Promoting ODL through eLearning: a reflection on the
role of eLearning policies and strategies
Bopelo Boitshwarelo,
Centre for Continuing Education,University of Botswana
Introduction
Background
E-Learning plays a critical role in supporting Higher educational institutions(HEIs) to
provide access to high quality and relevant academic programmes .
In particular e-Learning can promote Open and DistanceLearning(ODL) in these
institutions by:
• increasing access,
• enhancing flexibility,
• improving quality of learning materials/environments.
Open and distance learning reflects both the fact that
• teacher and learner are removed in time and space from each other,
• learning situation includes greater dimensions of openness and flexibility in
terms of:
 of access, curriculum or other elements of structure
The use of ICTs enhances the achievement of ODL goals more effectively.
•
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
Introduction cont’d
What are the trends?
The past decade has seen a rapid growth of eLearning in universities in Africa e.g.
– acquiring infrastructure,
– hardware,
– software and,
– in some instances coming up with units that coordinate eLearning activities.
An emerging trend has been for universities to develop either policies or strategies for
eLearning.
• They play a major role in ensuring the effectiveness of eLearning in HEIs.
• When eLearning is effectively deployed then it can lead to the growth of ODL.
Goal of the presentation
This paper therefore reflects on the role of eLearning polices and/or strategies with a
particular focus on ODL. Specifically it looks at some strategies and analyses how
they articulate their commitment to ODL.
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
Context and methods
• I am involved in an eLearning Strategy Development
Taskforce at UB
• One role(TOR) involved benchmarking against
eLearning policies/strategies of other institutions
regionally and globally.
• Aim of this paper is to extract statements that commit
eLearning to ODL and make an analysis of key terms
used.
• 9 Universities from some commonwealth countries.
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
Exploring ODL statements from
eLearning policies/strategies: Table 1
Institution
Statement(s) from Policies/Strategies
University A, UK Ensuring eLearning is accessible to all students
whatever their circumstances
Faciliatating flexible and distributed learning
University B, UK Flexible and independent experiences covering both
blended and fully eLearning courses
University
C, The unique needs of University online programs serving
Canada
students at a distance require centrally provided elearning support services that are flexible and robust.
Sufficient resources must be provided to meet these
needs. The University should state that is committed to
ensuring the ongoing success of online learning
programs.
University
D, Foster the Creation of personal digital spaces
New Zealand
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
Nature
of
the
statements
Access and flexible
learning
Distributed learning
Flexibility,
independence
Distance, flexible and
robust support services
Flexibility/independence
(inferred)
Exploring ODL statements from eLearning
policies/strategies: Table 1 cont’d
Institution Statement(s) from Policies/Strategies
University E, No statement that has clear reference to ODL
South Africa
Nature of the statements
This University has decidely
not engaged in ODL therefore
there is very little if any ODL
activity
University
F, Providing all students including part-time and distance education students , Part-time/Distance education,
South Africa
convenient access to the educational resources of the university.
convenient access
Provide conveneient access to educational programmes
University G, Acknowledges that the changing terrain requires increased flexibility of course
South Africa
provision, and that ICTs can be used to support this flexibility. (That is, they) they
can play an important role in increasingly flexible or distributed delivery , opening
access and reaching non-traditional learners in diverse ways.
University
Uganda
Increased
flexibility,
distributed delivery. Opening
access,
non-traditional
learners
I, To provide greater access to university education, by developing capacity for Greater
access,
nonincreased enrolment through non-conventional approaches in teaching and conventional approaches
learning i.e. Distance education and virtual university.
University E, No statement that has clear reference to ODL
South Africa
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
This University has decidely
not engaged in ODL therefore
there is very little if any ODL
activity
Synthesis of the statements
Collectively the strategies essentially commit to
ODL through:
1. Promoting greater/open/convenient/flexible
access to
• Educational programmes
• Educational resources
• Learner support services
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
Synthesis of the statements cont’d
2. Providing flexibility in terms of
–
–
–
–
Access( place and time)
Teaching and learning approaches
Delivery modes
Meeting learning needs emanating from differenr
circumstances.
– Independent/personalised learning
3. Recognising
–
–
–
–
Part-time learners
Learners at a distance
Non-conventional/traditional learners
Distributed learners
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
Implications for UB
• At UB there is no formal document guiding
eLearning
• This has meant that although the university is
reasonably resourced, ODL activities have not
benefited much from the available eLearning
resources.
• Clearly, an arbitrary approach to eLearning has not
yielded noticeable results for ODL at UB.
• Perhaps the imminent strategy will go a long way in
addressing this deficiency
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
Conclusion
Elearning is one way of realising the potential of ODL
If this potential is to be fully realised, universities need to move from arbitrary
ways of doing eLearning to developing eLearning policies/strategies which
spell out how they wish to make optimal use of ICTs for teaching and
learning proceses particularly ODL.
The role of ODL practitioners is therefore to ensure as much as possible that
such discrete policies/strategies categorically state how ODL will
benefit(Inglis, 2007)
Furthermore, a greater role should be played at the point of use where
practitioners need to identify and exploit the full strategic potential of ICTs
for ODL in their institutions (Gunn et al, 2009).
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11
References
Curran, C. (2004). Strategies for e-learning in universities. National Distance
Education Centre and Dublin City University, Retrieved 8 August, 2011 from http://repositories.cdlib.org/cshe/CSHE-7-04/
.
Gunn, C., Csete, J. & Barnett, J. (2009). Aiming for the right place: eLearning
strategy past, present and future. In Same places, different spaces. Proceedings ascilite Auckland
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/auckland09/procs/gunn-symposium.pdf
2009.
Inglis, A. (2007). Approaches taken by Australian universities to documenting
institutional elearning strategies. In ICT: Providing choices for learners and learning. Proceedings ascilite Singapore 2007.
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/inglis.pdf
Mackintosh, W. (2005). Can You Lead From Behind? Critical Reflections on the Rhetoric of E-LEARNING, Open Distance
Learning and, ICTs for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In A. A. Carr-Chellman (Ed.), Global Perspectives on ELEARNING: Rhetoric and Reality (pp. 222-240). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.
Melton, R. F. (2002). Planning and Developing Open and Distance Learning:
A quality Assurance Approach. London: Routledge Falmer.
Rosenberg M. 2002. E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the
Digital Age New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
UNESCO (2002). Open and Distance Learning: Trends, policy, and strategy
considerations. Paris: UNESCO.
Nadeosa Conference
Presentation,30 /08/11