Reconsidering Open And Distance Learning In The Developing World

This critical analysis of the state of open and flexible learning examines the characteristics, needs and learning approaches of students, considers whether or not current provision is successful and how student retention can be improved.

Distance learning is now more prevalent in the developing world than ever before. This book reconsiders the suitability and success of established modes of distance learning for current contexts in the developing world. It examines what adaptations are necessary to suit shifting needs including: the move from elite to mass higher education increased emphasis on knowledge base economies greater demand for lifelong learning and professional development the effects of technical and societal changes demand for post-secondary education. Drawing upon research into students' conceptions of, and approaches to learning, this critical analysis of the state of open and flexible learning examines the characteristics, needs and learning approaches of students, considering whether or not current provision is successful, what changes are necessary, and, crucially, how student retention can be improved.

"Open and Distance Learning in the Developing World sets the expansion of distance education in the context of general educational change and reviews its use for basic and non-formal education, schooling, teacher training and higher education."--BOOK JACKET. "Hilary Perraton provides a balanced evaluation of the legitimacy, advantages and disadvantages of distance education as a way of teaching and learning."--BOOK JACKET.

This revised and updated edition of Open and Distance Learning in the Developing World sets the expansion of distance education in the context of general educational change and explores its use for basic and non-formal education, schooling, teacher training and higher education. Engaging with a range of topics, this comprehensive overview includes new material on: non-formal education: mass-communication approaches to education about HIV/AIDS and recent literacy work in India, South Africa, and Zambia schooling: new research projects in open schooling in Asia and subsaharan Africa, and interactive radio instruction in South Africa the impact of new technology and globalisation: learning delivered through the internet and mobile learning the political economy: international agencies, the role of private sector, and funding. With its critical appraisal of the facts and examination of data about effectiveness, this book provides answers to problems and poses key questions for the consideration of policy makers, educational practitioners and all professionals involved in implementing and delivering sustainable open and distance learning.

This book considers the questions that planners and policy makers in open and distance learning need to address at any level of education.

This book is the first comprehensive account of developments in open and distance non-formal education in developing countries for over more than 20 years. It includes many instructive and inspiring examples of how international agencies such as UNESCO, FAO, WHO, UNICEF, USAID and the Commonwealth of Learning and national providers are using radio, TV, online and mobile learning, telecentres and other means to achieve the Education for All, Millennium Development and Sustainable Development Goals. It describes the educational needs of the world’s most disadvantaged, vulnerable and least formally educated children, youth and adult populations, including the disabled, refugees and prisoners. It also reports on the successes, outcomes, constraints and shortcomings of using open and distance methods and technology to deliver literacy and numeracy programmes, equivalency, ‘second chance’ or alternative schooling, life skills and rural community development programmes and income generation and vocational training outside the framework of the formal education system. It concludes with suggestions for the extension and improvement of such lifelong learning. Designed to encourage further research and development in these capacity-building practices outside the established formal system, this is a must-read for all policy-makers, managers, educators, students and researchers interested in non-formal education for individuals, families and communities in the developing world.

Open and distance learning has been used in many ways in the recent past to provide both primary education and adult education. The Commonwealth of Learning works with governments, schools and universities with the aim of strengthening the capacities of Commonwealth member countries in developing human resources required for their economic and social development. Many existing policy documents link distance education with new information and communication technologies, portraying them as a promising universal access and exponential growth of learning. This book answers the key questions to these issues and assesses the impact and effect of the experience of basic education at a distance all over the world and in a wide variety of forms. This is the first major overview of this topic for twenty years.

This book covers a broad range of innovations in education, such as flipped classrooms, the educational use of social media, mobile learning, educational resources and massive open online courses, as well as theoretical discussions and practical applications in the use of augmented reality and educational technology to improve student engagement and pave the way for students’ future studies and careers. The case studies and practical applications presented here illustrate the effectiveness of new modes of education in which the latest technologies and innovations are widely used in the global context. Accordingly, the book can help develop readers’ awareness of the potential these innovations hold, thus expanding their expertise and stimulating critical thinking as to how new technologies have made learning and teaching easier in various educational settings.