Thomas Hülsmann Center for Distance Education (ZEF),

1. ODL for VETDistance Education and Vocational Training Thomas Hülsmann Center for Distance Education (ZEF), Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany Workshop on "Innovative Approaches in the Field of Vocational Education an Training with particular focus on the East and Southeast Asian Region"25 - 27 November 2003, Hanoi University of Technology thomas.huelsmann@uni-oldenburg.de

2. Explore synergies of network systems in higher education (VET) Identify potential benefits of such networks for non-academic VET Introduction Aims of the workshop include Aims of the this presentation • Define distance education? How does it works and and for which purposes has it been used? • What could be the role of distance education in such network systems? • How can distance education be used in vocational education and training (VET) ?

3. Introduction Explaining distance education The cost-effectiveness of distance education Audiences and organizational models The impact of ICT on distance education Application and inferences Synergy from strategic alliances through DE in higher education Supporting vocational training and outreach activities trough DE Conclusion Introduction Structure of presentation

4. the quasi-permanent separation of teacher and learner throughout the length of the learning process the use of technical media - print, audio, video or computer - to unite teacher and learner and carry the content of the course the influence of an educational organization both in the planning and preparation of learning materials and in the provision of student support services the provision of two-way communication so that the student may benefit from or even initiate dialogue. (based on Keegan, D. (1990).Foundations of Distance Education, Routledge) Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: Definition Definition of Distance Education

5. Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: Definition “Distance Education is the most industrialized mode of Teaching and Learning” (Peters, 1967) • Keywordsinclude: • Rationalization and division of labour • Mass production through mechanization and automation. • Systematic planning and organization • Formalization and product standardization.

6. Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: System Distance education as a system

7. Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: Cost-efficiency Economies of scale: total costs TCDE(N) = FDE +VDE x N FDE TC(N) = F + V x N F

8. Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: Cost-efficiency Economies of scale: Average costs V VDE

9. Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: Cost-efficiency Perraton’s Cost-Effectiveness Cube • The formula: TC=F+VN • Relate it to the cube: • Media sophistication increases F • Student-teacher interactivity contributes to V • Number of student is N Perraton, H. (1987). The roles of theory and generalisation in the practice of distance education. Hagen: Zentrales Institut für Fernstudien.

10. Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: Strengths and weaknesses Daniel’s Triangles Ideally, Distance Education could be regarded as a major strategy to • expanding access • raising quality • while lowering costs These expectations depend to a large extent on the use of mass media (one-way traffic media). The weakness of this Fordist model of distance education is • lack of teacher learner (and peer) interactivity • lack of scope in course offerings Daniel J. (2001, January). Technology and education: Adventures in the eternal triangle. Paper presented at the LearnTec, Karlsruhe.

11. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models Audiences and Organizational Models • Distance Education is used in all fields of education: • Non-formal and basic education and training • Formal education such as • providing alternative routes to school education • supporting the teacher training • offering alternative ways to higher education

12. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models Non-formal DE Non-formal and basic and continuing education ACPO Accion Cultural Popular(Colombia):Radio schools operating between 1947 to 1987. The pedagogical model was "Listen, discuss, act".´ FEPRA The Functional Education Project for Rural Areas (Pakistan):An outreach project of the Allama Iqbal Open University offering functional courses for adults.

13. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models: Alternative routes to school education Alternative Routes to Formal Education http://www.techknowlogia.org/TKL_Articles/PDF/255.pdf • Interactive Radio Instruction IRI (LA, Africa)Using Radio to teach; allows to provide quality instruction with less qualified teachers, whose role is facilitation rather than instruction.

14. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models: Alternative routes to school education Alternative Routes to Formal Education Telesecundaria (Mexico)Uses Television to reduce the number of specialized subject teachers; allows to run cost-effective schools in rural areas and reduces urban migration (963000 students in 16000 schools). The model has been replicated in other LA countries (e.g. Costa Rica). http://www.escuelafemeninademontefalco.edu.mx/fotosnuevas/telesecundaria.JPGThe pedagogical model works similar to IRI. Subject matter presentation is left to the TV teacher while the classroom teacher takes the role of a facilitator and monitor.

15. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models: Alternative routes to school education Alternative Routes to Formal Education Open Schools (India) Safety net for school dropouts and those who missed out and are over the age of the respective level of schooling; classical example of DE. It is, with about 160000 students (in the year 2000), the largest open schooling system in the World. Study material is written in Hindi, English, or the respective local language. Ambasht, N. K. (No date). Open schooling in India: A challenge to technologies for learning and training. COL.

16. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models: Teacher training at a distance Teacher training PERFORMAÇAO (Brazil)is a distance teacher capacity building course aimed at providing training to 27,372 non-certified teachers already teaching the first four years of primary education. The program uses print, video and bi-weekly workshops. Reseau Africain pour la Formacion à Distance(RESAFADor African Network for Education at a Distance) Burkina Faso has developeda course for the in-service professional development of headteachers. For course development ICT was used but print, coupled with face-to-face meetings of headteachers, were used for delivery. Over four years itreached about a quarter of Burkina Faso’s headteachers.

17. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models: Higher education Distance education in HE The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the oldest distance teaching university of the world. As a university it was established in 1873 and beccame a pioneer of distance education at tertiary level in 1946. With ist 130000 students it is among the world's 10 mega universities. The British Open University was founded 1969 and opened up a new area od distance education away from the image of the correspondence schools into the multimedia generation of distance education. In close cooperation with the BBC the OU created attractive study programes which helped to move distance education into the academic mainstream. Courses include management, computing, education or health and social welfare. The university has 200000 student enrolled 75% of them are in paid employment. Indira Gandhi National Open University(IGNOU)was established in 1985 to democratise higher education. The university has about 1000,000 students. 48 Regional Centres 1156 Study Centres, all over India. State-of-the-art telecommunication systems have further helped in reaching out to the hitherto unreached sections of the society.

18. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models: Higher education Distance education in HE • The African Virtual University(AVU) was established in 1997 and entered phase 3 (2003 – 2007) of ist development program, including: • expanding ist reach by establishing 150 learning centres in 50 African countries • establishing AVU’s own communications’ infrastructure i.e. a hub, studio and VSAT at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya • offering four-year degree programs in Computer Science and Business studies, both in French and English • http://www.avu.org

19. Explaining distance educationAudiences and organizational models: Higher education Higher Education

20. Explaining distance educationEducational media and technologies: Media effectiveness Can we teach successfully with media? • Media Equivalence Hypothesis:"Communication media do not differ in their educational effectiveness." (Perraton, 1987) • Media Capabilities:Essential modes of learning are: • Attending (reading, viewing, listening) • Practising (making experiments; conducting tasks) • Discussing (with teacher or/and peers) • Articulating (writing tests,essays, assignments) • Media support those modes of learning in a different manner • Perraton, H. (1987). The roles of theory and generalisation in the practice of distance education. Hagen: Zentrales Institut für Fernstudien.

21. Explaining distance educationEducational media and technologies: Types of media Media and educational technologies used in DE Print Audiomedia Radio has long been one of the most important forms of audio technology. Radio can reach people in remote areas. Audio cassettes are more flexible. Audiographics combine audio media with posters and flip charts. Audiomedia are low cost and applicaple in situations wher learners have a low level of literacy.Telephonehas been used occasionally to offer student support, but telephonesupport tends to be individualistic and expensive. You may combine more listeners by establishing a telebridge. Audioconferencinguses the telephone as the basis for communicating withlearning. This is usually used in conjunction with self-paced materials. Video media Television is a powerful medium. Unlike radio, televisionprogrammes permitthe richness of full symbolicrepresentation. However, television is more expensive to produce. Videocassettesare a powerful resource. Theydo use television, but not the air time. Like audio cassettes, they can be used bystudents at their convenience, either at home or at the study centres individually orin groups. Videoconferencingallows learners to attend a convenient and suitablyequipped location and participate in a class at another location. This reduces thetime and resources that the learner may need to commit in travelling to classes.

22. Explaining distance educationEducational media and technologies: Impact of ICT The Impact of ICT on Distance Education • ICT stands for the convergence Information and Communication Technologies. The impact of ICT on DE opens two different lines of development: • Type-i systems (possibly stand alone computer) offer Computer-Based Learning (CBL) involving textual, audio, and video course materials in electronic format (e.g. CD-ROM). No student support is involved.Main cost driver: fixed costs of course development. Cost structure compatible with scale economies. • Type-c online systems offer Computer Mediated Communications (CMC; Virtual Seminars) supporting tutor-student and student-student interaction. This support may be offered in synchronous mode (Type-c1) orasynchronous mode (Type-c2).Main cost driver teaching costs. No scale economies. Possible economies of scope. • Rumble, G. (2001, 1 - 5 April). The costs of providing online student support services. Paper presented at the 20th World Conference of the International Council for Open and Distance education, Düsseldorf, Germany.

23. Explaining distance educationEducational media and technologies: Computer-based technologies Computer-based teaching and learning Computers can be used in two ways: stand alone, without link to the Internet. CD-ROMs can be part of self-paced learning packages sent to the learner by post. They may included CBTs which facilitate learner-content interactivity. Online deliveryprovides computer-based learning materials via the Internet. As Computer conferencing (CMC), this technology also allows the learner to interact with other students and staffthrough the use of e-mail and computer chat sessions and asynchronous computer conferencing.

24. Explaining distance educationEducational media and technologies: Shared access Kothmale Internet Radio An innovative approach to share access is Kothmale Internet Radio in Sri Lanka. The radio station includes a telecenter which allows access to the internet. Requests for web searches can be posted or handed in and will be broadcasted by the station. In SA telecenters are often 'Multipurpose Community Telecenters (MCTC). They can be used as learner centers in DE.

