Making the invisible, visible: disability in South African distance education [Scholarly Article - Distance Education, November 2022]

Title:

Making the invisible, visible: disability in South African  distance education

 

Authors:

Paul Prinsloo & Chinaza Uleanya

 

Published:

Distance Education, Volume 43, Issue 4, 14 November 2022

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01587919.2022.2144139 

Abstract:

Distance education celebrates its humanitarian mission of providing opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals who do not have access to traditional campus-based higher education. Large enrolments of students necessitate an industrialized approach in planning, design, and delivery informed by a normative assumption of ableism. In the context of post-apartheid South Africa, distance education fulfills a particular important role in ensuring access to education for all. This scoping review addressed two questions: “What is currently known, in the context of distance education in South Africa, about the educational experiences of SWDs?” and “How should we understand and respond to these experiences?” The scoping study shows, inter alia, that while there is an institutional commitment to providing equitable learning experiences, the lived experiences of students with disabilities provide evidence of their invisibility in the design, planning, and delivery of learning. The study concludes with some recommendations and provocations.

 

The Little Campus That Could: Survey Results Inform Postsecondary Education in an Island Community [Scholarly Article - Planning for Higher Education Journal, 2022]

Title:

The Little Campus That Could: Survey Results Inform Postsecondary Education in an Island Community

 

Author:

Valerie A. Barko, PhD

 

Published:

Planning for Higher Education Journal, Volume 50, Number 4, July - September 2022

https://www.scup.org/resource/the-little-campus-that-could/

Abstract:

In 2018, the Institutional Effectiveness Office at Kaua‘i Community College developed and administered community and workforce surveys to better understand current and future educational needs of residents and employers on Kaua‘i. These single island surveys highlighted the need for a comprehensive neighbor island survey to collectively advocate for additional online post-associate degree programs that best align with and support these geographically isolated communities. This project demonstrates how surveys can be used to inform decisions and integrated planning across multiple scales within a university system, especially in regards to distance education.

 

The Post-Pandemic Effects of Distance Education on Business Students: A Review of Expert Reports [Scholarly Article - World Journal of Education, 2022]

Title:

The Post-Pandemic Effects of Distance Education on Business Students: A Review of Expert Reports 

 

Authors:

Hooman Estelami & Alexa Bezzone

 

Published:

World Journal of Education, Volume 12, Number 1 (2022)

https://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/wje/article/view/21522

 

Abstract:

The period following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic presented monumental challenges to education systems around the world. In the United States, the unique effects experienced by business students due to the rapid adoption of distance teaching methods resulted in significant changes in the students' learning environments. Using expert reports published in the media, this article systematically reviews the pattern of student experience cited by experts, and identifies six disruptive effects. Furthermore, the disruptive nature of the changes is contrasted with earlier historical contexts in which distance business education had been deployed to overcome societal challenges. The article concludes with a discussion of expected changes resulting from the massive deployment of distance education methods among business schools in the post-pandemic era.

University of Ghana - School of Continuing and Distance Education Organises Workshop to Revamp the Distance Education Programme

Title:

School of Continuing and Distance Education Organises Workshop to Revamp the Distance Education Programme

 

Published:

University of Ghana, 11 February 2022

https://www.ug.edu.gh/news/school-continuing-and-distance-education-organises-workshop-revamp-distance-education-programme

 

From the article:

The Acting Provost of the College of Education, Prof. Martin Oteng-Ababio, has called on the University to weave different undergraduate and postgraduate courses run by various departments into the Distance Education Programme to suit the diverse needs of people who desire to engage in higher education. Prof. Oteng-Ababio was speaking at a two-day workshop organised by the School of Continuing and Distance Education (SCDE), under the College of Education, to develop initiatives towards the revamping of the Distance Education Programme. The workshop was an avenue for College Management, Co-ordinators and faculty from participating departments to dialogue and resolve gaps in the delivery of the Distance Education programme.

 

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi education portal among global top 4, says UNESCO official [Arab News, June 2021]

Title:

Saudi education portal among global top 4, says UNESCO official

 

Published:

Arab News, 23 June 2021

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1881511/saudi-arabia

From the article:

UNESCO’s assistant director general for education on Tuesday lauded Saudi Arabia for promptly switching over to online learning methods in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. 

