Brindley, J.E. (1995). Learner services: Theory and practice. In Distansutbildning i itveckling, Rapport nr. 11 (pp.23-34). Umea, Sweden: University of Umea. This article discusses the changes in the field of open and distance learning and the need for a broader range of services for learners. More research is needed to determine what services are needed and the rationale for these services. A model is described to show the learning processes throughout the life cycle of the learner. Several issues are discussed, most notably those involving conflicting interests of the institution (budget, recruitment, universality and mass learning). While these issues continue to present problems, I believe that many institutions have now realized the advantages of ODL programs and are implementing solutions.
Croft, M. (1991). Report on round table on student support services (pp. 1-56). Vancouver, CANADA: The Commonwealth of Learning. This report is based on a round table of various institutions discussing student support service goals and issues for the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). A keynote paper (Croft) is presented which outlines the types of services offered and underlying issues. Services are divided between administrative and learning. The effectiveness of certain services are dependent on many factors such as access, cultural, initiation (student or tutor), isolation, and staff training and support. The special needs of women is also discussed. A major goal of the roundtable is to determine how to identify the services that match the particular needs of the students. Another important goal is to show how a given service can enhance learning and retention rates. Tutorial assistance is identified as a key area of support for learning, however modes of communication and costs are problems with this service. The views for the field section of this report cites specific examples that, in many cases, validate the keynote paper. Five well defined areas of recommendations are presented to the COL. Among these was the idea to implement assessment tools to create a library of profiles. I would be interested in seeing a follow up report on the results of implementing these recommendations.
Dillon, C.L., Gunawardena, C.N., and Parker, R. (1992). Learner support: The critical link in distance education. Distance Education, 13(1), 29-45. This is a study of learner support opinions from televised courses in Oklahoma. Comparisons are made between the survey results of on campus and distance students taking the same televised courses. Crucial findings included a higher grade for distance students in advanced and master level courses, where the on campus students scored better in introductory courses. This may indicate a greater level of motivation is necessary for distance courses to be successful. Another interesting finding was the importance of direct communications with the faculty during the class session. Frustrations included technical problems with the audio and library and courier services. It may not be possible to extrapolate the results of this study to other distance systems, since the synchronous features of televised courses are somewhat unique. However, the positive opinions of these distance students may indicate the need for synchronous services (telephone, chat, etc.)
Glennie, J. (1996). Towards learner-centred distance education in the changing South African context. In R. Mills, and A. Tait (Eds.), Supporting the learner in open and distance learning (pp. 19-33). London, UK: Pitman Publishing. This paper reviews the conditions of distance education in South Africa and proposes some changes. This newly democratic society is still seething from the racial prejudices of the past and education is no exception. Distance education is the only choice for large numbers of students, with little or no basic skills. A major challenge is to get the institution to recognize the need for a learner centered model. In many cases poor course materials with no student services are being pushed out just to satisfy the new goal of education and training as basic human rights. Glennie’s organization, the South African Institute for Distance Education, is attempting to change this. Their strategy is to develop a national network of quality providers and learning centers through advocacy, networking, research, professional development and planning. Examples of success are cited. This paper gave me an understanding of the vast differences in the needs of student services are in South Africa and probably many developing countries compared to the US.
Robinson, B. (1995). Research and pragmatism in learner support. In F. Lockwood (Ed.), Open and distance learning today (pp. 221-231). London, UK: Routledge. Robinson reviews the need for more research on learner support and makes conclusions about the existing research. One of the difficulties in research is due to the vast range of services and circumstances. Roles vary widely, making generalizations problematic. Also, the institution sponsoring the research may have some specific focus, making it only relevant to that institution. Due to these problems, no acceptable theories or models have yet emerged. This paper raises a question in my mind. Is it even possible to develop a single model of learner support given the large array of seemingly divergent characteristics?
Tait, A. (1988). Democracy in distance education and the role of tutorial and counselling services. Journal of Distance Education, 3(1), 95-99. In this article, Tait argues that the model of distance education defined by Peters can be manipulated by institutions and governments to a non democratic process of disseminating central ideas and knowledge. The traditional idea of open learning programs runs the risk of being closed. Tait cites several examples including the Free University of Iran, where distance education was used to keep students away from each other and the ideas and opinions that may have formed if they were together. Tait stresses the need for active tutorial and counseling services to prevent this. While Tait identifies a clear danger of distance education on a mass scale, I feel the primary reason for student services should be to enhance the learning process.
