OPEN LEARNING RESEARCH PROJECT (11)

APPENDIX : E

REPORT TO THE COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (CHE) OF AN INVESTIGATION LED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION: ENHANCING THE CONTRIBUTION OF DISTANCE HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: FREE STATE

Compiled by:

Dr KJ de Beer
Director: Distance Education

UNIT FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT

2004-11-02

Table of contents:

Page:
Abstract 3-4

1. Orientation 4-5
2. Key national policy issues 5
in Distance Education since 1994
3. Criteria for DE 5-6
4. Future of DE- provision 6
5. Quality 6
6. Issues for additional research 7
7. Cost and funding 9
8. Strategies for quality assurance 9
9. Sharing learning resources 9-10
10. Learning centres 10-11
11. Conclusion 11-12
12. Recommendations to the VCET 12-13
13. References 13

Appendix A:

Cost analysis of the Kimberley distance campus

Appendix B:

Instruction of the DoE to reimburse subsidy payments

ENHANCING THE CONTRIBUTION OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CUT

ABSTRACT

Due to a number of changes within the South African higher education system CUT will have to reconsider the role of distance education within the Free State and Northern Cape provinces (Cf. Council for Higher Education, 2004: 185-186).

Currently students enrolled for distance education constitute between 4% and 32% of FTE’S at traditional face-to-face universities. Altogether, only 10,96% of total FTE’S at face-to-face universities use distance education, while for Universities of Technology the figure is 4,74%.

There is clearly a need for the CUT to continue to offer predominantly face-to-face programmes, but this should not be rigidly applied. For example, it may well be that the University of the Free State and Central University of Technology could best fulfill their declared regional niche development role by offering many of their programmes for permanent employed learners who cannot attend full time classes within the Free State Higher Education Consortium. Realisation of such institutional goals would almost certainly involve substantial use of blended learning. Blended learning curriculum delivery is where two or more curriculum delivery modes are blended into the most effective delivery mode for a specific part of a curriculum, utilising a variety of teaching strategies such as problem based learning, obe, etc.

According to the HEQC-strategies for ensuring the quality of e.g. short courses, would require new accreditation requirements in collaboration with SETAs. This accreditation process would include demonstrating institutional readiness to offer such accredited programmes also as distance programmes. It must fulfill a range of criteria governing quality distance education provision. Once the HEQC-criteria have been met, SAIDE suggested to the Ministry that no further restrictions be placed on the educational methods that institutions use to fulfill their missions and achieve their goals. It is argued that the accreditation processes which the HEQC has put in place for programmes moving into distance education mode are now sufficiently refined to ensure that the quality concerns of the Ministry will be resolved. With regard to existing DE programmes of the CUT, recommendations 3,4 and 5 of the SAIDE-report focusing on quality assurance, will ensure that reasonable levels of quality are achieved (CHE, 2004).

Moreover, it is suggested that the Ministry should not apply any additional criteria to the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) who offer distance education (DE) such as the CUT, except insofar as any programme moving from a predominantly face-to-face mode of delivery to a predominantly distance education mode of delivery. In particular it should be noted that applying “caps” of lower than around 500 learners contradicts the financial logic of distance education. It is subsequently suggested that permission be granted for CUT that the Kimberley and Kroonstad distance campuses could enroll up to 500 learners.

It is, however, clear from stakeholder representations that the Programme and Qualification Mix (PQM) process urgently needs to be refined, especially with respect to the concept and functioning of regional clearing houses and participation of the new UNISA in these, as well as what is understood by unnecessary duplication. Any judgment on duplication / overlap need to be based on an investigation to establish what is the “same” or “different” about any given programme. Equally, issues of quality, the area targeted (regional or national), whether a programme is a niche programme or not, and the need for such a programme (number of distance learners), need to be taken into consideration.



Orientation

The Corporate Academic Plan 2004 of the CUT clearly states that:

“Consistent with the National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) objectives
vis-á-vis distance education and the creation of a dedicated distance education institution, the Department of Education (DoE) has in July 2004 given notice to this institution to phase-out its distance education services…

Subsequently, it was instructed by the DoE that the affected students in Kimberley must form part of the National Institute for Higher Education: Northern Cape. The affected students at Welkom will be incorporated into the Welkom Campus (the previous Vista University Campus).

