In order for distance education to fulfil an appropriate role in the third world, its underlying assumptions must be critiqued, and rather than reproduce the structures of the developed world, distance educators must seek to generate appropriate and sensitive models and practices, derived from forms of research which are reflective, participatory and emancipatory in intent and procedure and are situated in the cultural contexts of the third world.
Guy 1989: 58
The issue
Although the quotation above uses language which sounds rather dated fifteen years on, questioning the assumption that distance learning practices established in one context can translate into new ones remains valid. As is well documented, there are many approaches to providing a learner support system in open and distance education. The ways in which this support is provided will vary considerably depending on a wide range of factors. This paper reflects on the existing approaches to learner support, with a particular focus on lower income countries, and gives examples of how such support is provided in a wide range of circumstances. It does not try to identify ideal models but rather provides a range of principles on which learner support systems may be based and gives some examples of how these systems have been developed in a number of institutions.
Focus
This report focuses on one aspect of learner support in open and distance learning (ODL) namely tutoring, defined here as the support provided to assist students directly with their learning from teaching materials. We include in our definition of tutoring, support for the development of study skills as we regard this as integral to the role of the tutor and only truly effective when integrated with the specific subject being studied. We have excluded from our consideration the areas of student support relating to administration and counselling.
However as our thinking developed it became clearer that in many parts of the world, where transport, telecommunications and the numbers of qualified people available to teach at a relatively local level are seriously constrained, many students are left to rely on their text materials alone. Our thinking then has developed to encompass the importance of 'tutorial support' from within the learning materials whether these are print, web-based, or through the use of audio/video tapes and broadcasts.
We have taken as our primary focus a very real distance education (DE) situation in low income countries - a DE learner with print learning materials who may or may not also have occasional tutorial support and support from other learners - and we have asked in what ways that basic unit can be strengthened to maximum effect.
Implications and conclusions
We have outlined two main approaches - support within materials and support provided by tutors and other learners - and strategies within each which have been employed with some success to address the particular demands of supporting learners in a range of low-income contexts where quality tutorial support is thin on the ground. It has to be said, however, that all of them, particularly the support provided by tutors -- imply a loss of flexibility within the DE learning support system since they require very careful planning and strategic use of those resources at particular times or in particular locations. Nevertheless, we should be cautious about various 'western' notions of effectiveness and flexibility because whilst they might provide a very 'customer-centred' service to students they are simply not possible to organise in many contexts. Notions of 24/7 service, of being able to enrol on a programme at any time, of self rather than institutional pacing can all be seen to be student-centred but may not necessarily support the student as well as more structured and formal systems. Nor might such approaches be regarded as important or essential in certain environments. For example, the University of Namibia runs only a few programmes each year, enabling resources to be focused on these, thus generating viable groups with sufficient numbers of students.
On the other hand, we acknowledge that different sorts of flexibility may be critical in different cultures. For example in basic education work in South Africa students demand the opportunity to study with their friends and to chose the tutor they wish.
Even in the OUUK in the 1990's much thought was given to reducing the numbers of 'low population' courses or their frequency of presentation because it was very difficult to provide highly personalised tutorial support in addition to correspondence teaching. So strategies which involve less than annual presentation of courses, fixed start dates, rather than 'start when you like', establishing clear cohorts with clear deadlines for assignments (to aid progression and commitment) are more likely to succeed than some western notions of customer services offering 'all things to all people'.
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