ODL: New Approach to 21 st Century Education Olugbemiro JEGEDE

ODL: New Approach to 21st Century Education

Olugbemiro JEGEDEOlugbemiro JEGEDE

2

The Future is NowNew approach for a new century?

Old approach for an emerging concern?

An ageless realistic approach for all times

It is the answer to an age long question of enhanced access to education for all

3

The QuestionsWhy educate everyone?why remove disparities in educational access?why search for alternative delivery modeswhy look for flexible and cost effective means?

4

Security and Fairness‘human history becomes more and

more a race between education and catastrophe’ (HG Wells)

‘human insecurity comes in many forms. The most basic and lethal are illiteracy and innumeracy’ (Amartya Sen)

‘only the well educated will be able to act effectively in the Information Society’ (Michael Barber)

5

Worst Kept SecretEffective national development

depends on education

The bedrock of education is the acquisition of knowledge

Leads to a Knowledge Society, a Learning Society and a Wise Society

6

Education & Development

Since Independence, Nigeria has demonstrated an irrevocable and unwavering commitment to education as tool for national and personal development.

The country also regards the pursuit of education as an inalienable right of every citizen.

7

RequirementsIndividual and institutional levels:skills and ability to be creative with

knowledgetechnical know-how and transfer of

technologypolicy analysisdevelopment managementassessment of alternative courses of

action

8

Commitment to Education

international

1948: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 26 ensures right to free elementary education for all children.

1990: the World Declaration on Education For All

1993: the UN Standard Rules on Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

2000: MDGs and 2001: the UNESCO EFA

Inclusive Education 2008

All G-9 Declarations

9

Development Needssustainable development

highly educated, mobile and adaptable workforce

multi-skilled and multi-tasked

a knowledge and a learning society

use of ecological and geographical conditions to a nation’s advantage

10

national

Universal Primary Education

Education For All

Nomadic Education

Education Sector Analysis

Universal Basic Education

Roadmap for the Nigerian Education Sector

Commitment to Education

11

Lifelong Learninglearning – natural consequence

making learning a continuous lifelong activity

everyone to learn continuously from ‘maternity to grave’

development of a ‘Learning’ or ‘Knowledge Society

12

00 SpatialSpatial

TemporalTemporal

Flexibility in time, space, contentFlexibility in time, space, contentNon formal

Formal

Informal

Adult

Home

School

Work

Retire

Self-directed learningSelf-directed learning

Sharing with othersSharing with others

Varied learning stylesVaried learning styles

Learning SocietyLearning Society

Dimensions

13

Our Present

14

DemographyPopulation is

about 140 million

Republic with 36 states, 774 Local Govts

6 geopolitical zones

15

EnrolmentsLevel Number Students No

AccessPrimary 44,000 24 million 20 million

Secondary

Voc & Tech

10,000

65

8 million

280,000

27 million

Col. of Educ

& Polytechnics

64

80

550,000

350,000

2million

University 98 1,196,312 6 million

16

ADMISSIONS

2004/515.4%

2005/0615.7%

2006/0716.5%

2007/0812.9%

2008/0914.1%

2009/1011.1%

Average14.3%

17

Boom in H. EducTremendous expansion of secondary

education

Increase in jobs and professional activities requiring high level knowledge and skills

Continuing demand for higher studies

Continuing education

Education For All and social justice

18

Concerns formal education system cannot cope with admission requests Less than 15 per cent of applicants admitted to Universities,

Polytechnics & Colleges of Education 2009 JAMB examined 1.9million candidates and less than

200,000 can get admission need to enhance Education for All and Life-long Learning

initiatives Cannot rely on brick and mortar structures, cannot afford the

expenses of conventional universities Option is ODL that guarantee access and ensure quality

Open Access: Open Access: a 21a 21stst Century Century

ImperativeImperative

20

Current Realityopen and distance learning is not a future

possibility for which higher education must prepare

it is a current reality creating opportunities and challenges for educational institutions;

a reality offering students expanded choices in where, when, how, and from whom they learn;

a reality making education accessible to ever larger numbers of persons” (Mehrotra, Hollister, and

McGahey (2001, p. ix).

21

..the UnreachedGROUPS

disadvantaged

marginalised

underrepresented

underprivileged

Nigeriawomen, girls &

childrenunemployed youthssocially

disenfranchisedNomads & people who

fishworkers

22

DL has many labelsinstruction by a mode other than the

conventional face-to-face methodcharacterised by physical separation

between the teacher and the learner, instruction delivered through a variety of

media including print, and other information communication technologies to learners

What is DL?