However, the implications of the CHE-report (2004) on distance education, holds no direct implications for the status quo at the CUT. In fact it enhances the indirect possibilities for accredited distance short courses (e.g. Service Learning Programmes) and web based E-learning (to supplement main stream curriculum) at Learning Centres (Cf. recommendations for a network of Learning Centres, of this document, infra, point no 10). Regional Learning Centres are generally referred to as distance facilities or “branches” of HEIs- main campuses (e.g. the Kimberley and Kroonstad distance facilities of CUT). This terminology have already been applied in a previous Blue Print (2002) for the CUT. However, it was changed back to distance campuses by the DoE (Cf. Appendix B).

CUT is also a founder member of the National Association for Distance and Open Learning (NADEOSA) which is closely co-operating with SAIDE, the African Council for DE and the Commonwealth of Open Learning. The importance of these affiliations is testimony that the CUT is nationally recognized as one of the historically HEIs who offered DE. Membership of NADEOSA and international invitations to participate in DE- conferences ipso facto qualifies the CUT to be part of the family of DE- institutions both nationally as well as internationally. Dr KJ de Beer is also an executive member of NADEOSA and is dually familiarized with the contents of the SAIDE-report to the CHE (Cf. co-executive member, E.O. Mashile’s representing NADEOSA on the CHE Project: The Role of Distance Education in the South African Higher Education System, p. 191 of the document).

Mrs Jenny Glenny, Managing Director of SAIDE and member of the NADEOSA Executive Committee, serves on the CHE and keeps NADEOSA members up to date about the issues regarding distance education and the subsequent blurring boundaries with face to face contact lectures. Jenny Glenny reiterates the fact that the CHE-document as such should not be regarded as a SAIDE-report but that SAIDE was only part of a national, SAUVCA and international research team. SAIDE was only a co-compiler of the report. Yet until this date, no response has been received from the Minister of Education whether the proposals for DE and a possible new task team to do further research were acceptable or not. SAIDE however, expects a more positive stance towards DE than in the case of the previous minister of education. This is one of the main reasons why the CUT remained a member of NADEOSA, especially when the association also included “Open Learning” in its mission. As a full member, CUT via its participation in NADEOSA, stays related to Distance Higher Education and Open Learning.

Prof Wally Morrow of SAUVCA, also delivered a paper at NADEOSA’s conference in 2003 about the pre-mature perceptions on distance education. He also advised SAUVCA members not to close their distance campuses pre- maturely. The former Technikon FS (CUT) was also requested to submit questionnaires about its own distance education programmes to SAUVCA, but the required information does not directly reflect anywhere in the report. Our response to SAUVCA overlaps in many areas, e.g. with student support, financial support, governance, size and shape addressed in the CHE-report (2004: 163; 166; 185; 186).

Key national policy issues in DE since 1994

The main implication for CUT is to become part of a co-ordinated national network of learning centres in for example within the Free State Higher Education Consortium to share distance facilities (Cf. p. 22).

Criteria for the provision of DE

My own experience as Director for DE is that the CUT does not always meet the regional needs of the learners of the distance campuses, e.g. programmes in advanced IT, Engineering, Health and Environmental Sciences while accredited short courses were always requested by advisory boards of CUT- DE campuses, except for Kroonstad where Management Sciences may be regarded as sufficiently enough. However, short courses in Agricultural Management were always in demand within the maize triangle (Kroonstad/Bothaville).

In the former QwaQwa distance campus, Welkom and Kimberley, CUT management programmes overlapped respectively with the University Free State, UNISA and other partners within the National Institute for Higher Education: Northern Cape. Due to the unwarranted strain on scarce resources caused by duplication, the DoE promotes the idea of a cross-sectoral comprehensive distance education institution for the whole of South Africa under the UNISA umbrella. The implication for the CUT is to co-operate within such a single co-ordinated structure if it wants to continue or extends its current Distance Education-programmes in the Free State and Northern Cape, particularly programmes at postgraduate level with Web CT support which is a priority for learning support (p. 33).

