EDEA
New Honorary Fellows of COL receive their awards in Durban. COL's President, Gajaraj Dhanarajan, and Chairman, H. Ian Macdonald, made the presentations
The Commonwealth of Learning recognised excellence in distance education at an awards ceremony held in Durban in conjunction with the second Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (1 August 2002). COL named new Honorary Fellows of the Commonwealth of Learning and also acknowledged excellence in materials development, institutional achievement and learning experience (conferred on a student who studied through distance education). Further information and full citations are available on COL's web site. www.col.org/edea
Fifteen Commonwealth citizens were recognised for their lifetime contributions to the development of distance education and open learning.
Five British nationals were named Honorary Fellows of the Commonwealth of Learning:
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A renowned historian and BBC personality, Lord (Asa) Briggs worked to transform and widen access to education, "drawing new maps of learning." He was Provost of Worcester College (Oxford), Chancellor of the Open University and the first Chairman of COL.
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Sir John Daniel is now Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO and, most recently, was Vice-Chancellor of the Open University. He was knighted in 1994 for his services to higher education. His book, Mega-Universities and Knowledge Media: Technology Strategies for Higher Education, published in 1996, established his reputation as a leading thinker about the role of technology in academic communities.
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Dr. Ros Morpeth is Executive Director of the National Extension College, an educational trust established in 1963 to pioneer distance learning for adults.
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Dr. Hilary Perraton has studied and critiqued distance education for decades. He served the Commonwealth during the 1980s and early 1990s through his role at the Commonwealth Secretariat and was the founding Director of the International Research Foundation for Open Learning, based in Cambridge.
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Lord (Walter) Perry is well known for his role in the ground-breaking development of the Open University as its Vice-Chancellor for its first ten years.
Ten more from other Commonwealth countries were also conferred Honorary Fellowships:
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As President, Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada, Dr. Dominique A.M.X. Abrioux took a once fractious university and transformed it into one of Canada's leading open universities with a solid international reputation.
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Professor Clifford D. Blake recently retired as founding Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt University, Australia - having created the largest distance education provider in Australia. He was also a long-time member of the COL's Board of Governors.
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Ms. Shona E. Butterfield has been Chief Executive of The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand since 1989 when it was a correspondence trade school, being run as part of the Department of Education. Under her leadership, The Open Polytechnic has become one of the country's largest tertiary institutions with over 30,000 students all studying technical/vocational subjects through distance education.
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Dr. Glen M. Farrell, was founding President of British Columbia's Open Learning Agency (Canada) and shaped the development of the Agency's multi-faceted service for ten years. After he retired in 1998, his knowledge of distance education has been drawn upon, not only by COL, but also by a number of Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth institutions, governmental and international agencies.
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From her early days as a student leader working for the SACHED Trust, her work with national and provincial departments of education and her current position as Director of the South African Institute for Distance Education, Ms. Jennifer A. Glennie has always had a determination to assist the people of South Africa. She not only played an extensive role in the anti-apartheid struggles of South Africa but also a vital role in its reconstruction and development after the 1994 democratic elections.
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Dr. Dennis H. Irvine was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana for 13 years and then UNESCO's Science Adviser to the Caribbean and Education Consultant to the Jamaican Government during the 1980's, prior to joining COL as a senior member of staff. He then served as COL's Regional Adviser in the Caribbean, based in his home country of Jamaica. Dedicated to the advancement of open and distance education, especially in higher education, he has played significant roles in both the Caribbean and in COL's development.
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As the Minister of Education, Civil Aviation and Works of the Royal Kingdom of Tonga for 30 years, and Deputy Prime Minister for much of that time, Dr. S. Langi Kavaliku not only shaped the educational services of his country, but also helped influence the educational policies of the 11 other Commonwealth nations in the region. Through his involvement with UNESCO, Commonwealth and other international fora, he brought the world's attention to the South Pacific and tirelessly appealed for the preservation of its values.
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Professor Geoffrey R.V. Mmari is the founding Vice-Chancellor, Open University of Tanzania and a former COL Regional Adviser. He has spent his professional life making significant contributions to the educational sector in Tanzania and in improving access to education in eastern Africa, especially through open and distance learning.
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Professor Ram G. Takwale has demonstrated how distance education with its focus on people can change poor, backward, marginalised and forgotten communities into productive, resourceful, healthy and vibrant societies. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University, India, and was founding Vice-Chancellor of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University and a COL Regional Adviser.
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Long before distance education became fashionable in West Africa, Alhaji Hafiz S. Wali was engaged as the founding Director of the National Teachers' Institute (NTI) in Kaduna, Nigeria, in establishing and developing a distance education programme on teacher training. Under his leadership, the NTI developed a distinct character and, to this day, it is the only dedicated single-mode teacher training institute delivering in-service teacher training at the first level to Nigerians. He was also a founding member of COL's Board of Governors and a senior staff member in COL's early years.
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Receiving awards of excellence for institutional achievement |
Awards of excellence for institutional achievement were received by:
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Athabasca University, Canada - accepted by Dr. Dominique A.M.X. Abrioux, President
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BBC World Service, United Kingdom - accepted by Mr. Andrew Thompson, Head of Americas Region (formerly Commissioning Editor, Education)
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Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, India - accepted by Dr. B.P. Sabale, Vice-Chancellor
These awards recognise significant institutional achievements in the innovative and effective application of appropriate learning technologies to reach students who might otherwise not have participated in the learning or training experience.
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Veronica McKay (left) and Robert McLaughlan with awards of excellence for distance education materials, presented by COL Board member, the Honourable Fiamé Naomi Mata'afa (centre), Minister for Education, Samoa. |
Awards of excellence for distance education materials were won by:
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ABET Practitioner Training Programme (Certificate and Diploma), a training programme for adult basic education tutors developed by the Institute for Adult Basic Education and Training, University of South Africa - accepted by Ms. Veronica McKay.
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The Mekong e-Sim Programme, an Internet-mediated role-play simulation jointly developed by the University of Technology, Sydney; the University of Adelaide; the University of Sydney and the University of New England, Australia - accepted by Dr. Robert McLaughlan, National Centre for Groundwater Management, University of Technology, Sydney.
Fitness for need and purpose, educational design, coherence and integration of media in the study materials and evidence of impacts and benefits derived from evaluation are criteria for this award.
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COL learning experience award presented to Frances Mensah by COL Board member, His Excellency Professor Michael Omolewa, Nigeria's Ambassador/Permanent Delegate to UNESCO |
The EDEA learning experience award was presented to Ms. Frances J. Mensah, who earned a B.Ed. through distance education while also employed as Director of the Namibian College of Open Learning, Namibia. This award category was developed to provide a forum for the expression of student experience in learning through distance education.