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Effective Practice in Distance Education Palama February 2011

Effective Practice in Distance Education Palama February 2011. Jennifer Glennie. This Presentation. Why use distance education? The relationship between distance education and elearning Approaching the design and implementation of distance education programmes Guidelines for good practice

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Effective Practice in Distance Education Palama February 2011

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  1. Effective Practice in Distance EducationPalama February 2011 Jennifer Glennie

  2. This Presentation • Why use distance education? • The relationship between distance education and elearning • Approaching the design and implementation of distance education programmes • Guidelines for good practice • Quality assuring distance education programmes

  3. Distance Education in SA Comprises on average 40% of higher education enrolments over the last 10 years

  4. Distance Education • Describes a collection of methods for the provision of structured learning which together avoid the need for learners to discover the curriculum by attending classes frequently at a central venue for long periods. • It uses an appropriate combination of different learning resources as well as tutorial support (online or face to face), peer group discussion, and practical sessions.

  5. Why Use Distance Education? Of particular relevance to Palama: • Can accommodate participants who are unable frequently to attend fixed classes at a centralised venue • Can far more easily accommodate large numbers • Has the potential to be more cost-effective

  6. Continuum of Educational Provision From purely face to face (contact) tuition through to education purely at a distance

  7. Introducing the WWW In any educational setting – distance or face to face -, the World Wide Web (WWW) can be used to a lesser or greater extent

  8. Extending to e-Learning • Includes all online educational activity, but it can also include offline digital resources • E.g. an offline course may be supported digitally by the use of CDs or other resources stored on a computer

  9. Are Distance Education and eLearning the Same? • We conceptualise the two continua in relation to each other as horizontal and vertical axes. • Situating various courses or programmes on this grid illustrates the degree to which each mode of delivery involves face-to-face contact, while simultaneously exploring the type of elearning (if any) that is involved.

  10. D Fully Online E Web Dependent Web Supported A Digitally Supported B C No digital support Face to Face Mixed Mode Distance Ed

  11. Approaching the Design and Delivery of Distance Education • Students will engage in more independent study • Educators can’t rely on regular conversations with their students • The system can’t rely on the educator giving frequent instructions to the students

  12. Approaching the Design and Delivery of Distance Education • Requires the ability to anticipate what the student will do, think or say when engaged in a learning process • Requires that the many assumptions that are made are tested • Requires far more upfront planning and preparation • Requires a range of well-functioning systems – the WWW makes this provision much easier

  13. Developinga course Approach to teaching and learning Key purpose and outcomes Content and skills emphases External moderation, quality assurance, and evaluation Requirements of the job Contextual research National policies Target qualifications and accreditation Target audience: needs and profiles Learning environment Assessment strategy Teaching and learning methods Formative and summative Independent study Course materials , Group activities Feedback to students Staff or external agencies Work-based activities Recording and reporting Technologies Individual support & tutoring Internal monitoring/moderation © SAIDE 2003

  14. Models vs Guidelines of Good Practice • If distance education is a ‘collection of methods’ to …., then it makes more sense to develop guidelines of good practice • NADEOSA has done just that – adapted by the Asian Open Universities and many others • Guidelines cover the most important dimensions of distance education

  15. NADEOSA Quality Guidelines • Policy and planning • Learners • Programme development • Course design • Course materials • Assessment • Learner support • HRD • Management and administration • Collaborative arrangements • Quality assurance • Information dissemination • Results

  16. Alignment to HEQC Although differently structured, NADEOSA criteria can easily map onto HEQC programme accreditation criteria

  17. An Example: Learners Criterion There is up-to-date detailed information about past, present and potential learners. This is used to inform policy and planning in programme development, course design and materials development, learner support and other relevant aspects of educational provision

  18. Learners Examples of elements of the criterion: • The provider has developed a learner profile…. • Research into learners is a high priority and is used to inform all aspects of policy • The MIS provides for tracking of learner performance… • Tutors have access to learner information… ..

  19. Implications of Learner Profile

  20. Another Example: Course Design Criterion The course curriculum is well-researched, with aims and learning outcomes appropriate to the level of study; content, teaching and learning methods and assessment facilitate the achievement of stated aims and outcomes; there is an identified process for the development and evaluation of courses

  21. Purpose, Learning Tasks & Assessment

  22. Course Design and Development

  23. Common South African Concerns in Distance Education • Numbers of learners enrolled exceed the capacity of the staff and infrastructure to provide for learner support and appropriate assessment • There are not proper arrangements for recruitment, training, monitoring, and payment of the necessary part-time staff • Assessment is not recognised as a integral part of the t&l process and a key motivator of learning

  24. Quality Assuring Distance Education • Those policies, systems, strategies and resources used by the institution • to satisfy itself that its quality requirements are stipulated • to support and sustain existing levels of quality • to develop and enhance quality • to monitor, evaluate and act on resulting recommendations

  25. Examples of Processes to Assure Quality • Course design and materials development • Approving course design • Testing materials developmentally • Critically reviewing materials • Language and copy editing • Matching learning tasks and assignments to course purpose • Matching summative assessment to purpose

  26. Examples of Processes to Assure Quality • Learner Support • Evaluating tutor recruitment and training processes • Monitoring tutor performance • Systems to track learner performance • Auditing systems periodically

  27. In Conclusion If Palama develops excellent learning materials, it could do a service to the nation and the continent to make them available as Open education resources(OER)

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