Future of DE provision

If CUT decides to continue/maintain its DE component, a mixed mode (read Blended Learning) which includes e- learning, is proposed with a strong focus to expand SET programme offerings of delivery within a network of technologically well-equipped centres, e.g. in a similar way as the Edupark in Polokwane (Cf. p.35). In the edupark model, a great variety of HEIs and other private partners offer DE according to their own delivery methodologies and maintain their individual academic characters. The HEIs claim their own state subsidies and only pay for shared facilities of the edupark in partnership with private companies who also develop lecture rooms and IT laboratories.

Quality

The key issue for the CUT is to offer equal quality higher education to both full-, part time, and distance education learners (Cf. pp. 97-99).

This implies almost the repetitious refrain for Higher Distance Education:

· Equal Academic support (study materials)
· Equal Learner support (counseling)
· Equal Library and Information Services (books)
· Equal Financial support (bursaries and grants)
· Equal Governance (senate and the student council).

Part time lecturers at the DE- campuses of CUT have to be trained in outcomes-based and learner-centered methodology. Subsequently, more dedicated time should be planned by main campuses staff for quality support to distance campus facilities and learners.


Issues for additional research

Of the five most relevant issues, namely the financing of DE, access to IT and that of the language of instruction; learning centres and expansion into Africa are the most important aspects for the CUT to investigate (p. 100).

A co-ordinated approach is constantly necessary for the CUT and the Free State Higher Education Consortium regarding:

· Learning Centres which is also in line with SAUVCA’s ideal for multi- purpose centres. The CUT thus have to seriously establish joint research programmes to investigate such models.

· Africanizing its DE-services which is absolutely essential for the CUT to position itself within the family of HEIs on the African continent. As such Blended Learning networks linked to a network of Learning Centres will definitely pave the route for the CUT into Africa.


Cost and funding

One of the implications of the current DoE policy on capping for CUT is that distance campus learner numbers will force the main campus to restrict new intake to balance FTE subsidies. However, the CHE document sets the minimum intake targets at 500 per learning centre (p. 186).

According to the CHE document it is difficult to differentiate between the costs of all HEIs who offer DE, due to inefficiencies in their financial analysis (p. 116). Subsequently, it does not provide a blueprint for the CUT. However, the CUT has to figure out the following:

Ø Full contact costs:

Some costs are related to learner enrolments (functional related)
Some costs are not related to enrolments
Stepped functions




Continuously rising of costs
Find Function
Averages

Total revenue
Total Cost
Surplus



Ø Dual DE-contact costs:

DE is characterized by economics of scale i.e. bigger is better when learner numbers increase.
Small DE courses, however, do not generate economics of scale.
Mix mode delivery (Cf. Blended Learning) is thus more cost effective because it is developed for both the main campus as well as for the perusal of learning centres.

To have a mix of synchronous and asynchronous delivery is the ideal. Due to the profit margins, the CUT should plough it back into the development of its learning cetres and to the advantage of the respective local communities. Although it is supposed to apply for both contact and traditional contact face to face learners, this was not always the case at the CUT. Profits generated by the learning centres must now be reimbursed to the DoE to the detriment of further development of the CUT-DE programmes (Please refer to the attached cost analyses: Appendix A and the DoE-instruction to reimburse subsidy payments: Appendix B).


Strategies for quality assurance:

Throughout the whole research process for the SAIDE report, investigators were directly confronted with the quality of DE materials and offering types. Subsequently the CUT is also compelled to comply with the next two HEQC- documents:

Ø Proposed criteria for the HEQC’s First Cycle of Audits: 2004-2009: Discussion Document, March 2003.
Ø Proposed Criteria for the Programme Accreditation Cycle: 2004-2009: Discussion Document, September 2003 (not circulated) (Cf. p. 146).

Consequently the CUT directly experienced the practical implementation of the HEQC’s standards for quality improvements during this Committee’s recent auditing of the Distance Campuses in Kimberley and Kroonstad respectively in May and August 2004. Therefore to comply with quality standards, the following essential HEQC issues deriving from their first cycle of audits are very important for the CUT to follow up:

Ø Learner support (face to face contact classes and counseling services to DE- learners)
Ø Material development (according to quality assurance criteria)
Ø Ethical marketing (not exploiting the respective communities)
Ø Assessment practices (equal practices as at the main campus).

