Search Results | VOCEDplus, the international tertiary education and research database

Changing apples into pears: transforming existing materials

This article describes how pre-reading material to an introductory banking course was transformed into a distance l ... Show more
This article describes how pre-reading material to an introductory banking course was transformed into a distance learning package. A transformation model has been devised and tested through a specific example. The limitations, assumptions, evaluation process, successes and benefits of the model are discussed. Show less

Authors: Davis, Hayley J.; Smith, Alison J.

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1996

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Research; Higher education; Providers of education and training ... [+] Show more
Heineken factor: reaching yet more isolated parts

This article reports on a study of the use of the telephone as a teaching medium in remote areas of the Scottish Bo ... Show more
This article reports on a study of the use of the telephone as a teaching medium in remote areas of the Scottish Borders. The area is subject to economic and social decline with a drift of young people to urban areas and a Continuing Education Network has been established for the provision of training services and vocational guidance. The article discusses the role of the Open University in this process and describes the design and implementation of the Langholm Project. Detailed appraisal of student responses to the courses using the telephone as a delivery medium is presented with a discussion of drawbacks and possible use in urban areas. Show less

Authors: Combe, Mike; George, Judith; Kirwan, Moira

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1998

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Higher education; Providers of education and training; Research ... [+] Show more
Distance education in sub-Saharan Africa: the promise vs. the struggle - part 1

This article, the first in a two part series, reviews the history and development of distance education in the angl ... Show more
This article, the first in a two part series, reviews the history and development of distance education in the anglophone and francophone centres of Africa. The author analyses the importance of the infrastructural environment when effective management on a long term basis is precluded by local or national shortcomings. Show less

Authors: Magnus, John

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1996

Geographic subjects: Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Research; Higher education; Providers of education and training ... [+] Show more
Analysing feedback processes in an online teaching and learning environment: an exploratory study

Within the constructivist framework of online distance education the feedback process is considered a key element i ... Show more
Within the constructivist framework of online distance education the feedback process is considered a key element in teachers' roles because it can promote the regulation of learning. Therefore, faced with the need to guide and train teachers in the kind of feedback to provide and how to provide it, we establish three aims for this research: identify the presence of feedback according to the regulation of learning required; characterise this feedback according to content (i.e. the meaning of feedback); and, finally, to explore possible relationships between feedback and the results of the teaching and learning process (i.e. students' satisfaction and final grades). The results for a sample of 186 students, taking nine courses at the Open University of Catalonia, are discussed in the light of feedback, which is considered a central element in university teaching practice in online environments. We conclude that, in general, the presence of feedback is associated with improved levels of performance and higher levels of satisfaction with the general running of the course.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Espasa, Anna; Meneses, Julio

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Europe; Spain

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Higher education

Subjects: Students; Higher education; Research ... [+] Show more
Does the delivery media impact student learning? A case study

This paper presents a case study which assesses the impact of delivery technology on student learning. The study co ... Show more
This paper presents a case study which assesses the impact of delivery technology on student learning. The study compares student experience in two classes in the same course with the same instructor but using different delivery media. Open ended questionnaires based on qualitative methods were administered to students, of whom some were undertaking daytime face to face classes, and others were doing evening audiographic classes involving voice and computer communication. Students were surveyed at the beginning, middle and end of the courses and their comments collated under five themes which affect learning: Personal factors, including time management, stress, role juggling and motivation; Learning environment, including location and duration of classes; Learning process, which encompasses interactions among participants and among classes; Pedagogical strategies; and Technology. The distribution of these comments among the sample groups is presented in tables with a summary of results and conclusions of each of the stages of the study. Show less

Authors: Maher, Elin

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1998

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Higher education; Providers of education and training; Research ... [+] Show more
Credible or tentative: a model of Open University students with ‘low’ educational qualifications

This paper presents a study of mature age students at the Open University who entered Level 1 Foundation courses wi ... Show more
This paper presents a study of mature age students at the Open University who entered Level 1 Foundation courses without A level qualifications. The study uses an ethnographic methodology within a social cognitive framework to examine the interplay between psychological, social and institutional issues which affected the students. The author’s model of ‘Tentative’ and ‘Credible’ students is used to provide an explanatory framework for these low qualifications students motivations, beliefs and behaviour and to help indicate which factors help students persist in the face of common obstacles. Show less

Authors: McAlister, Shelley

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1998

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Adult and community education; Higher education; Providers of education and training ... [+] Show more
Distance education in Sub-Saharan Africa: the promise vs. the struggle

This article is the second in a two part series which considers the implications for distance education in Africa o ... Show more
This article is the second in a two part series which considers the implications for distance education in Africa of orality and the use of foreign and second languages.The author reviews media, support services, and teaching and learning styles, and concludes by supporting the initiatives taken by inter-governmental agencies. Show less

Authors: John, Magnus

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1996

Geographic subjects: Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Research; Culture and society; Higher education ... [+] Show more
Lifelong learning in an urban setting: a DfEE/Birmingham TEC Project

This article reports on a project, run by Birmingham’s Training and Development Council, aimed to promote the conce ... Show more
This article reports on a project, run by Birmingham’s Training and Development Council, aimed to promote the concept of lifelong learning in practical ways, by deploying information technology to identify and remove barriers to learning through improved access and individual guidance. The paper describes the elements of the project and discusses the barriers that impeded success and how these might be overcome. Show less

Authors: Marr, Alan

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1999

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Participation; Lifelong learning; Technology ... [+] Show more
Two modes of distance education

The author cites attempts to divide distance education into categories based on the different generations of techno ... Show more
The author cites attempts to divide distance education into categories based on the different generations of technology used (ie. first, second or final generation). He argues that a more fruitful division might be between face-to-face provision, teaching at a distance and face-to-face at a distance or ‘virtual education’ and goes on to propose that the distinction between group and individual-based teaching in distance education is at least as important as distinctions based on the different generations of technology. Show less

Authors: Keegan, Desmond

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1998

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Higher education; Providers of education and training; Technology ... [+] Show more
Student attitudes to text design and tutorial activities: further consideration

This article reports on research into cultural attitudes among Hong Kong Chinese to teaching style in distance educ ... Show more
This article reports on research into cultural attitudes among Hong Kong Chinese to teaching style in distance education. On the basis of evidence, from a previous survey, of a lack of independent learning skills among Hong Kong students, a new survey was commissioned with the aim of exploring the suitability of adult learning and action learning approaches for local adult learners. The article discusses the relationship between learning styles and aspects of Chinese culture using Honey and Mumfords classifications and concludes by reflecting on possible adjustments that may be necessary in teaching and learning styles. Show less

Authors: Chao, Kenneth

Corporate authors: Open University

Date: 1998

Geographic subjects: Asia; Hong Kong (China)

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Open learning: the journal of open and distance learning

Subjects: Adult and community education; Higher education; Providers of education and training ... [+] Show more