MODFL/Understanding ODFL/History
Learning and teaching at a distance is a practice that has evolved over centuries, starting with approaches used in the early Christian church which illustrate concepts of modern distance education, (Daniel, J.1995)15 . Daniel cites the example of St Paul, who developed a method of distance education to instruct a distributed community. “He wrote letters to individual church groups and asked local church elders to read them to their community when it gathered for worship”, (Daniel, 1995:6). Daniel argues that Paul’s communications were asynchronous because his letters were studied when he was not present. However, groups had to be taught at the same time and place.
With the advent of printing and the introduction of universal postal services, distance education could reach individuals in their homes, through written study materials. This era was characterised by correspondence education. Communication with leaners was still asynchronous and central to the learning process were the learning materials and feedback on marked assignments that were given to learners. These elements, communication and feedback are still core in modern ODL systems. Correspondence education continued to develop steadily in the 20th century, (Daniel, 1995).
Between 1960 and 1990 the evolution of distance education accelerated as a result of the use of telecommunications to link remote classrooms and the enhancement of correspondence education by the integration of other media, (Daniel, 1995). Audio teleconferencing technology made it possible for an instructor to offer a course at numerous sites simultaneously.
Some literature has identified only three generations of distance education, the first generation being the correspondence teaching or what Cleveland-Innes and Garrison (2010) refer to as “teaching through text’, the second generation involves multi-media teaching which integrates print-based materials with video, audio and minimal use of computers, and the third generation focuses more on the use of interactive information technology (Anderson & Dron, 2010, 2012; Guri-Rosenblit, 2005; Sumner, 2000)16 .
From the developments outlined above, you can see that the evolution of distance education has largely been influenced by technological developments. This trend continues in modern times.
From DE to ODL to ODFL
Distance education has potential to expand access to education since learners learn mainly away from campus and from the instructor. There is less investment in physical infrastructure and facilities, unlike in traditional face-to-face education. There are two key elements of distance education that distinguish it from traditional education, which makes it more attractive to people with diverse needs. These elements are flexibility of learning and openness of the system. However, practice in different contexts shows that not all distance education is open.
Table 4: ODL institutional models
| Operational model | Institution A | Institution B |
|---|---|---|
| Enrolment age requirements | Strictly school age | Any age |
| Entry qualifications | Same as in traditional system | Relaxed requirements, work experience and age also considered. |
| Residence | Only resident in the country | Regional residents accepted |
| Registration system | Physically on campus | Online |
| Communication system | Postal, in person | Email; call centre, LMS |
| Teaching/Learner support | Regular classes at designated sites and times (synchronous) | No requirements for physical meetings- support is virtual (asynchronous) |
| Payment of fees | Bank deposits and submission of deposit slips | Online transfers with automated confirmations |
| Learning materials | Hard copy study materials, mainly in library | Digital resources on LMS |
| Examination system | In campus halls and proctored | Several sessions offered online; also on-demand |
Opening up distance learning
To accommodate a wider spectrum of learner needs, distance education should be open. The term Open and Distance Learning (ODL) captures the need for such openness. ODL is the provision of distance education opportunities in ways that seek to mitigate or remove barriers to access, such as finances, prior learning, age, social background, work or family commitments, disability, incarceration or other such barriers. “Open” refers to a commitment that removes any unnecessary barriers to access to learning. As you learnt earlier in this unit, distance education refers to teaching and learning that temporarily separates teacher and learner in time and/or place; uses multiple media for delivery of instruction; involves two-way communication and possibly occasional face-to-face meeting for tutorials and learner-learner interaction. Open learning is not the same as distance learning, but both are complementary and hence the two terms are often used together as open and distance learning, (COL, 2023)17.
Table 5: How open is ODL in my institution/country
| Aspect of openness in an institution | Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Do students have choice on when to register over an academic year? | ||
| 2. | Do students have a choice regarding the form of assessment e.g. multiple choice, portfolio, essay? | ||
| 3. | Are there set assignment and examination dates or can students choose dates when they are ready? | ||
| 4. | Is there a wide range of student support options from which students can choose? | ||
| 5. | Is student support accessible and affordable? | ||
| 6. | Can students access learning environments and resources from a range of devices? | ||
| 7. | Do students have choice on curricula to follow? | ||
| 8. | Do students receive nationally and internationally recognised qualifications? | ||
| 9. | Do students get anything if they exit before they finish a ‘complete’ qualification? | ||
| 10. | Do the programmes open up the future for students? |
- When you have finished completing the table, convert your score into a percentage. For example, if you have 6 “Yes” responses, you give your institution 6/10X100 = 60%. For purposes of this exercise, an institution that scores 80% and above is considered to be open.
- On the basis of your responses in Table 5 above, do you consider your institution open or closed? Post your response in the discussion forum for other peers to read. Also read the results of your peers posted in the forum.
- Based on the forum posts, do you think education institutions in the Pacific Island countries are open?
There are key questions you may want to think about when you think of opening up your distance education system:
- Should learners be allowed to enrol in your open school regardless of their previous level of education?
- What practical problems might arise if you removed all entry requirements for those who wish to study at your open school?
- What should you make open and what should remain closed in your institution?
Making ODL Flexible
Another term that is often used together with distance learning is Flexible. So, you will meet the term Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) whenever you read about ODL. There are ODL systems that are not necessarily flexible in the way they are implemented. For example, leaners may be required to progress with curriculum content at almost the same pace, so they sit for common examinations at the same time. In some instances, it is compulsory for all learners to attend face-to-face sessions on designated dates. Yet in other cases, all learners need to meet similar requirements to progress to the next level of study – this entails taking the same courses at a given level of study, with no flexibility on choice. If an open school offers only academic subjects, with no technical or vocational offerings that provide work skills, its flexibility in terms of the curriculum is also limited. For this reason, it may be less attractive to learners who need skills-based education. Thus, not all ODL systems are flexible.