Tait, A. (1995). Student support in open and distance learning. In F. Lockwood (Ed.), Open and distance learning today (pp.232-241). London, UK: Routledge. This chapter outlines the elements of student support in open and distance learning (ODL). A model is described which moves the planning process from asking who are the students, to what are their needs, how will it be managed, what it will cost and how it will be evaluated. Each of these areas are then explored. Charts are used to describe characteristics of tension and organization. This chapter does not attempt to discuss issues in any depth. However, the need to move to a customer driven, not institution driven, approach is mentioned.
Garland, M.R. (1995). Helping students achieve epistemological autonomy. In Sewart, D. (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning: Volume 2 (pp. 77-80). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University. Garland’s article is a philosophical one, presenting the idea that distance learning needs to address the nature of the knowledge it is studying and how that knowledge matches the personal experiences and knowledge of it’s students. Certain tasks are identified to accomplish this such as using a collaborative teacher as a guide approach. Other tasks include providing real world examples and encouraging critical thinking. I think these are all relevant points which will foster real learning, however, this seems to be a very intense, time-consuming process for the faculty, possibly only appropriate for small classes.
Holmberg, B. (1983). Guided didactic conversation in distance education. In D. Sewart, D. Keegan, and B. Holmberg (Eds.), Distance education: International perspectives (pp. 114-122). London: Croom Helm. This paper outlines a theory that distance courses are more successful if the students engage in guided conversations with their tutors and peers. Seven postulates are given to support the theory, including the idea that feelings of personal involvement between tutor and student increase motivation. Characteristics of guided didactic conversation are cited such as invitations to exchange critical thinking ideas. At first glance, this seems obvious, yet the case studies chosen do not overwhelmingly support the theory. Students at an elementary level benefit more from didactic conversations.
Keegan, D. (1986). Interaction and communication, (Chapter 6, pp.89-107). In Keegan, D., The foundations of distance education. Kent,UK.: Croom Helm. This chapter reviews the ideas of five prominent authors of the use of communications in distance education courses. Baath concludes that several models of conventional teaching are applicable to distance education. He also stresses the importance and role of the tutor. Homberg’s theory of didactic conversation is examined next. His views of allowing self pacing are reviewed. Daniel’s experience in administering distance systems is next. Daniel has the opinion that personal contact, such as telephone or residential weekends, are necessary for DE communications to work properly. He also exposes the trade off between increased communications and cost. Stewart writes of the need for an intermediary between the institution and student. The lack of this, in many cases, has caused poor reputations for DE programs. Smith advocated the equal use of faculty between on and off campus students. Keegan points out that this may be possible in a small environment, but quality quickly suffers in a large scale deployment.
Morgan, C., and Morris, G. The student view of tutorial support: Report of a survey of Open University Education students. Open Learning, 9(1), 22-33. This report reviews a survey of Open University students in Wales on the topic of tutorial support. The findings show that this support is highly regarded by most students. The most important element of this support is shown to be personal contact, letters and phone calls, with the tutor. Students in rural areas are shown to have lower levels of satisfaction with the support primarily due to their difficulty in attending tutorials. Surprisingly, new students have higher approval levels than continuing students. This is thought to be true because advanced courses offer less tutorial support. Increased networking of students is seen as an area of potential to develop. This survey itself seemed to make students happy. Should a survey such as this become a standard element of the course offering?
Relan A and Gillani B. J. (1997). Web-based instruction and the traditional classroom: Similarities and differences. In Khan, B. (Ed.), Web-based instruction (pp. 25–37). New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications. Relan and Gillani discuss the new modes of learning offered by web based instruction (WBI) and how they compare to traditional instruction, including both teacher and student centered curriculums. These new features include a vast amount of resources allowing students to explore individually. Access to these resources can be anytime, assuming the student has a web connected computer at home. Real world experiences can develop with content experts. Cooperative learning expands to a world wide potential. Hypertext allows students to control their research and develop cognitive skills. Collectively, these features offer an opportunity to provide learners authentic learning experiences and to develop learning communities. I agree with all of these, however, a road map may be needed to show how to augment traditional instruction with WBI in a controlled, organized way.
Romiszowski, A. (1997). Web-based distance learning and teaching: Revolutionary necessity or reaction to necessity? In Khan, B. (Ed.), Web-based instruction (pp. 91-111). New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications. This article looked into the needs of tomorrow’s workforce and identified critical skills using a systems analysis approach. The inputs are the existing knowledge, the process is the knowledge worker and the output is a new creative piece of knowledge. Given this model, the technology, most importantly the internet, offers solutions such as self directed learning, hypermedia, and critical analysis communications. Problems with these solutions are discussed such as infrastructure requirements and information overload. It is argued that communications such as small group discussions and case studies are most effective at developing creative solutions, yet become more and more difficult unless they are networked as well. This, in turn, further broadens the impact. This article contained some advanced ideas which could be the basis for much further examination.
