Erica Webster
22 April 2003
Johannesburg — DISTANCE learning has come a long way since the days of purely paper-based correspondence programmes.
The University of SA (Unisa) pioneered distance education in SA in 1946 and was the first institution in the world to teach exclusively by this method.
Anton Ferreira, executive director of Unisa's Graduate School of Business Leadership, says the early days of distance education meant receiving everything on paper.
"Efficient delivery and dispatch systems were in place to get study materials to students. In addition, students could contact library services to access resources they needed."
But all that has changed. Technological advances have paved the way for learning that is more accessible, more manageable and less time-consuming, he says.
"Although paper-based study materials are still needed, especially in emerging or developing economies, everything can be provided online. But that doesn't take away the need for good instructional design; that's where many distance education providers are falling short.
"No matter how easy it is to access a programme, if it is not well designed to leverage the potential of new information and communication technology, it is unlikely to add value."
Ferreira says distance learning is gaining in popularity, with as many as 80% of public institutions in the US making it available to students.
Many institutions are realising that learning by distance alone is largely ineffectual and that a component of face-to-face or contact learning increases the chances of success.
This has given rise to the concept of blended learning, which combines distance learning whether it be by correspondence, e-learning or other forms of technology-based learning with contact learning.
Eric Stillerman, principal of the London School of Business SA, says while some educational institutions swear by computerbased interaction, it does not substitute for personal contact.
The contact component is often in the form of block-release programmes, where students study by distance and then attend blocks of workshops or lectures that vary in duration from one institution to another.
Stillerman says depending on how the institution operates, the modular structuring of courses allows distance-learning students greater flexibility.
"Usually it is not feasible to teach students one-on-one. Independent modules enable students to attend lectures for a particular module and then proceed with the rest of the course on a distance-learning basis."
Distance learning has long been considered the best way to bring tertiary education to the masses, but it has a poor track record when it comes to completion rates.
He says this may be because students doing full-scale degrees cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"To the credit of colleges that offer lower-level distance learning qualifications, people are able to do bite-sized programmes," says Stillerman.
"These programmes often provide students with one wellstructured booklet and a tape or a video, and they can complete the course in three to six months."
But for the student who is in it for the long haul, it requires high levels of motivation and discipline and can be a lonely path to travel, therefore support and communication structures are vital, says Stillerman.
"When people talk about distance learning they get the impression that everything is remote, and that's the alienating part of it. Pure distance learning is particularly difficult because, essentially, the student is interacting with himself."
Ferreira says a way of providing student support is to establish support centres and to have a network of tutors willing to assist students in the areas in which they are based.
"There are four aspects to a good learning programme: the individual's input, face-to-face interaction, learning from others and applying what you learn in the workplace," says Ferreira.
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