DISTANCE EDUCATION: A NEW PRIORITY

The Horizon Report ( New Media Consortium www.nmc.org 2007), identified the most recent trends in Open Distance E-Learning (ODeL) via various scientific data analysis and listed the following fact as their very first outcome: " The environment of higher education is changing rapidly. Costs are rising, budgets are shrinking, and the demand for new services is growing. Student enrollments are declining. There is an increasing need for distance education (own italics), with pressure coming not only from nontraditional students seeking flexible options, but from administrative directives to cut costs. The"shape" of the average student is changing too; more students are working and commuting than ever before, and the residential , full-time student student is not necesasarily the model for today's typical student. Higher education faces competition from the for-profit educational sector and an increasing demand by students for instant access and interactive experiences."

A digital divide exists between the young and upcoming generations who grew up with video games versus traditional textbook orientated academe. Young peoples' ideas about technology differs from traditional computer illiterate academe. Although lecturers try their level best to keep up with the latest technology, there is not always the funds to purchase the latest technology while the new Internet boomers are well informed about the many possibilities of downloading their lectures on MP3 players and state of the art cell phones. No big deal for them even to evesdrop and copy lectures. Subsequently universities are forced to adapt their budgets so that students can use integrated text and voice versions. Once it is available to fulltime students, it could also give access to part time and distance students.

New technologies to watch in 2007, says The Horizon Report (www.nmc.org 2007), are:

* User-created content and social networking (i.e blogs photostreams abd wikibooks);

* Mobile phones and virtual worlds ( GIS, photo's and video); and

* Massive multiplayer educational gaming (Opensource gaming engines to widen access for developers).

Most certainly the last word has not yet been written on these multiple blended trends in higher education offerings, especially not for Open Distance E-Learning (ODeL). It already became a permanent item on the academic agendas of senates and university councils.

The author of this essay urges his own institution, namely the Central University of Technology, Free State to prioritise ODeL within a new holistic academic plan in order to widen access, increase enrollments and enhance success rates with modern state of the art acadamic support systems.