Wolcott, L.L. (1995). The distance teacher as reflective practitioner. Educational Technology, January/February Issue, 39-43. This paper discusses the need for teachers to reflect on conventional practices when teaching distance education programs. Reflection is needed in unstable practices and DE is postulated to be such a practice. This is because of it’s traits of increased interpersonal distance, lack of interactions and loss of visual and other forms of feedback. Teachers need to examine their philosophies by reflecting on the environment, learners experiences and their methods. One way to do this is to talk to other teachers and students about their distance experiences. Wolcott’s warnings show me that the transition from conventional to distance education is not easy and planning is an essential element for success.
Bowser, D., and Race, K. (1991). Orientation for distance education students: What is its worth? Distance Education, 12(1), 109-122. This is a review of a survey sent to DE students on the value of their orientation program, a face to face meeting held before the start of the school year. This program was most valued by new students, not surprisingly. Students asked for the opportunity to meet other students, which the author concludes is an indication that they may not want to be distance students, but that geography forces it on them. I disagree with this. There are many advantages to a DE program, such as access to a diverse group of participants and freedom to make your own schedule. Finally the survey indicates the desire for more material on the specific program of study during the orientation.
Brindley, J.E., and Fage, J. (1991). Counselling in open learning: Two institutions face the future. Open Learning, 7(3), 12-19. Brindley and Fage discuss the role of counseling in open learning by reviewing and comparing the programs at Athabasca University and the Open University. The AU program was centrally based, used certified psychologists and was separate from tutoring. OU used tutors as counselors, which made it more decentralized. At the writing of this article, the AU program had been drastically cut. With the future uncertain, an argument was made to increase counseling services as numbers and diversity of students grow. The issue of access is discussed as it relates to minorities. Finally, a call to continue researching the methods and effectiveness of counseling is made. I feel that the OU system of tutor counseling is the better one. It is already difficult to form distance relationships that students trust. Allowing the tutor to also be the counselor will make it a much more utilized service because of the relationship that has already been developed.
Manning, E. (1997). The preparation of students for distance learning: Two very different approaches from a wider European perspective. In Tait, A. (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, The Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning, (pp. 114-119). Cambridge, UK.: The Open University. Manning’s paper covers the importance of student services to prepare students for study, however, evidence of support for this need is not included. Two case studies are reviewed. The first covers a residential weekend for new students covering a vast range of experiences the students would encounter, such as deadlines. Everyone who attended gave a favorable review. The most important element cited was the meeting of their peers. The second study involved a web site offering a preparatory course. This offered many of the benefits of the weekend, but obviously didn’t allow meeting of peers. It is argued that face to face support not be replaced with web based systems because of this. However, the issue of cost is not addressed, especially when considering that only 20 students attended the weekend event.
Nilsson, V. (1989). Voluntary academic assessment to enhance independent learning. In Tait, A. (Ed.), Conference Papers, Interaction and Independence: Student Support in Distance Education and Open Learning, (pp. 167-181). Cambridge, U.K.: The Open University. This paper concerns the independence of a distance learner as it relates to the amount of interaction that is desirable. Voluntary assessments are used as examples of this. The independence associated with active learners is a positive trait, enabling students to assume the educator and learner roles. A discussion of student success deals with the idea that students are responsible for their success. This is a measurement of the effectiveness of faculty and student support services, but it is not their goal. Three voluntary assessments; writing, reading and math are described. These sound like very valuable tools, especially for new students. I’d be interested to know what the utilization rates are for these tools.
O'Rourke, J. (1995). A piece of the jigsaw: Student advising in distance education. In Tait, A. (Ed.), Collected conference papers, Sixth Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning, (pp.136-145). Cambridge, UK.: The Open University. This paper begins with a description of various student support services and their importance. The experiences of Professor Sally Haig and Dr. Monique Layton are shared. These two women provide a full range of services to their students such as registration guidance, tutoring, personal counseling, teaching, student advising and advocacy. Two the their best traits are responsiveness and a willingness to cut through the red tape for the student. They then share how distance education is much more than a packaged course and how budget cuts to student services threatens the whole business of distance education. I gained an appreciation for their real life stories and a better idea of what it takes to provide effective services.
Phillips, M., and Scott, P. (1999). Multimedia advice, guidance and counselling on the Web: A prototype learner's guide. In Tait, A. (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, The Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning, (pp. 121-130). Cambridge, UK.: The Open University. This article reviews a web based solution to provide interactive advise and counseling to students. It is very encouraging to me that these kinds of solutions are being created. The corporate world has embraced the idea of "mass customization" through the web. Perhaps some student services can be provided this way as well through personal portals. This prototype does a very nice job of offering all the major elements of student services in a rich graphical environment, that seems easy to navigate. One concern with use of audio and video is download time. The paper also discusses the issue of access, stating that this is not a replacement for conventional services.
