One of the most successful distance learning programmes in the world!! And interestingly established at the same time as that of China's (1960's)
Born from the belief that communications technology could bring high quality degree-level learning to people lacking the opportunity or desire to attend campus universities, the distance learning programme is mostly attended by part-time undergraduate students in which a staggering 50'000 of them , in full-time employment, are sponsored by their employers for their studies.
The Open University's style of teaching is called 'supported open learning', also known as 'distance learning'.
Open learning: means that you will be learning in your own time by reading course material, working on course activities, writing assignments and perhaps working with other students.
Supported means support from a tutor and the student services staff at Regional Centres, as well as from centralised areas such as the Library or Open University Students Association.
The system uses similar facilities as most other University distance learning programmes, it provides students with, Printed course materials, set books, audio cassettes, video cassettes, TV programmes, cd-rom/software, web site, home experiment kit.
In order to assess students the university uses a number of assignments (TMAs) and an examination.
With accreditation from all three of the major international recognition bodies, AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, the OU Business School is in a unique position in Italy, and is one of less than 1% of business schools worldwide to have achieved this status.
In Padua, Rome and Milan, there is a team of advisors available to discuss study plans with students either at an information event or on a one-to-one basis, by email or face-to-face.
This facility is a great way for students to be able to achieve academic goals and further their education whilst mantaining a postition in the work world.
This website seemed fairly modern and up to date, giving links to the Open University scheme that seems to be shared by a majority or universities.
Have a look for yourself: http://www.open.ac.uk/italy/the-open-university.php
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
WEEK 7, AFRICA DISTANCE LEARNING
Africa E-learning system has struggled to get off it feet from the start. Unlike the positive reception the system received from countries like Australia and America, the e-learning (distance learning) was met by disapproval and ignorance.
Academic Traditionalists resisted this new move and it was so different to the strict regime they were used to.
I checked out http://www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/index.php, Africa's Newsportal updating and giving news on the elearning system.
After checking out the site i found one particular article most interesting.
'Education in a Health Disaster – Is eLearning a Solution?'
In this article it explains the how an outbreak of Cholera in Zambia has caused schools to close.
A directive from the Ministry of Education enforced the fact that all schools in the cholera-affected areas should not open until the Cholera outbreak that had affected Southern Zambia was fully under control. Alongside this terrible epidemic of cholera is the fact that children must stay at home and miss out on their education as the government is unprepared to provide alternative means, this article asks whether eLearning could provide a solution to the large-scale closure of schools.
The students feel disadvantaged as friends and other other students in non-cholera affected areas are continuing their studies and will be fully prepared for their exams.
Brenda Zulu suggests that elearning is the way forward. Students could acesses teachers’ lessons through either an Internet cafe or from home or any convenient place arranged for that matter. I think this is a great way to ensure students dont get behind, as the article quite rightly points out that only is it way for students to acess their specific subject notes but its a beneficial way for students to educate themselves on important issues such as cholera awareness.
It is also an opportunity for the children to learn IT skills which may help them in the future, alongside this with more children begining encouraged to use this elearning system then companies such as HealthNet or other initiatives could consider collaborating with mobile service providers to have POP access through cell phones, since they are reasonable widely distributed in the country, followed by radios and TVs.
If the country was to begin to use this elearning system and students encouraged to take part, then the system's worth could be tested. Perhaps then the advantages and strenghts of this system would be seen by the government, and instead of this current situation where they are unprepared to provide alternative means, the Zambian government may consider investing in eLearning initiatives in the future.
Academic Traditionalists resisted this new move and it was so different to the strict regime they were used to.
I checked out http://www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/index.php, Africa's Newsportal updating and giving news on the elearning system.
After checking out the site i found one particular article most interesting.
'Education in a Health Disaster – Is eLearning a Solution?'
In this article it explains the how an outbreak of Cholera in Zambia has caused schools to close.
A directive from the Ministry of Education enforced the fact that all schools in the cholera-affected areas should not open until the Cholera outbreak that had affected Southern Zambia was fully under control. Alongside this terrible epidemic of cholera is the fact that children must stay at home and miss out on their education as the government is unprepared to provide alternative means, this article asks whether eLearning could provide a solution to the large-scale closure of schools.
The students feel disadvantaged as friends and other other students in non-cholera affected areas are continuing their studies and will be fully prepared for their exams.
Brenda Zulu suggests that elearning is the way forward. Students could acesses teachers’ lessons through either an Internet cafe or from home or any convenient place arranged for that matter. I think this is a great way to ensure students dont get behind, as the article quite rightly points out that only is it way for students to acess their specific subject notes but its a beneficial way for students to educate themselves on important issues such as cholera awareness.