 

During a meeting with Saudi Education Minister Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh on the sidelines of the G20 education ministers’ meeting in Catania in Italy, Stefania Giannini said the Kingdom has achieved great success in e-learning and distance education during the pandemic.

Governance challenges in distance education: a case study at the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) the Namibia University Science and Technology (NUST) [Stellenbosch University - Thesis, 2020]

Title:

Governance challenges in distance education: a case study at the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) the Namibia University Science and Technology (NUST)

Author:

Muundjua, Jackelins

Published:

Stellenbosch University, December 2020

[Thesis (MPA) in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, School of Public Leadership]

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/109377

 

English Summary: 

Distance education increasingly acquires popularity as a platform for education delivery as it conduits the education divergence globally. The nature of the learning process poses challenges, unique and different from traditional on-campus learning. The researcher acknowledges the various challenges encountered by distance higher education (HE) centres. More of these challenges emanate from governance-related concerns. As such, the study attempted to investigate governance challenges in distance HE in Namibia, with the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) of the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) as the case study. The study adopted the exploratory research design to explore governance challenges at the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning. Questionnaires and interviews were employed to collect quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The respondents comprised distance education students, student support staff, regional coordinators, and NUST management. Purposive sampling was employed to select the sample to ensure that only knowledgeable individuals were targeted for data collection. The research findings revealed a myriad of challenges encountered by COLL distance students, student support staff, and NUST management. Most identified shortcomings were related to human resources-, infrastructural-, and administrative challenges. Despite the identified challenges at COLL, systems, policies, and strategies remain, aimed at improving quality education delivery to distance students. The study suggests norms and interventions to establish a normative framework and accompanying strategies to address the challenges encountered by COLL.

Coronavirus – Morocco: USAID Distance Education Activities prepare Morocco’s Ministry of Education for Virtual Learning During Coronavirus Disruptions

Title:
Coronavirus – Morocco: USAID Distance Education Activities prepare Morocco’s Ministry of Education for Virtual Learning During Coronavirus Disruptions

By:
Africa Press Office

Published:
CNBCAfrica, 6 April 2020

From the article:
"Coronavirus is shutting down schools and affecting learning opportunities for over 1.5 billion children and youth around the globe. The global pandemic has stunned education systems worldwide: How do we ensure the continuity of our children’s academic education? Is virtual learning the solution?  

In Morocco, a Ministry of Education cadre of experts that benefited from previous USAID-funded distance learning activities responded, “Yes!” While Morocco’s school buildings are closed, one million students have already accessed the Ministry’s online learning platform and lessons broadcast nationally on TV, opening the door to continued learning for millions more of Moroccan youth."

To read this article:
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/africa-press-office/2020/04/06/coronavirus-morocco-usaid-distance-education-activities-prepare-moroccos-ministry-of-education-for-virtual-learning-during-coronavirus-disruptions/

Brookings, 21 April 2020 - Mexico’s COVID-19 distance education program compels a re-think of the country’s future of education

Title:
Mexico’s COVID-19 distance education program compels a re-think of the country’s future of education

Author:
María Cristina Osorio Vázquez

Published:
Brookings, 21 April 2020

From the article:
"Saturday, March 14, 2020 was a historic day for education in Mexico. Through an official statement, the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) informed students and their families that schools would close to reinforce the existing measures of social distancing in response to COVID-19 and in accordance with World Health Organization recommendations."

To read this article:
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/04/21/mexicos-covid-19-distance-education-program-compels-a-re-think-of-the-countrys-future-of-education/

Scholarly Article (2002) - Ethics and Distance Education: Strategies for Minimizing Academic Dishonesty in Online Assessment

Title:
Ethics and Distance Education: Strategies for Minimizing Academic Dishonesty in Online Assessment

Author:
Melissa R. Olt

Abstract:
"Discusses ethics and student assessment in distance education, focusing on strategies for minimizing academic dishonesty in online student assessment. Topics include acknowledging the disadvantages of online assessment and overcoming them; designing an effective, cheat-proof online assessment; keeping online courses current; and providing students with an academic dishonesty policy."

