Trinity

Innovation in International Higher Education: :
The Open Universities

One of the most striking international developments in higher education in the past decade has been the establishment of a significant number of open universities around the world. This paper summarizes the nature of the open university movement and goes on to discuss the open universities as a case of innovation in international higher education. The paper argues that the very nature of the open learning enterprise has forced the universities associated with it to be innovative in ways and to an extent rarely realized in conventional universities. This innovation is described under the categories of organization and administration, and curricu lum and instruction. The paper uses the case study literature associated with the open universities to draw examples of innovations intended but not realized, “actual” innovations, and unintended innovations. The paper concludes with some examples of potential innovations in open universities which could be of some significance in the future. [Abstract, Creative Commons]

Computer Assisted Learning or Communications:
Which Way for Information Technology in Distance Education?

Two uses of computers for teaching in distance education are compared and contrasted: systems based on structured, pre-programmed learning materials (i.e., computer assisted learning, or CAL), where the learner communicates as if with the computer; and systems based on the communications functions of computers (i.e., computer-mediated communications systems), using electronic mail, conferencing and data-based to facilitate communication between teachers and students.

It is argued that the two systems represent quite different educational philosophies, and for distance teaching at a higher educational level, the communications mode offers a more appropriate, humanistic, and pragmatic route for future development. [Abstract, Creative Commons]

Abstract

This paper examines the grounds for regarding the study of distance education as an emerging academic discipline. The number of studies of various aspects of distance education has increased enormously in the last ten years. This paper categorizes these studies into groups dealing with various larger issues. besides the increasing amount of research, both theoretical and practical, some institutions offer distance education courses on distance education. The paper examines the developing trends in studies of distance education, including the questions of individualization and student autonomy, the amount of support necessary for adult students, a education must also be examined in the ongoing search for a comprehensive theory of distance education. [Creative Commons Source]