It is also an opportunity for the children to learn IT skills which may help them in the future, alongside this with more children begining encouraged to use this elearning system then companies such as HealthNet or other initiatives could consider collaborating with mobile service providers to have POP access through cell phones, since they are reasonable widely distributed in the country, followed by radios and TVs.
If the country was to begin to use this elearning system and students encouraged to take part, then the system's worth could be tested. Perhaps then the advantages and strenghts of this system would be seen by the government, and instead of this current situation where they are unprepared to provide alternative means, the Zambian government may consider investing in eLearning initiatives in the future.
Week 7, China's Distance Learning Programme
Ok so what is one of China's main problems when trying to educate the nation???
THE SHEER SIZE OF THE POPULATION!!! IT'S HUGE!!!!
Therefore China chose two of the most popular forms of medium to educate the country as effectively and efficiently as possible. And they were RADIO & TELEVISON and this began in the 1960's.
China's TVU system has changed and evolved over the years developing into a hugely successful scheme. As a result these television and radio universities have enrolled over the last eight years a staggering 1,291,833, in which 590,941 students have graduated.
These TVU's offer courses all at undergraduate level, and in the first 8 years of its existence, the CRTVU has offered 150 courses in the subject areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, economics, accounting, statistics, finance, banking, industrial management, commercial management, archives management, journalism, law, library science and Chinese language and literature. This is giving such a wide range of subjects and choices for students to make.
As mentioned before that the TVU system has continued to develop and it was only 1986 (not long after it first begun that it began to be satellite transmitted. Since the satellite transmission of TVU programmes, their social-science courses have increased greatly.
However the Chinese didn't stop there!!! In order to encourage more and more people to become students of this type of learning audio- and video-cassettes were used in some courses. This made learning more convenient and also allowed for insufficient transmission time.
AFTER THIS CAME:
Printed teaching materials were made available to supplement radio/television programmes for all courses. These materials are divided into three types: course books, reference books and study guides.
There was and is a huge attempt to make these universities similar to that of the conventional university classroom teaching. And with this the presenters were chosen from key universities all over China.
FACT: There are more than forty production centres within the TVU system.
HOWEVER
there are huge critizisms with this Distance learning system!!!
What about the students who don't understand and want to ask questions??
What about the students who just want a little feedback on their work?
Well China was ready for questions like this,
They developed a system whereby alongside the printed teaching materials, face-to-face tuition was also made available to students.
Tutoring was said to be necessary for two reasons:
(a) presenters of radio and television programmes cannot answer students' questions directly and no immediate feedback for the presenters to adjust their teaching.
(b) Registered students are organized into television classes, listening to and watching programmes together. Television image and radio sound may not be clear for technical or other reasons.
So what about COST??
The TVU system's budget comes from a variety of sources. The CRTVU is administered and funded by the State Education Commission with the CCTV and CETV being responsible for television transmission costs. It also receives financial support from ministries which ask the CRTVU to help train personnel needed by them.
DEVELOPMENT
China's radio-and-television university system has made great strides in less than ten years. Courses offered at all levels have been increasing year by year. Enrolled all-subject students have totalled over 1 million, and all-subject graduates have amounted to more than 500,000.
It is an attractive learning opportunnity due to its open and flexible style of training a variety of qualified personnel needed for economic development in various parts of the country.
CHECK IT OUT: http:www1.worldbank.org/disted/Technology/broadcast/tv-02.html
THE SHEER SIZE OF THE POPULATION!!! IT'S HUGE!!!!
Therefore China chose two of the most popular forms of medium to educate the country as effectively and efficiently as possible. And they were RADIO & TELEVISON and this began in the 1960's.
China's TVU system has changed and evolved over the years developing into a hugely successful scheme. As a result these television and radio universities have enrolled over the last eight years a staggering 1,291,833, in which 590,941 students have graduated.
These TVU's offer courses all at undergraduate level, and in the first 8 years of its existence, the CRTVU has offered 150 courses in the subject areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, economics, accounting, statistics, finance, banking, industrial management, commercial management, archives management, journalism, law, library science and Chinese language and literature. This is giving such a wide range of subjects and choices for students to make.
As mentioned before that the TVU system has continued to develop and it was only 1986 (not long after it first begun that it began to be satellite transmitted. Since the satellite transmission of TVU programmes, their social-science courses have increased greatly.
However the Chinese didn't stop there!!! In order to encourage more and more people to become students of this type of learning audio- and video-cassettes were used in some courses. This made learning more convenient and also allowed for insufficient transmission time.