Sharing learning resources

Concurrently with the quality aspect, cost, funding and fly by night schemes to exploit the DE industry, were the main concerns of the SAIDE- research team.

Therefore the DE-industry should be reformed between the DoE and the Department of Labour to make available funds for learning resource development in co-ordination with Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA’s). Consideration should also be given to the use of donor funding for the development of resources according to community driven and national driven needs (pp. 166-167).

In this respect it is proposed that the CUT should engage in:

Ø Developing learning resources for DE- learners in the Free State and Northern Cape, also in programmes for Engineering, Health and Environmental Sciences.
Ø Professional development for DE- lecturers by the Unit for Academic Development.
Ø Partnerships with the public and private sectors’ community needs.
Ø Equal incentives for DE- lecturers.
Ø Curriculum development and copy rights according to the CUT policy.
Ø Capacity building strategies for further research in DE- strategies.
Ø Access and equity for learners of various backgrounds.
Ø Generic graduate qualities for DE- learners (RPL, articulation and mobility to the main campus).
Ø Collaborative networks within the Free State Higher Education Consortium.

Learning Centres

A major implication throughout the CHE document for the CUT is to comply with the following:

The issue of a network of regional and national learning centres for distance education was not officially part of the remit of the CHE advice. However, a number of the stakeholders’ presentations to the CHE Task Team motivated for a co-ordinated approach to learning centres (Cf. p. 189).

Note was made of the large number of DE centres currently in operation around the country. Some 200 were indicated by the 2003 SAUVCA Occasional Paper, Learning Delivery Models in Higher Education in South Africa, of which UNISA reportedly accounted for 43 learning centres. The notion of a “centre” is no doubt open to many interpretations, as it clearly covers a range from sophisticated regional centres, such as UNISA have in most provincial capitals, to classrooms rented in a school, e.g. the CUT in Kimberley and Kroonstad. A thorough exploration how to co-operate with the UNISA network within the Free State Higher Education Consortium is thus recommended for the CUT to plan for the immediate future.

SAUVCA proposes in addition that:

All public HEIs should be guided through incentives towards developing strong co-operation in establishing shared, properly staffed, well-equipped, well-maintained, properly managed, and jointly financed Higher Education Learning Centres. These Higher Education Learning Centres should provide effective administrative and logistical support, sites for the delivery of ODL programmes with effective teacher-student interaction (such as audio-visual and computer assisted support), access to on-line library services, and personal computers (possibly with broad-band connections) and other reliable communication facilities, available to all public HEIs (SAUVCA: 2003 in CHE document 2004).

It is further proposed in the SAIDE-report (CHE, 2004) that a national task team be established by the CHE which involves SAUVCA in investigating mechanisms and procedures for the establishment of national public higher education learning centres and suggests that the investigation should cover exploring potential partnerships with other departmental initiatives establishing multipurpose centres.

SAUVCA suggests that UNISA as the single dedicated higher distance education institution should play a key role in co-ordinating the functionality of the higher education network, on the grounds that this institution will remain the dominant player in distance education in the foreseeable future. Moreover, UNISA will have additional commitment to such a network, given the emerging quality criteria and the increasing requirement of computer literacy for graduates in the 21st century. Clearly, co-ordination would require close consultation with other institutions including the Free State Higher Education Consortium so that their needs as well as those of UNISA shape the nature and operation of the network.

Conclusion

The White Paper of 1997 commits South Africa to a system of higher education that promotes equity of access and a fair chance of success, that meets national development needs including those for high-level person power), that supports a democratic ethos and a culture of human rights, and that contributes to the advancement of knowledge (p. 191).

This investigation demonstrates the crucial contribution of distance education to such a system, especially with regard to affording lifelong learning opportunities to working students, to students from disadvantaged communities, to adults and especially women, to people with disabilities, and to those living in the more remote areas of the Free State and Northern Cape.

This contribution could be greatly enhanced should a network of learning centres for the higher education system be developed on the African continent.

However, the nature and scale of the potential contribution of distance education will be seriously undermined if the concerns about quality that were identified by the research across the different types of institutions, especially in large-scale programmes, are not tackled and resolved. This will also be a prerequisite for the CUT.

