Dates: 6 - 17 May 2002
Hosted by: Jamaican Association for Distance and Open Learning (JADOL)
Moderator: Dr. David C. Rand, Director of Continuing Education, Open and Distance Learning, University of Technology, Jamaica
Brief Overview
As part of the activities for the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning held in Durban, South Africa in July-August 2002, a series of virtual conferences hosted by the Commonwealth of Learning were held in the months preceding the conference. These virtual conferences were moderated by a number of individuals selected for their interest and expertise in their assigned area. Open to all members of the Commonwealth, the forums were designed to foster discussion and an interchange of information and ideas among participants. Each virtual conference focused on a specific topic and lasted for approximately two weeks. At the end of each virtual conference, all postings to the virtual conference were archived to the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) web site where participants could continue to access them.
Introduction
The fourth virtual conference in the series was entitled "Distance Learning in the Small and Island States in the Commonwealth and was held from 6-17 May 2002. The moderator for the virtual conference was David C. Rand, the Director of Continuing Education and Distance Learning at the University of Technology, Jamaica. To start the virtual conference, a series of initial postings from the moderator were provided. These postings provided a welcome, an introduction, and the general directions for participation in the virtual conference as well as a brief overview of the topic. In addition, three separate postings, each containing a specific thread that could be utilized to examine a particular question or issue within the overall topic were introduced. It was hoped that these three topics would provide an initial focus for the subsequent discussions, although it was noted that these were certainly not all inclusive topics, and participants were welcome to introduce their own issues, questions, and concerns. The three initial threads were:
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What are the special circumstances facing small and island states in the implementation of distance education? (Special Circumstances)
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How can distance education best serve small and island states? (Best Serve)
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What successful distance education programs and practices have been implemented, particularly among small and island states, that would be beneficial for others to consider? (Successful Practices)
Participants were invited to join in the discussion and to reply to any (or all) of these threads. In addition, participants were specifically asked to share sources of information and materials that others might find beneficial.
Results
This virtual conference had 183 subscribers and a total of 136 separate postings! It was apparent from the postings and addresses that a wide variety of individuals from all over the globe became involved in the conference. As you would suspect, the conference experienced heavy participation from members of institutions of higher education, although there were some responses from education ministries, non-governmental organizations, and the occasional private sector participant. Within these larger categories, most participants indicated previous involvement and experience with distance education, and this was certainly evident in terms of the information many were able to provide. As a special note, it was interesting that not all participants were from small and island states as there were participants from India, Canada and Australia, among others.
Special Circumstances
As you would suspect, most participants quickly identified the areas of scale, isolation and lack of resources as factors significantly affecting distance education in small and island states. This was especially noted in responses of participants from the Caribbean area. Lack of resources was further delineated as a scarcity of both investment and program delivery capital as well as a lack of trained human resources. Also noted was the lack of technological infrastructure and the minimal technology penetration faced by many of the states. Finally, a number of participants noted the small and widely dispersed population base in their nations that made economies of scale extremely difficult to achieve.
Among the other occasional references to special circumstances and problems of interest was reference by more than one participant to the problem of weaning both students (and teachers) from their heavy dependence on face-to-face education. Several participants noted the heavy cultural influence involved in this dependence and the subsequent resistance to individualized and technological learning modalities. A corollary seemed to be the difficulty of modifying the organization culture of institutions of higher learning in this regard. It should be noted that this was, by no means, seen as the special province of just small and island nation states!
Finally, although they were not cited as special circumstances, a number of circumstances common to many nations in implementing distance education were noted. Among these were the critical issue of provision of start up costs and funding, the provision of student services at a distance, and the critical need for training for course development and delivery. In this regard, more than one respondent noted the tendency for government officials and leaders of higher learning to be enamored of the "bricks and mortar" approach to higher education.
Best Serve
Participants were virtually unanimous that the most valuable role for distance education was to increase access to education and training for vast numbers of underserved populations. Additionally, there seemed to be strong agreement that distance education could be a critical methodology for building economic capacity in the form of education, career and vocational training, and a wider access to information resources. Many participants noted the lack of access to education and training of all forms and at all levels in their respective countries, and felt that distance education was one viable solution.
As you would expect given the demographics of the participants, higher education received the bulk of the responses in terms of role and purpose for distance education. While the expansion of higher education opportunities in general was often the thrust of the comments, a number of content areas centered on higher education were identified as potential areas amenable to distance education. Teacher education was probably the primary opportunity identified by participants as many of them noted the teacher shortage in their respective countries as well as the need for most teachers to receive upgrading and additional training. Within teacher education, technical and vocational education seemed to be a strong area of concern. Health related programs, (nursing programs specifically), were also mentioned by participants.
Some participants also noted the potential for both elementary and secondary levels of education to be enhanced by distance education, although the problem of infrastructure and access to technology were noted as even more significant barriers in this regard. Finally, the problem of education in rural areas came in for some discussion, but again, significant problems with access were indicated, as several participants noted that rural areas were often struggling with more basic issues such as access to electricity.
Career training was also noted as an area where distance education could best serve small and island states, many of which are trying to speed up the process of economic growth in the face of increasing globalization and competition. In this regard, it was felt that a variety of distance education approaches and modalities could be utilized, often in partnership with government, private business, and non-government organizations to provide vocational, entrepreneurial, managerial, and leadership skills.
