
Expansion Of Higher Education

As a consequence of the rapid expansion of higher education in Taiwan over the past decades, the enrolment of females in higher education has grown considerably. However, this article reports that in terms of institutional difference, access to advanced study, and differing subject preferences, the barriers to women's participation in higher education remain. Thus, the findings drawn from this article lead to the conclusion that females still suffer disadvantages in access to higher education, although the expansion of higher education in Taiwan has substantially benefited females over the past few decades.

scholarly journals The Physical Learning Environment of Online Distance Learners in Higher Education – A Conceptual Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheuk Fan Ng
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
Online Distance

Online distance learning is offered not only in post-secondary distance education institutions but in traditional universities as well. With advances in mobile and wireless technologies, completing academic studies anywhere anytime should become feasible. Research in distance education and online learning has focused on computer-mediated communication, instructional design, learner characteristics, educational technology, and learning outcomes. However, little attention has been given to where exactly learners do their learning and studying and how the physical and social aspects of the physical environment within which the online learner is physically embedded (e.g., the home) supports and constrains learning activities. In this paper, the author proposes a conceptual model for understanding the role that the physical environment plays in online distance learning in higher education, drawing on theories and research in environmental psychology, online learning, telework and mobile work, and higher education. Several gaps in research are identified, and suggestions for future research are proposed.

Drop-Outs at the Open University

1980 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond J. Keegan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Open University ◽  
The Past ◽  
Drop Outs

The year 1979 marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Open University. During this period it has come to be recognized as one of the major innovations in higher education in recent years. The Open University set out to attempt to solve the problem of drop-outs which had been a source of criticism for other distance education institutions in the past. To a large extent it has been successful in reducing drop-outs to an acceptable minimum. The importance of its success for other institutions which teach at a distance, both in Australia and overseas, is discussed. Caution is expressed about the lack of unanimity in terminology in studies of “drop-outs” and the danger of using “drop-outs” in comparing one institution with another.

Higher Education Graduate Outcomes and Destinations

Education ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edith Braun ◽  
Julia-Carolin Osada ◽  
Kristina Walz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
International Comparisons ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Research Initiatives ◽  
The Relationship

Research in higher education graduate outcomes is a somewhat up-and-coming area of scientific interest. Since the new millennium, research has focused on examining the relationship between higher education, society, and the world, and on higher education as a response to demographic change and the demands of the knowledge society. During the last years, some scientists have concentrated on making international comparisons. Because there are not many international surveys, however, most employ the same data set. Research conducted with direct measurements of outcomes that go beyond self-reports based on questionnaires is rare. This article begins with an overview of international research initiatives. It then categorizes research as outcomes of higher education. There is a lot of conceptual research on frameworks of assessing learning outcomes, and outcomes are understood as learnable skills. Furthermore, outcomes of higher education can also be individual and societal returns. Next, this article presents results of research on higher education graduates’ destinations in terms of transitions and demands. Publications on transitions include the process of transitions as well as travel or study abroad that takes place during higher education. Investigations on professional demands include research on graduates ability to meet the requirements of the labor market as well as on graduates’ employability. All publications have in common the understanding of outcomes as benefits acquired through higher education. There is an impressive amount of evidence from different countries and regions that suggests that higher education has a positive impact on individual, societal, and economic outcomes. Because of its obvious advantages, more people than ever want access to higher education. We identified research mainly from Europe and North America. However, research on higher education has clearly made major headway worldwide; and publications, especially from less visible countries, are expected to contribute to future research on outcomes and destinations of higher education.

scholarly journals Arab Open and Virtual Universities

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Porcaro
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
The Past ◽  
Virtual Universities ◽  
At Home

The landscape of online and virtual universities has been expanding in the Arab world in the past decade. Enrollments are rising steadily, allowing access to higher education for students at home and overseas. As growth continues, more centralization, institution-created content, and quality assurance may be required.

scholarly journals When Developing Countries Meet Transnational Universities: Searching for Complementarity and Dealing With Dual Embeddedness

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Guimón ◽  
Rajneesh Narula
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Branch Campuses ◽  
International Branch Campuses ◽  
The Past ◽  
Foreign Universities

During the past two decades, a growing number of universities, mainly from developed countries, have established branch campuses in developing countries. From the developing country perspective, attracting foreign universities can help mitigate financial constraints and capacity shortages that impair the state’s ability to provide greater access to higher education, while also improving teaching and research in general. However, foreign universities may also be detrimental if they crowd out their domestic counterparts. We explore different scenarios and policy options for developing countries aiming to attract foreign universities, building upon a review of four case studies from Chile, China, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia. Our analysis illustrates how host countries can provide incentives to align incoming foreign universities to complement and strengthen the areas of weakness in their higher education systems. We also reflect on how policy-makers can deal with the challenges associated with the dual embeddedness of international branch campuses.

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