23

Open LearningOpen Learning - flexibility of and access to

instruction in order to ensure broad availability of educational opportunities to all

Openness disregards age, previous level of academic achievement, and other factors,

eliminate artificial barriers to education as a life-long pursuit in a democratic environment

24

access

restricted open

closed flexible equitable equality cheap

rigid

entry qual

time bound

expensive

Extensive learner support

Instructionally designed materials

Learner-focused, modular, thematic

Individualised and self-paced

Allows for different levels of independent programmes: e.g B.Sc, MSc, Ph.d

Close and Open

25

Our Past

26

Origin of ODL began in the late 1800’s as Correspondence study

by:Isaac Pitman, who taught shorthand via correspondence study in

England in the 1840

started in the United States in 1873 when Anna Eliot Ticknor founded a Boston based society named

The Society to Encourage Studies at Home.

started in Australia1860s for primary education1901 by the University of Queensland

UNISA started in 1916 and became a correspondence university in 1946.

27

ODL in Nigeria Nigeria started out with correspondence colleges

Rapid Result College, Wosley Hall, Pitman Institute, Exam Success Correspondence

Oxford Univ extra mural studies at UC 1948

ABU University of the Air in 1972

University of Lagos COSU 1974 

The National Teachers Institute 1976 National Open University opened July 22, 1983, and closed April 25,

1984 Part-time/Sandwich/Outreach programmes by Universities Dual Mode Institutions: UI DLC 1988,CDL&CE Abuja 1990, OAU CDL 1993

National Open University of Nigeria 2002

28

Social Purpose & Realities

The social and economic dimensions of providing education for all, within the context dwindling financial situation

astronomical numbers, the diverse nature of the unmet demands, the constraints of resources, the need for flexible tailor-made delivery of instruction with little disruption in the national, family and individual circumstances; and taking advantages of emerging information communication technologies (ICTs) in relation to Nigeria’s peculiar situation,

the most logical pathway is by the distance education method.

29

Our Future

30

technology will increasingly dominate domestic, economic and social life

financial and economic world will change into a plastic world

increase in demand for constant communication and use of telecommunication

society will become less personal, concentrate more on nuclear family

unrivalled demand for education

C21st Nigeria

31

C21st Learnerseasily bored, require multiple stimuli

know more about technology than teachers and parents

unreasonable expectations: learning is easy, prosperity requires no hard work, access to information = acquisition of knowledge

Please fax, text or email

Check the web, facebook, blog or twister

32

C21st Teachersnot the boss but the facilitator

guide learners to information

‘no longer sage on stage but guide on the side’

learning with technology must begin with educating teachers

33

7-point AgendaPower and Security, Food Security, Wealth

Creation, Transport Sector, Land reforms, Security, and Education.

With regards to education the document says that:

“The two-fold reforms in the educational sector ……….will be achieved through massive financial injection into the Education Sector.”

Implications:Time, Excellent teachers and budget envelope

34

21st century Education commitment to open and equal opportunities, a pedagogy that redirects significant control and

authority toward the learners, a set of instructional design principles and methods

of facilitating interaction, special leadership and managerial practices,

rethink educational policy, find an effective way of organising resources balancing technology and teachers to create a more efficient system

promises better instruction, better quality of learning, and far better returns on investment in education and training

• Human Resource

Development

•Capacity Building

•Mass Literacy

•Education For All

•Social Mobilisation

•Universal Basic Education

• Mass Teacher Education

Open and Open and Distance LearningDistance Learning

•Technology & Computer Literacy

•Communal Ownership of Education

36

Mass EducationOpen and Distance Learning:

weapon of mass instruction

democratises and liberalises education

flexible and life long

quality assured and includes all

allows individualised learning and at own pace

37

An Unusual SupportYale Professor William Rainey’s comments

about ODL about 50yrs ago:“The student who has prepared a certain number

of lessons in the correspondence school knows more of the subject treated in those lessons, and knows it better, than the student who has covered the same ground in the classroom. The day is coming when the work done by correspondence will be greater in amount than that done in the classrooms of our academies and colleges; when the student who shall recite by correspondence will far outnumber those who make oral recitations” (Watkins, p. 4).

38

The Challenges

AC

CE

SS

COST

QU

AL

ITY

GOVERNANCE RELEVANCE

TheNIGAVEKAR

pentagon

Stakeholders

The Iron Triangle of Education

40

ChallengesAdvocacy and mainstreaming of ODL low public and intra-institutional perception

of the ODL alternative lack / inadequate number of trained ODL

teachers and technical support services, Inadequate or lack of Infrastructural support

for excellent ODLDevelop full-fledged ODL strategic planCascading non-formal with formal leading up

to the tertiary level.

41

Future of ODL opportunities for distance education are limitless

and ODL programmes are here to stay appreciate costs needed for substantial investment

and training, need for long-term planning and development and

re-organisation of administrations careful attention to designing and implementing

high quality distance education programmes quality issues and accreditation must be addressed distinction between andragogy and pedagogy

42

Thank youjegede@nou.edu.ng

jegedeo@gmail.com

+23412712667

+2348035916823