Gabon is a Sub-Saharan francophone country which has been independent since August 1960. Its Educational System is modelled on the French System. However, the Gabonese Education System currently does not have any guidelines or policies for the system-wide implementation, integration and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the education system. The Gabonese Government committed itself to some ICT-related partnerships, but did not launch any programme or activity relating to those commitments. In addition, the Government provided funding to change the country’s Internet connectivity by satellite with the WASC/SAT3 sub-marine cable in order to make Internet access and connection ten times cheaper at the international level. Unfortunately, the benefit from this investment is not experienced in the country as the potential users, such as teachers, keep having challenges with Internet connection. After fifty years of independence, the government also does not offer sufficient opportunity for teachers to enhance their pedagogical knowledge and skill through teacher professional development (TPD). As a result, no research, guidelines or policies exist for the implementation and use of Open Distance Learning (ODL) for TPD supported by ICT. The aim of this qualitative descriptive exploratory research study was to explore, describe and understand the enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in the ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. Although the academic seat for this research was the School of Continuing Teacher Education on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University in South Africa, the research project’s focus, conceptualisation, data-collection and data-interpretation were all based and conducted within the researcher’s heimat, i.e. the Gabonese Education System context. An interactive qualitative casestudy research design (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Merriam, 1998) was used in this investigation to obtain in-depth context sensitive data concerning the attitudes, fears, needs, expectations, infrastructure and readiness of the Gabonese Education teachers (at schools and training institutions) for the implementation and use of ICT for ODL training of Gabonese English (second language) teachers, collected through qualitative research methods, i.e. semi-structured open-ended individual and focusgroup interviews, as well as additional research artefacts in the form of photographs to visually record the unique contexts involved. The researcher decided to involve Gabonese English (second language) teachers in the investigation, as he has worked in this discipline for at least twenty years. To ensure sufficient participants, the researcher made use of a snowball strategy where participants in the research referred others. Participants were also selected according to specific selection criteria. Two English (second language) teachers, one school principal, four ICT specialists, one advisor of English teachers, and one inspector of English teachers (ICT specialist) participated in eight individual interviews. Nine English teachers and two advisors of English teachers participated in four focus-group interviews. All interviews were conducted in French. At the North-West University in South Africa, the researcher transcribed the interview data and used ATLAS.ti™ (qualitative data-analysis software) to construct an integrated data-set for analysis. Qualitative data-analysis was performed under the guidance of an expert researcher in qualitative data-analysis. The relevant research findings were translated into English for the purpose of this report. Qualitative data-analysis of the integrated data-set identified six categories of data related to three themes, i.e. (i) Gabonese Education, (ii) ICT in Gabon and (iii) ODL in Gabon. The six categories are: (i) Challenges of Gabonese Education, (ii) Enablers of Gabonese Education, (iii) Challenges to implementation and integration of ICT, (iv) Enablers of ICT; (v) Challenges of ODL, and (vi) Enablers of ODL. These categories supported by codes and quotations provide basic ideas on the research enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. The discussion comprises thirty codes, and recommendations are made. The findings of this rich qualitative exploration could benefit and support the Gabonese Education Department, policy makers and academic institutions in their quest to implement, integrate and use ICT in the TPD of in-service teachers via DE and ODL. / Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Development))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Gabon is a Sub-Saharan francophone country which has been independent since August 1960. Its Educational System is modelled on the French System. However, the Gabonese Education System currently does not have any guidelines or policies for the system-wide implementation, integration and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the education system. The Gabonese Government committed itself to some ICT-related partnerships, but did not launch any programme or activity relating to those commitments. In addition, the Government provided funding to change the country’s Internet connectivity by satellite with the WASC/SAT3 sub-marine cable in order to make Internet access and connection ten times cheaper at the international level. Unfortunately, the benefit from this investment is not experienced in the country as the potential users, such as teachers, keep having challenges with Internet connection. After fifty years of independence, the government also does not offer sufficient opportunity for teachers to enhance their pedagogical knowledge and skill through teacher professional development (TPD). As a result, no research, guidelines or policies exist for the implementation and use of Open Distance Learning (ODL) for TPD supported by ICT. The aim of this qualitative descriptive exploratory research study was to explore, describe and understand the enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in the ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. Although the academic seat for this research was the School of Continuing Teacher Education on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University in South Africa, the research project’s focus, conceptualisation, data-collection and data-interpretation were all based and conducted within the researcher’s heimat, i.e. the Gabonese Education System context. An interactive qualitative casestudy research design (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Merriam, 1998) was used in this investigation to obtain in-depth context sensitive data concerning the attitudes, fears, needs, expectations, infrastructure and readiness of the Gabonese Education teachers (at schools and training institutions) for the implementation and use of ICT for ODL training of Gabonese English (second language) teachers, collected through qualitative research methods, i.e. semi-structured open-ended individual and focusgroup interviews, as well as additional research artefacts in the form of photographs to visually record the unique contexts involved. The researcher decided to involve Gabonese English (second language) teachers in the investigation, as he has worked in this discipline for at least twenty years. To ensure sufficient participants, the researcher made use of a snowball strategy where participants in the research referred others. Participants were also selected according to specific selection criteria. Two English (second language) teachers, one school principal, four ICT specialists, one advisor of English teachers, and one inspector of English teachers (ICT specialist) participated in eight individual interviews. Nine English teachers and two advisors of English teachers participated in four focus-group interviews. All interviews were conducted in French. At the North-West University in South Africa, the researcher transcribed the interview data and used ATLAS.ti™ (qualitative data-analysis software) to construct an integrated data-set for analysis. Qualitative data-analysis was performed under the guidance of an expert researcher in qualitative data-analysis. The relevant research findings were translated into English for the purpose of this report. Qualitative data-analysis of the integrated data-set identified six categories of data related to three themes, i.e. (i) Gabonese Education, (ii) ICT in Gabon and (iii) ODL in Gabon. The six categories are: (i) Challenges of Gabonese Education, (ii) Enablers of Gabonese Education, (iii) Challenges to implementation and integration of ICT, (iv) Enablers of ICT; (v) Challenges of ODL, and (vi) Enablers of ODL. These categories supported by codes and quotations provide basic ideas on the research enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. The discussion comprises thirty codes, and recommendations are made. The findings of this rich qualitative exploration could benefit and support the Gabonese Education Department, policy makers and academic institutions in their quest to implement, integrate and use ICT in the TPD of in-service teachers via DE and ODL. / Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Development))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

