PCF5:What is the value of good research in open and distance learning?

Title of session
... What is the value of good research in open and distance learning?...

Session details

 * Chair:: ... Dr. P Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Director Prof. R. Ram Reddy Research Academy of Distance Education ...
 * Stand in Reporter:: ... Susan Sela, Subject Coordinator, College of Foundation Studies, and University of the South Pacific...

Session papers

 * Dr. Regina Masalela, Perceptions of distance education practitioners on the certificate course for distance education: Botswana Case
 * Prof. Majed Rashid, (Paper 1)- Demographical analysis of Commonwealth of Learning (COL) executive MBA/MPA students


 * Prof. Majed Rashid, (Paper 2)- Executive Students’ attitude towards technological change in learning (ICT)

Key Issues that arose in the session
Aim of research: The AIOU wanted to know what are and who are the main segments in the MBA and MPA offered and to know which was the more popular.

Implications
 * MBA is more popular than MPA
 * MBA enrolment although 12% of AIOU total enrolment, is steadily increasing
 * 14% of MBA executives are female and mostly mature students with some years of experience
 * 44% of students who enrolled came to know of the programme through advertisements ( promotions strategy of AIOU)
 * Age group of mature students, 26 -30 years
 * Students came from a variety of educational backgrounds
 * MBA is the more popular but both have a low female enrolment
 * Need to strategise ways to increase female enrolments

Points for future action (Policy, recommendations, commitments etc.)

 * Possibly there is a need to  identify the different needs of female executives in  order to attract more to the programme
 * Concern for the decreasing enrolments for MPA – reason is MPA is not as highly marketable as MBA.
 * Definite interest among some on the academic and governance issues surrounding the programme – the Prospectus was offered for such information
 * AIOU offers this MBA by blending the international and local

Hypothesis: Executive students have positive attitude towards ICT

Research conducted involved students of both programmes.


 * Most students feel that ICT makes  learning simple and easy
 * Most had a positive attitude towards ICT
 * Significant correlation bet. Independent variables and dependent variables.
 * Any negativity that existed soon changed positively through the use of ICT.


 * Need for training of students for ICT
 * Since majority of students are positive towards ICT, this lends itself greatly to expansion of the programme


 * Problems highlighted in this case study are important and need to be addressed if students are to remain enrolled in the programme.
 * Research is crucial for the development of ODL