AFTER THIS CAME:
Printed teaching materials were made available to supplement radio/television programmes for all courses. These materials are divided into three types: course books, reference books and study guides.
There was and is a huge attempt to make these universities similar to that of the conventional university classroom teaching. And with this the presenters were chosen from key universities all over China.
FACT: There are more than forty production centres within the TVU system.
HOWEVER
there are huge critizisms with this Distance learning system!!!
What about the students who don't understand and want to ask questions??
What about the students who just want a little feedback on their work?
Well China was ready for questions like this,
They developed a system whereby alongside the printed teaching materials, face-to-face tuition was also made available to students.
Tutoring was said to be necessary for two reasons:
(a) presenters of radio and television programmes cannot answer students' questions directly and no immediate feedback for the presenters to adjust their teaching.
(b) Registered students are organized into television classes, listening to and watching programmes together. Television image and radio sound may not be clear for technical or other reasons.
So what about COST??
The TVU system's budget comes from a variety of sources. The CRTVU is administered and funded by the State Education Commission with the CCTV and CETV being responsible for television transmission costs. It also receives financial support from ministries which ask the CRTVU to help train personnel needed by them.
DEVELOPMENT
China's radio-and-television university system has made great strides in less than ten years. Courses offered at all levels have been increasing year by year. Enrolled all-subject students have totalled over 1 million, and all-subject graduates have amounted to more than 500,000.
It is an attractive learning opportunnity due to its open and flexible style of training a variety of qualified personnel needed for economic development in various parts of the country.
CHECK IT OUT: http:www1.worldbank.org/disted/Technology/broadcast/tv-02.html
Saturday, 28 February 2009
What do you think Wenger means by an "organizational unit"?
Wenger states "These 'communities of practice' are mostly informal and distinct from organizational units"
Wenger describes the relationship between 'communities of practice' and organizational units! He states that "'Communities of practice' exist in any organisation" but what he means by this organizational unit is that the memberships of these 'communities if practice' are 'based on particpation rather than official status' Therefore it is to be understood that they are not bound by organizational affiliations.
I understand that these organizational units are most likely to be within a work/ business type situation. It is a unit in which people address each other on recurring problems. Therefore by participating in these 'Units' a communal memory can be formed and will help them to do their job without having to remember everything themselves!
With this idea in mind it is important to consider that these organizational units are made up of people who have to be together whereas people in a community of practice have chosen to be together.
Wenger describes the relationship between 'communities of practice' and organizational units! He states that "'Communities of practice' exist in any organisation" but what he means by this organizational unit is that the memberships of these 'communities if practice' are 'based on particpation rather than official status' Therefore it is to be understood that they are not bound by organizational affiliations.
I understand that these organizational units are most likely to be within a work/ business type situation. It is a unit in which people address each other on recurring problems. Therefore by participating in these 'Units' a communal memory can be formed and will help them to do their job without having to remember everything themselves!
With this idea in mind it is important to consider that these organizational units are made up of people who have to be together whereas people in a community of practice have chosen to be together.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Week 6: Think of a CofP to which you belong (or have belonged) explain in your seminar forum how your example fits into Wenger's model.
Etienne Wenger states that "Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavor". He also suggests that the most important feature of this term 'Communities of practice' is that these people "share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
I personally have had the opportunity to be part of a community of practice when i had a part-time job as a waitress. This community of practice existed amongst all the staff; this included the owner, chefs and waitresses that worked there. Whilst we all did very different jobs, it was vital for us all to work together as a team in order for the restaurant to run smoothly. (A factor that was often emphasized to us by the boss).
Wenger highlights three main characteristics of this 'Community of Practice.'
Firstly the domain (a shared interest), in the case of my part-time job this was helping and serving customers to the best of our ability. The chefs and waitress needed to work together in order ensure customers were pleased and left happy, as know matter what we must remember the customer is always right!! The waitresses in my part-time job could even be described as a 'community of practice' on their own, as not only did we have the shared interest of being polite and efficient but working together and helping each other out during busy hours at the restaurant.
This lead me on to Wenger's second characteristic of 'Communities of Practice'--- The Community
This is where members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. This was definitely the case between the waitresses, and certainly built in to a wider community along side the chefs. Relationships were built that enable each of us to learn from each other. Often when a new waitress began work, one of the other waitresses than had been working there longer, took her on to train her in all the activities and jobs we had to do.
This leads me to Wengers third characteristic of 'communities of practice' and that is ----The practice -----A community of practice is not merely a community of interest--people who like certain kinds of movies, for instance. Members of a community of practice are practitioners.