Other areas that received brief mentions included literacy training; education for learning challenged and special needs children, gifted education, and parent education.
Finally, several participants, most notably our library colleagues, noted that many communities simply do not have any access to information resources, and that distance approaches, most notably web access, provide an enormous opportunity for the distribution and information to populations without access to more traditional sources such as libraries. Others noted that this access to information resources was also a crucial and necessary component for success in distance education.
Successful Practices
As might be expected, this area showed some overlap with the previous thread regarding how distance education might best serve small and island states. Participants in this thread contributed both descriptions of successful programs as well as suggestions for how the various forms and modalities of distance education might be utilized. Many interesting projects and programs were described along with numerous suggestions about how these programs had been delivered.
Surprisingly, (or perhaps not so surprising), given the discussions of special circumstances and barriers which were threaded throughout the discussion, web-based approaches to distance education did not dominate the discussion. Many participants noted that some of the more "traditional" methods of distance education still had great relevance for small and island states. This was, I believe, largely attributable to the problems previously noted regarding lack of technological infrastructure, technology penetration, and cost issues. In this regard, while there was some discussion of web-based education, more often, technological modalities were seen as a supplement or enhancement to more traditional distance education, often in the form of provision of materials and the development of audio-visual materials. Videotapes, audiotapes, and compact disk were all mentioned as potentially useful.
Many participants felt strongly that the old tried and true "circuit rider" model could still be very effective, and this was often coupled with the notion of off-campus centers where faculty could deliver face-to-face programs to learners at a distance. Quite often, this approach to distance education was coupled with pre-produced materials that could be provided to students in electronic formats. As noted above, both video and audio tapes were mentioned by several participants along with compact disk based materials that could then be downloaded and copied by local participants. One novel approach utilized a mobile audio van driven to different locations while a couple of more fortunate participants also spoke about their ability to deliver coursework and programs over a satellite link.
While it is not within the purview of this summary to provide complete descriptions of all the successful practices and programs noted by participants, some relevant examples should provide a flavor of the multiplicity of programs currently being delivered at a distance.
Among the programs described were the following:
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Franchised programs delivered through both community colleges and secondary schools in the areas of engineering and technology. (University of Technology, Jamaica; Fiji Institute of Technology)
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Off-campus centers utilized to deliver a variety of tertiary level education programs. (University of the West Indies)
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Multi-modal delivery featuring audio tapes (University of the South Pacific)
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A combination of web-based and face-to-face delivery to practicing pre-school teachers (Mauritius College of the Air and UNESCO)
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Prepackaged print materials for small business studies for entrepreneurs (Samoa Polytechnic, COL, UNESCO)
While these programs are by no means an exhaustive list, they certainly do illustrate the possibilities that could be considered. It is interesting to note that all of these were tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of the host country, and all were doing well.
Discussion
Rather than simply summarizing the results and providing a quantitative analysis of the discussions and posting, I have attempted to provide a more qualitative summary of the discussion. In that light, I wish to offer what I feel were common threads running through the two weeks of the virtual conference. These might be called lessons (or suggestions) offered by participants that need to be taken into account when planning for, developing, and delivering distance education. In no particular order, they are:
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Distance education must be supported by and integrated into both the formal and informal culture of the organization.
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Look for potential partners and seek collaboration whenever possible. This is particularly important in the development of materials where organizations such as COL and UNESCO might provide vital support.
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Utilize distributed education approaches, mixed modalities, and multiple delivery options based upon your own unique circumstances.
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Provide adequate training and support for course developers and instructors.
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Build a sense of community for distance learners.
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Provide a constant focus on quality programs and services
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Make sure your policies, procedures and systems are in place.
Above all, if you are interested in distance education, you need to start somewhere! As noted by Dr. Rae Davis, President of the University of Technology, Jamaica, "think big, start small, but for goodness sake, start!"
Summary Comments
This has been a marvelous experience for me. Although I have been involved in previous virtual conferences, this was my first opportunity to moderate such a conference, and I was very pleased to be asked to undertake this opportunity. I would be remiss if I did not thank a number of people. First, the folks at COL were simply wonderful in providing guidance, support, and technical assistance. They are to be commended for their sponsorship of these virtual conferences. Second, I would like to thank the Jamaica Association for Distance and Open Learning for nominating me to be the moderator. A special thanks to my colleague Mr. Wesley Barrett, Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education and current JADOL President for his gracious support. Finally, to my supervisor, Mr. George Roper, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Technology, Jamaica, for encouraging me to get involved, providing time for my involvement, and sponsoring my attendance at the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning.
This virtual conference itself is a shining example of how distance education can be used to link small and island states. It has provided an opportunity for colleagues around the world to share ideas, draw upon the expertise of others, and allow for the incubation of ideas. It has helped to reduce our sense of isolation and let us know that we are not out there all alone. We were able to ask for assistance, request and share materials, and build our network of colleagues. Often, we were able to communicate directly on a one-to one basis as a result of our participation in the virtual conference, and I believe that additional collaborations will arise as a result of these conversations.
Last, but certainly not least, we all learned from each other without ever having to leave our offices, make an appointment to talk, or travel a long distance. Distance education at its best!
--David Rand
