Bridging the Distance: How distance and flexible learning is used to support rural development in...

Does education support rural development?Hróbjartur Árnason ,University of Iceland

  photo: Some rights reserved by Örlygur Hnefill

• Background• 4 examples• 2 didactical points

Nordic population density• Sweden - 9,230,000• Denmark - 5,510,000• Finland - 5,330,000 • Norway - 4,755,000• Iceland - 320,000• Greenland - 57,000• Faroe Islands - 49,000

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What did we do?• Six Symposia– Practical examples– Research results– Reflections on ideas

DISTANS Network:• Toured the Nordic countries• Visited educational sites

Distans.wetpaint.com

• Shrinking infrastructure• Few opportunities• „Lower“ quality of life•Difficult to offer learning because students are few and scattered

Challenges mentioned

Let them eat cake!

Let them learn!

Using distance and flexible learning to bridge distances 

Mariann Solberg:Flexible learning can support rural areas by giving:

• Qualified workers• Increased innovation• Even out social and geographic

inequality• Democratic participation• Personal development• Slows down emigration

Four examples from Iceland:

3/4Capital: Reykjavik

320.000 inhabitants100.000 km2

ÍsafjörðurNursestudents create cohort in isolated town

Synchronus, cohort in one distant location

Teacher training: Asynchrounus and blendedIndividual students persue studies with work, and attend F2F gatherings on campus.

Stykkishólmur + 8 other Regional and topical research centres • Attract students to rural

areas for intensive courses• Teachers teach online or

visit university

Háskólasetrið á HornafirðiHöfn og Kirkjubæjarklaustri

Rannsóknasetur HÍSuðurlandi, Selfossi og

Gunnarsholti

Rannsóknasetur HÍVestmannaeyjum

Háskólasetur SuðurnesjaSandgerði

Háskólasetur SnæfellsnessStykkishólmi

Rannsóknasetur HÍVestfjörðum

Bolungarvík og Patreksfirði

Rannsóknasetur HÍNorðvesturlandi

Skagaströnd

Rannsóknasetur HÍNorðausturlandi

Húsavík

Rannsóknasetur HÍAusturlandiEgilsstöðum

Nine research centres

Computer school invites online participants into class

People who live in rural areas can participate in classroom based teaching through their own device

Issues• Online Students tend to

connect content less to own situation

• Marianne Solberg:– find it difficult to get

students to connect learning to own life, and find their "own voice" in the subject.

• Anna Guðrún Edvardsdóttir:– Students did not question

learning content– did not relate content to

own situation

• Women did not go into new arenas

• "Education is not enough"– "Good life" – Quality of life

• Can technology increase quality of life– Isolation– OTHER people

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Meaning for didactics

• Point ONE: Create and train community

• Point TWO: Connect learning to local life

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Point ONE: "Create community" • Emphasize community in

online courses• Train online skills:

– find– connect – lead– innate– participate

• Join communities– Forums– Communities of

• practice• interest• innovation

– Social networks• Connect people better

together– locally– globally

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Point TWO:

Connect learning to local life• Duty of teachers of distance students:• Help students

– Connect content • Local meaning• Personal consequences

– Root their learning in local• issues• culture• needs

– How• Questions• Learning Projects• Flexibility

• Connect studies to– Local benefit– How can content improve

• local situation• What can I do?

– Quality of life

More information

• On the presenter: Hróbjartur Árnason• On this project • Other presentations from this session