Citation:
Olt, M.R. (2002). Ethics and Distance Education: Strategies for Minimizing Academic Dishonesty in Online Assessment. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 5(3). Retrieved March 31, 2020 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/94889/

Scholarly Article (2020) - LMS-enabled blended learning utilization in distance tertiary education: establishing the relationships among facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and use behaviour

Title:
LMS-enabled blended learning utilization in distance tertiary education: establishing the relationships among facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and use behaviour

Authors:
Brandford Bervell & Valentina Arkorful

Published:
International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17 March 2020

From the abstract:
"Distance education has evolved partly through technologies that defined them in the various generations of distance education delivery. However, in the twenty-first century, the use of Learning Management System (LMS) has changed the face of distance education delivery. Even the traditional face-to-face based distance education mode is now adopting the LMS as a mediating technology between instructors and students. However, in the usage of LMS-enabled blended learning, several factors have been cited in the literature as enablers towards actual usage of LMS technology. Factors such as facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and actual use behaviour have been important in contemporary literature. Despite their importance, the chasm in the literature is the nuances existing in terms of relationships between these three factors. This study fills the gap by defining a model based on the three factors to provide an in depth empirical study on their relationships and how they influence LMS-enabled blended learning uptake of distance education by tutors."

Citation:
Bervell, B., Arkorful, V. LMS-enabled blended learning utilization in distance tertiary education: establishing the relationships among facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and use behaviour. Int J Educ Technol High Educ 17, 6 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-0183-9

Scholarly Article (2002) - Instructional Technology in Graduate Psychology Distance Education: Trends and Student Preferences

Title:
Instructional Technology in Graduate Psychology Distance Education: Trends and Student Preferences

Authors:
Shannon Viola, Elise Hendricker & Elina Saeki

From the abstract:
"Although distance education continues to expand in postsecondary institutions, little research regarding distance education methodology in applied graduate psychology programs is currently available. This exploratory study examined technology, resources, and instructional components in graduate school psychology distance courses."

Citation:
Viola, S. [et al.]. (2020). Instructional Technology in Graduate Psychology Distance Education: Trends and Student Preferences. The Journal of Educators Online, 17(1).
Available: https://www.thejeo.com/archive/2020_17_1/viola

Scholarly Article (February 2020) - Online Learning Readiness (by Tanya Joosten & Rachel Cusatis)

Title:
Online Learning Readiness

Authors:
Tanya Joosten & Rachel Cusatis

From the abstract:
"This paper examines the relationship between student characteristics of online learning readiness and student outcomes in online courses at two higher educational institution. Data were collected from student surveys (student characteristics of readiness and outcomes) and merged with institutional student information systems data (e.g., demographics and course grades)."

Citation:
Joosten, T. & Cusatis, R. (21 February 2020). Online learning readiness. American Journal of Distance Education, 34(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1726167

Short Article: USA - New rules limit states' oversight of online colleges. How will they react?

Title:
New rules limit states' oversight of online colleges. How will they react?

Author:
Lorelei Laird

Published:
Education Dive, 30 January 2020

From the article:
"State attorneys general were left out when the U.S. Department of Education rewrote its state authorization rules for distance education. The department "didn't feel attorneys general had a strong role to play in the potential regulations compared with other groups overseeing colleges," a spokesperson told Bloomberg early last year.  

But the end result, announced Nov. 1, will certainly affect attorneys general, because it reduces their ability to regulate distance education."

To read this article:
https://www.educationdive.com/news/new-regulations-limit-states-oversight-of-online-colleges-how-will-they-r/571397/

Scholarly Article (2020): Games-based trust: Role-playing the administrative experience of immigrants

Title:
Games-based trust: Role-playing the administrative experience of immigrants

Authors:
Brandon C Bouchillon & Patrick A Stewart

Published:
New Media & Society, January 2020.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819900557

From the abstract:
"Measures of social capital such as trust have been declining in America for the better part of a century, while an influx of racial and ethnic diversity has apparently quickened the decline. Direct interactions with diversity still contribute to feelings of trust, only demographic differences now prevent the requisite contact from occurring. New means of creating shared experiences have thus become more vital, and the present study tests the value of games-based role-playing for fostering trust in immigrant populations. Students in an online American Government class at a major southeastern university were asked to create a fictional persona from Mexico, India, or China, and seek US citizenship. Their success or failure factored into their overall grade. Results suggest that role-playing the administrative experience of immigrants contributes to trusting them over time. This has value for life in a diversifying society."

