QA4ODFL1/Infrastructure/Logistics

In distance education, planning of the logistics involved in undertaking the various processes is very important. Key processes in a distance education environment include course design, advertising courses, student recruitment, student orientation, developing and dispatching of learning materials (or uploading them on the LMS), setting of assignments, availing assignments to students timely, marking assignments and providing timely feedback, examinations, etc. Systems and structures have to be put in place to ensure these processes happen in unison to each other. Often, sufficient lead-in time is needed to allow the processes to take place. Delays in one process have potential to disrupt the rest of the activities for the entire semester or year. For example, if learning materials are not ready for students when they register, assignments due dates will not be met, marking of assignments may be delayed, providing feedback and capturing coursework marks will not happen in time. This may have implications on timing of semester examinations and release of results.

Appropriate systems and resources need to be in place for all processes to happen smoothly and on time.

Learning activity 8: Planning logistics of ODFL

This activity should take 20 minutes to complete

Based on your experience with distance education students, write a short paragraph explaining how providing course assignments late affects performance of students.

Reflection and feedback on Planning logistics of ODFL

There are many ways in which a lack of planning for the logistics of ODFL affect students. You may have given the following as factors that affect students’ performance negatively:

1. Poor standard of marking by tutors,
2. lack of quality assurance of the marking process,
3. lack of enough time for students to engage with feedback provided before writing examinations, and even
4. student frustration resulting in dropouts.

A lack of careful planning of all aspects of ODFL can have a negative impact on teaching and learning, and reduce access to and the openness of learning.