Rhys, S. (1988). Study skills and personal development. Open Learning, 3(2), 40-42. This article deals with effective counseling. It correlates study skills with personal development and counseling with a personal relationship between the student and counselor. The intricacies of studying are examined and revealed to be very complex including things such as emotions, values, purpose, orientation and motivation. To facilitate study skills, a counselor must also develop an equally complex relationship with the student. This should develop in a two way "flexible partnership", where the counselor is listening as much as talking, allowing the student to develop autonomy. I think the two counselors portrayed in the O’Rourke paper show these exact kinds of qualities and validate these arguments. My concern would be that the increasing case loads may limit the ability of a counselor to develop these relationships. Pushing the counselor role to the tutor/faculty or even to peer groups may be a solution.
Simpson, O. (1992). Specifying student support services in the OU - the so-called Student Charter. Open Learning, 7(2), 57-59. This article discusses the creation of a student charter for services at OU. Simpson describes the need for firmer commitments to students. Assertiveness training was characterized as one of the most important support services you could give students so that they could ask for help when needed. A hidden agenda was to increase student demand for services which might prompt improvement in these services. The charter went through a watering down process and was finally delivered to students in a way where it’s effectiveness was questionable. An argument is made to continue to publish the document and improve on it’s message. I feel the goal of Simpson is justified, however the message could be delivered more effectively by using personal contact to deliver it.
Granger, D., and Benke, M. (1998). Supporting learners at a distance from inquiry through completion. In C.C. Gibson (Ed.), Distance learners in higher education, (pp. 127-137). Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing. This chapter provides an overview of the full range of services that should be offered to distance learners. The foundation of support services is to know your learners. Things about the student, such as prior knowledge and skills, experience, culture, context, goals and motivation, and learning styles are all needed to be known to provide the proper support. In preparing the students, an accommodative approach is needed to guide them to success. Portfolios and orientations are useful tools to accomplish this. The delivery of the course should also have support built into it. Automatic notices, self-help solutions, back-up systems and student feedback are all components to accomplish this. Faculty training on support services is also essential.
King, T.J. (1995). The identification of high dropout risk distance education students by the analysis of student records data. In Sewart, D. (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning: Volume 2 (pp. 98-101). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University. This study uses student records to determine patterns of students dropping out. The study is only done on one course with a very high drop out rate of over 50%. The groups that were found to have the highest drop out rates were under age 30 and unemployed. Another indicator of risk was students who had not completed year 11. These indicators clearly showed the usefulness of analyzing the school’s student record data, so that strategies of early intervention, such as letters from tutors, could be employed. An argument is made to open up this data to faculty and staff, so that these conclusions can be made earlier.
Phillips, S.E. (1995). The Commonwealth of Learning student record management system. In Sewart, D. (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning: Volume 2 (pp. 437-440). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University. This article is a review of a computer software package for administrative information. This software was developed by the Commonwealth of Learning and is intended for schools in developing countries. A thorough review of the features of this software shows an easy to use and complete product, including modules on student detail, programs, grading, correspondence and reports. At the time of this article the software had been distributed, free of charge, to over 40 institutions. A second version is planned.
Stephens, K., Unwin, L., and Bolton, N. (1997). The use of libraries by postgraduate distance learning students: A mismatch of expectations. Open Learning, 12(3), 25-33. This article deals with the use of libraries by post graduate distance students. A survey is used to determine if students are using libraries, the types of libraries and the distance to those libraries. The results show that many more students are using libraries than thought. This is true, even though it is not stated as a course requirement. In many instances, the students are visiting the closest library to them, which is usually the public library. The issue of possible inadequacies in these public libraries is discussed. It is also shown that when instructors explicitly mention that library use is not required, the rate of use declines. This study does not reveal the actual reason for the library visit. This could be an important element in planning. For example, I am at the local public library now. The sole reason is a quiet place to study.
Wong, A.T. (1997). Valuing diversity: Prior learning assessment and open learning. In Tait, A. (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, The Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning, (pp. 208-216). Cambridge, UK.: The Open University. This paper discusses the prior learning assessment (PLA). The PLA is described as a systematic process to evaluate and credit learning from non-educational institution sources. The PLA is gaining in popularity in Canada as a tool to recognize existing knowledge. This is opening access to a wider range of potential students, who otherwise, may not be qualified. The PLA uses various ways to evaluate this knowledge such as exams, equivalencies, and portfolios. Distance education programs can be utilized in the development of these portfolios. A continuing focus is needed for support of PLAs, as many faculty are still under the opinion that only direct course completion's should count for credit.