Scholarly Article: Supporting Refugee Distance Education: A Review of the Literature

Title:
Supporting Refugee Distance Education: A Review of the Literature

Authors:
Randa Taftaf & Christy Williams

Published:
American Journal of Distance Education, volume 33, 2 December 2019
https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1691411

From the abstract:
The sudden influx of refugees into countries around the world has caused a complicated, multi-faceted, international refugee crisis. Refugees, whether in camps or urban areas, face a myriad of problems and obstacles, yet one of the most critical issues young refugees face is the lack of educational opportunities and/or resources. United Nations International Childern's Emergency Fund warns that this lack of education could potentially create a "lost generation" which may lead to serious implications, not only for these young refugees but also to surrounding, nearby societies. This paper seeks to understand if and how Information and Communication Technology (ITCs) have been reported in the literature as being used in different contexts to connect young refugees with high quality educational opportunities, and whether the urban or camp contexts impact these opportunities.

Scholarly Article: A Posthumanist Critique of Flexible Online Learning and its "Anytime Anyplace" Claims

Title:
A posthumanist critique of flexible online learning and its "anytime anyplace" claims

Authors:
Shandell Houlden & George Veletsianos

Published:
British Journal of Educational Technology, 2019, volume 50, number 3, pp.1005-1018.
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12779 

From the abstract:
"Flexible approaches to online learning are gaining renewed interest in some part due to their capacity to address emergent opportunities and concerns facing higher education. Importantly, flexible approaches to online learning are purported to be democratizing and liberatory, broadening access to higher education and enabling learners to participate in educational endeavors at "anytime" from "anyplace." In this article, we critique such narratives by showing that flexibility assumes imagined autonomous learners that are self-reliant and individualistic."

Scholarly Article: Blended Learning and Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

Title:
Blended learning and academic achievement: a meta-analysis

Authors:
Hossein Najafi & Mozhgan Heidari

Published:
Journal of Iranian Distance Education, Volume 1, Issue 3, Winter 2019, pp. 39-48

From the abstract:
"The purpose of the present research was to conduct a meta-analysis of Iranian studies on blended learning and academic achievement. As the third generation of distance education, blended learning integrates the strenghts of face-to-face and online approaches. The methodology involved estimating the effect size for the relationship between blended learning and academic achievement."

To read this article:
http://idej.journals.pnu.ac.ir/article_5352.html

10 Cheap Online Bachelor's Degrees in 2019

The University of the People published a list of the 10 cheapest online bachelor's degrees in 2019. 

The 2019 annual fee for each institution is also provided.

To see the list, go to:
https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/10-cheap-online-bachelors-degrees-in-2019/

Scholarly Article: A Scoping Review of Videoconferencing Systems in Higher Education

Title:
A Scoping Review of Videoconferencing Systems in Higher Education

Author:
Hosam Al-Samarraie

Published:
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, vol. 20, no. 3, 2019
doi: https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i4.4037 

From the abstract:
"Videoconferencing as a learning tool has been widely used among educators and learners in order to induce effective communication between learners and teachers or learners and their peers, especially when face-to-face means are not possible. Different types of videoconferencing platforms or systems have emerged for use in today's higher education institutions. Previous research has focused on examining the potential of three different forms of videoconferencing systems: desktop videoconferencing (DVC), interactive videoconferencing (IVC), and Web videoconferencing (WVC). In this study, a review of the literature was conducted to increase the current knowledge regarding the use of these conferencng system."

Scholarly Article: Modern Distance Learning Technologies in Higher Education: Introduction Problems

Title:
Modern distance learning technologies in higher education: introduction problems

Author:
Irina A. Leontyeva

Published:
Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2018, volume 14, number 10
doi: ttps://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/92284

From the abstract:
"This article assesses the introduction of distance-learning principles into the university teaching and learning process in terms of quality. The experiment involved 1,250 students learning at the Kazan Federal University. The survey helped to identify the main barriers to the effective implementation of modern distance learning technologies in the university teaching and learning process: non-readiness of teachers and parents, te lack of necessary skills of applying the computer-based online learning systems, inability to interact with the faculty and teachers, the lack of sufficient academic advisors online. In addition, this article investigates the internal problems: limited resources, unevenly distributed marketing advantages, inappropriate administrative structure and the lack on innovative physical facilities."