25. Explaining distance educationEducational media and technologies: Costs of media Comparative cost per student learning hour The table shows the different orders of magnitude of fixed costs of developmentper student learning hour (SLH). Based on Hülsmann, T. (2000). The costs of open learning: a handbook (Vol. 2). Oldenburg: bis.

26. Explaining distance educationThe cost-effectiveness of distanceeducation: System Distance education as a system

27. Application and inferencesVET by DE ICAR and NOS The Indian Council of Agricultural research(ICAR)disposes of 281 agricultural learning centers, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). ICAR commissioned the development and delivery of courses fromNational Open Schools (NOS). Hands-on training is 'workplace-based' at the KVK centers. - Courses include plant protection, water management, etc. Calder, J. (2002). The key players. In A. K. Mishra, Bartram, J. (Ed.), Skills development through distance education Vancouver: COL, pp. 9-20 Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) and Scitech Educational OUSL bought in material from Scitech Educational to upgrade skills of lab technicians at universities and secondary schools. The needs specification was done by the University Grants Committee and funding came from COL. OUSL takes on the delivery/tutoring of the course taking material developed by Scitech Educational. Hands-on skills are conducted either institution or workplace-based. Calder in A. K. Mishra, Bartram, J. (Ed.), Skills development through distance education Vancouver: COL. 2002, p.17

28. Application and inferencesVET by DE DAE and BOU The Department of Agricultureal Extension (DAE) is a government service which set up in cooperation with the Bangladesh Open University (BOU) a program for women farmers in Bangladesh. The curriculum was developed in a particpatory manner. BOU developed a trainer handbook for the DEA extension workers and study material for conductiong the teaching sessions. The implementation included the identification and training of female leaders being in charge of 20 women in a given community. They held sessions twice a week in the mid-afternoon.The material included instructional modules, posters, flip charts as well as instructional video. Funding came also from the Grameen Bank. Dunbar in A. K. Mishra, Bartram, J. (Ed.), Skills development through distance education Vancouver: COL. 2002, p. 33Hampton & Bartram, ibid. p. 67

29. Application and inferencesVET by DE IGNOU The governemnt decided to upgrade skills in an important industrial sector, the leather industry (1.4 million workers). IGNOU developed courses, skills training was workplace-based and assessment comptency based. Material included print and audio tape apart from the demonstratio-based training at the workers tannery. Dunbar in A. K. Mishra, Bartram, J. (Ed.), Skills development through distance education Vancouver: COL. 2002, p. 33Ibid. Hampton & Bartram, p. 69) TAFE(Technical and Further Education) • Onkaparinga Institute of TAFE in South Australia in a joint partnership with the viticulture industry produced a Viticulture and Wine Studies training programme. Theory delivery comines print, classroom sessions and CD-ROMs. Hands on training is in the vineyards under industry supervisors.

30. National Technological UniversityNTU is an independent university but functions as coordinatingunit for the engineering departments of 30 participating universities.Provides programms for major corporations like IBM and Motorola. Scottish KnowledgeA global higher educaton consortium comprising Scotland’s 14 universities and other international partners such as Edith CowanUniversity from Australia, and News International plc Universitas 21An international partnership of 17 elite universities in 10 countries to “pursue significant global initiatives that would be beyond their individual capabilities” NOS (National Open Schools in India)serve as an example that strategic alliances are nt restricted t HE Rumble, G., Latchem, C. in H. Perraton, H. and Lentell, H. (Eds.) (2004) Policy for Open and Distance Learning (pp. 117-137) Application and inferencesConsortia and aliances in HE Examples of consortia or strategic alliances

31. Application and inferencesConsortia and aliances in HE Reasons for strategic alliances • share costs ore spread them over larger numbers of students • share resources includng expertise and experience • attract funding opportunities achieve a competitive edge and a greater market share • be fast to market • promote and operate credit transfer/recognition of pror learning • jointly operate and broker programs • capitalise on partners’ knowledge of, and reputation in, local markets • accommodate other countries governmental requirements • ensure adequate provision of local services (e.g. invigilation of exams) • de-bundle learning materials, tutorial support and course assessmentto provide expanded market opportunities • achieve franchise arrangements • based on Rumble, G., Latchem, C. in H. Perraton, H. and Lentell, H. (Eds.) (2004) Policy for Open and Distance Learning (pp. 117-137

32. ConclusionNetwork systems Network systems: a new organizational paradigm • Strategic alliance • means that "participants in a network contribute technological and managerial expertise and capital and share the costs of developing new technologies, spreading the financial risks of entering new markets." • Vertical disaggregation • means "outsourcing some of design and a lot of the product development of course materials. It means devolving learner support services to to local points of contact and specialized services." • cf. Moore, M. G. (2003). Network systems: The emerging organizational paradigm. Editorial. The American Journal of Distance Education, 17(1), 1-5.

33. ConclusionNetwork systems Network systems Network systems: an organizational paradigm also for VET?

34. ConclusionNetwork systems Completing the system through cooperation A complete distance education system

35. ConclusionNetwork systems Thanks for your attention.