In AJ's (the restaurant I worked in) The practice involved running the restaurant productively and effectively whilst being able to take time out and be polite and at times over helpful towards customers. As a team we also shared the knowledge of being able to help each other out, whether it was simple tasks as how to work the tills or perhaps dissatisfied customers.
Friday, 20 February 2009
Somebody else's blog!!!!
I did a random search for somebody's else s blog and after rummaging through a number of blogs this one struck me. http://sarahstourdiary.blogspot.com/2009/02/this-makes-me-happy.html
I really liked this blog not only is it very popular 10,315 profile views, but the author uses a range of colourful images, videos, and colourful writing. The blog is mainly articles of her interest, and her day to day activities, for example her tattoo extravaganza. It is highly personalised - "an online stream of consciousness".(http://www.journalism.co.uk/5/articles/5604.php)
The author also asks advice off her readers of what they think she should do, or perhaps asking people opinions of questions she asks. It also seem that she trys to encourage readers of her blog to vote and particpate in her interests such as " SSOV head office" (vegan interests) she also writes up her opinions and thoughts on her favourite films.
The author, Sarah, i think is some sort of female magazine writer, who is also using her blog to promote her stuff.
Most of the responses are from friends or fans.
It is definately a very female orintated blog which would attract female attention.
I really liked this blog not only is it very popular 10,315 profile views, but the author uses a range of colourful images, videos, and colourful writing. The blog is mainly articles of her interest, and her day to day activities, for example her tattoo extravaganza. It is highly personalised - "an online stream of consciousness".(http://www.journalism.co.uk/5/articles/5604.php)
The author also asks advice off her readers of what they think she should do, or perhaps asking people opinions of questions she asks. It also seem that she trys to encourage readers of her blog to vote and particpate in her interests such as " SSOV head office" (vegan interests) she also writes up her opinions and thoughts on her favourite films.
The author, Sarah, i think is some sort of female magazine writer, who is also using her blog to promote her stuff.
Most of the responses are from friends or fans.
It is definately a very female orintated blog which would attract female attention.
Enough about blogs???
Do some online research into blogs as a new media genre: their origins, development etc and share your findings in your entries. What forms of expression are they really good for?
'When a type of discourse or communicative action acquires a common name within a given context or community, that’s a good sign that it’s functioning as a genre (Miller, 1984). The weblog seems to have acquired this status very quickly, with an increasing amount of attention and commentary in the mainstream press reinforcing its status.' (http://mediatingconflict.blogspot.com/2008/10/blog-genre-literary-form-medium.html)
My research led me to this above quote, which i felt was helpful in looking at blogs in relations to genres. Blogs are one of the most popular of online content, informational blogs allow writers to share their interests, skills, and knowledge with interested readers.
An interesting article by Frédéric Filloux has also helped to shed light on the subjects of blogs. He quite rightly states that blogs started as "little more than populist rants" but has now "transcended its origins and grown into a fresh new journalistic genre, one that is likely to become the main engine of modern news sites."
I found it interested how blogs have now become trusted sources or even help shape debates. Alot of journalists now use blogs (check out “The Note” a blog, created by ABC News in 2002 and read the story in The New Yorker about its founder Mark Halperin), which people find far more interesting and enjoyable to read than a proper news story, therefore if you want to find something" livelier, more fun, with more flesh, you turn to blogs maintained by trustworthy journalists". http://www.mondaynote.com/2009/01/05/blogging-a-new-journalistic-genre/
'When a type of discourse or communicative action acquires a common name within a given context or community, that’s a good sign that it’s functioning as a genre (Miller, 1984). The weblog seems to have acquired this status very quickly, with an increasing amount of attention and commentary in the mainstream press reinforcing its status.' (http://mediatingconflict.blogspot.com/2008/10/blog-genre-literary-form-medium.html)
My research led me to this above quote, which i felt was helpful in looking at blogs in relations to genres. Blogs are one of the most popular of online content, informational blogs allow writers to share their interests, skills, and knowledge with interested readers.
An interesting article by Frédéric Filloux has also helped to shed light on the subjects of blogs. He quite rightly states that blogs started as "little more than populist rants" but has now "transcended its origins and grown into a fresh new journalistic genre, one that is likely to become the main engine of modern news sites."
I found it interested how blogs have now become trusted sources or even help shape debates. Alot of journalists now use blogs (check out “The Note” a blog, created by ABC News in 2002 and read the story in The New Yorker about its founder Mark Halperin), which people find far more interesting and enjoyable to read than a proper news story, therefore if you want to find something" livelier, more fun, with more flesh, you turn to blogs maintained by trustworthy journalists". http://www.mondaynote.com/2009/01/05/blogging-a-new-journalistic-genre/
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