Simultaneously, initiatives to provide innovative and high quality distance education should be facilitated and adequately resourced by the CUT’s Unit for Academic Development and the Centre for E-learning and Technological Education.

Finally, virtual centres of innovation in course design can assure that expertise is widely shared in ways that are conducive to critical discourse, creative thinking, and the advancement of knowledge. Although both the Deans: Academic Development and for Planning should be sincerely encouraged to enhance these ideals at the CUT, the main emphasis will be on institutional planning.

Recommendations to the VCET

In hind sight, the recent HEQC visitation to the CUT and its distance campuses as well as the Welkom campus, by implication, prioritized the values of distance education in concurrence with that of the CHE document. Without pre-empting the HEQC-report to the CUT in 2005, it could raise the following critical questions for the consideration of the VCET and which must be simultaneously conferred to the CHE document:

* Equal academic standards, especially for part time distance learners at the Welkom campus. The Quality Assurance Manager should also ensure that a proper Quality Assurance plan is implemented.
* Equal contact time classes for distance learners, the same as for part time learners at the main campus of the CUT.
* Management by a permanent appointed supervisor in the Unit for Academic Development to regularly co-ordinate the academic administration for the CUT at its distance facilities.
* That the post of the manager of the Kimberley Distance Campus should be upgraded to a permanent post level in order to be in a full time capacity to represent the CUT at all HEIs forums in the Northern Cape.
* That the Kimberley distance campus extends its services to Upington with a view to co-operate with the Satellite Campus of the Vaal University of Technology. (VUT) (Cf. the fact that the Deputy VC: Academic Affairs of the VUT was the chairperson of the HEQC visitation to the CUT).
*That the Kroonstad distance campus should be allowed to take in new enrolments for 2005 as a sub-campus of the Welkom CUT campus.
* Tangible evidence for co-operation with UNISA and the University Free State in the Northern Cape as well as the Northern and Eastern Free State within the Higher Education Consortium of the Free State. This implies the sharing of facilities such as classrooms, libraries, computer laboratories and part time lecturers in Kimberley, Upington, Kurruman, Welkom, Kroonstad, Sasolburg, QwaQwa and Aliwal North (Cf. Career Prep Programme offering facilities of the UFS as well as for RPL).


Finally, it is suggested that the VCET consider the following:


Marketing for Kimberley and Kroonstad up to the maximum learner intake of 500 per campus.
Giving a mandate to the Dean Academic Development to co-ordinate recommendations with the Director: distance education and the distance education managers of the Free State Higher Education Consortium.
Expand possible postgraduate courses which lends itself to DE modes to assist post graduate learners at a distance.
Instruct the Senate to re-evaluate the position of the CUT within SADC and the rest of the African continent for co-operation with a national and continental network of learning centres.
To apply the former concept of “Learning Centres” in the Blue Print of the CUT (2002) which is in accordance with the definition of Learning Centres in the CHE document (2004). Subsequently quality web based E-learning courses and materials should be equally used for full time, part time and distance learners. Each Learning Centre should be equipped with sufficient computer access points to enable all learners to have equal access to the contents of courses together with the usual face to face delivery.
The VCET should possible re-think its application to the DoE for a satellite campus at Welkom because it will be too cost expensive. I propose that the VCET rather consider partnerships with other HEIs’ distance programmes (e.g. telematic delivery), the public and private sectors within an EDUPARK concept such as in Polokwane. Also in the case of the Kimberley Distance Campus, it should instead form part of an EDUPARK concept in partnership with UNISA, UFS the mining sector and Provincial Government of the Northern Cape. As such it will also adhere to the SAUVCA concept of Learning Centres.

References

Blue Print for the Technikon Free State. 2002. Bloemfontein.

Corporate Academic Plan. 2004. Central University of Technology, Free State. Bloemfontein.

Council for Higher Education. 2004. Enhancing the contribution of Distance Higher Education in South Africa. Report of an investigation led by the South African Institute for Distance Education. September. Pretoria.


Signed:

http://academicdevelopment.blogspot.comDR KJ DE BEER Date:
DIRECTOR: DISTANCE EDUCATION 2004-11-05