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
 Quality assuring distance education programmes
Distance Education in SA
Comprises on average 40% of higher education enrolments
over the last 10 years
Actual/Planned Enrolments
1000000
900000
800000
700000
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
CONTACT ENROLMENT
DISTANCE ENROLMENT
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
TOTAL
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.
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
Continuum of Educational Provision
From purely face to face (contact) tuition
through to education purely at a distance
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
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
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.
D
Fully Online
E
Web Dependent
Web Supported
B
Digitally Supported
A
C
No digital support
Face to Face
Mixed Mode
Distance Ed
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
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
Developing a course
Requirements of
the job
National
policies
Target qualifications
and accreditation
Contextual
research
Target audience: needs and profiles
Learning environment
Approach to teaching
and learning
Key purpose and
outcomes
Content and skills
emphases
Teaching and learning
methods
Independent study
Course materials
Assessment strategy
Formative and
summative
Feedback to
students
Recording and
reporting
,
Staff or external agencies
Technologies
Internal monitoring/moderation
External moderation,
© SAIDE 2003
Group activities
Work-based activities
Individual support &
tutoring
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
NADEOSA Quality Guidelines
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Policy and planning
Learners
Programme development
Course design
Course materials
Assessment
Learner support
HRD
Management and administration
Collaborative arrangements
Quality assurance
Information dissemination
Results
Alignment to HEQC
Although differently structured, NADEOSA criteria can
easily map onto HEQC programme accreditation criteria
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
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…
..
Implications of Learner Profile
Profile
Implications
Computer access and literacy
Likely that most students will have
online computers on their desks. They
will have first level skills in Word but
not skills in Excel
Have to teach concepts – need learning
guides, not simply textbooks.
Textbooks present concepts, but
learning guides should teach them.
1. Course design for distance
education should provide support
in management of own learning
Conceptual and theoretical grasp of
this area not strong
Difficulties with managing own
learning in a second language
2. Language and learning support
should be built into the materials.
3. Academic literacy issues to be
tackled in first DE year
xxxxxx
xxxxxxx
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
Purpose, Learning Tasks & Assessment
Programme
Exit level
outcomes
Module
learning
outcomes
Including
Foundational
Practical
&
Reflexive
Competences
How do I
know they
can do this?
Module
assessment
criteria
Module key
learning tasks
Module key
assessment
tasks
How do I
know they
can do this?
How do I
know they
can do this?
How do I
know they
can do this?
Course Design and Development
Course
materials
Assessment
Learning support
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 parttime staff
 Assessment is not recognised as a integral part of the t&l
process and a key motivator of learning
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
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
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
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)