L’avènement des MOOC et le buzz qu’il génère font du e-learning un sujet d’actualité et un enjeu stratégique de développement pour les universités. Cependant, force est de constater le peu d’études économiques traitant de ce sujet alors que cette modalité de formation existe depuis plus de dix ans dans les universités françaises. Quels sont les modèles économiques de ces formations, quelles sont leurs efficacités, quels impacts peuvent-elles avoir et à quelles conditions ?En levant les contraintes liées au temps et les contraintes liées à l’espace, le e-learning réinterroge l’approche économique de l’éducation que ce soit du point de vue de l’offre, de la demande ou des politiques éducatives. Nous proposons la mise en perspective des principaux enjeux économiques du e-learning universitaire diplômant, à partir de ces différents points de vue et ce dans une démarche d’évaluation. Le corpus théorique de l’économie de l’éducation et l’approche par les capabilités d’Amartya Sen sont mobilisés comme grille de lecture ce qui nous permet de mettre en lumière l’un des enjeux économiques majeurs du e-learning : le développement. Il permet d’atteindre un nouveau public contraint par la géographie et par sa situation d’emploi. Enfin la comparaison de deux mises en œuvre de politiques éducatives différenciées, celle de la Chine et celle de la France va nous permettre de rendre compte de réalisations concrètes et de démontrer la pertinence du e-learning en termes de développement des territoires. / The advent of MOOCs and the buzz it generates defines e-learning as a main topic in the development strategy of universities. However, very few economic studies have been done about it, even if this type of training has been present in French universities for more than ten years. What are the business models of this form of curriculum, how to mesure its efficiency and impacts?Lifting the constraints of time and space, e-learning reexamines the economic approach to education from the points of view of supply, demand or public policies. This work offers a perspective on the main economic issues for universitary graduating e-learning, from these points of view and through an assessment process. The theoretical corpus in economics of education and Amartya Sen’s “capability approach” are used as a reading tool which allows us to highlight one of the major economic issues of e-learning: regional economic development. This educational form allows the reaching of new audiences constrained by geography or employment status. The comparison of two implementations in two different educational policies settings -that of China and France- allows us to report on concrete results and demonstrate the relevance of e-learning in terms of regional development.

C’est une thèse qui s’inscrit dans les sciences de l’information et de communication, sous l’ongle de l’évolution, des médias.. Les nouvelles technologies d’information et de communication (NTIC) ont investi notre vie quotidienne, les objets connectés ont considérablement modifié les pratiques et les usages dans les services de formation des entreprises, notamment en matière de communication interpersonnelle et des relations pédagogiques numérisées. Ce travail de thèse a pour vocation d’éclairer les formateurs des centres de contact sur les processus, les conditions de réussite et les enjeux de l’intégration du e-learning. Et ce, en analysant de quelles façons les nouvelles pratiques de formation, notamment via des plateformes en ligne, les technologies de l’information et de la communication ont transformé les méthodes de formation « traditionnelles ». Nous nous intéressons plus particulièrement aux usages et outils regroupés sous l'appellation « e-learning » dans le cadre de la formation professionnelle, initiale et continue. / This thesis is part of the information and communication sciences, under the nail of evolution, of the media. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have invested in our everyday life, globalized digitization and connected objects have considerably modified the practices and uses in the training services of companies, especially in terms of interpersonal communication and digitized pedagogical relations. This work of thesis aims to accompany the trainers of the contact centers on the processes, the conditions of success and the stakes of the integration of the e-learning. By analyzing in what ways new training practices, notably via online platforms, generalized digitization have transformed "traditional" training methods. We are particularly interested in the uses and tools grouped under the name "e-learning" in the context of initial and continuing vocational training.

This qualitative study based on the interpretive/constructivist perspective, investigates the environment in which ODL addresses high and diversified demands for participation in higher education in Botswana. The driving concern for the study is the apparent low enrolments through the ODL mode of delivery in some dual mode institutions in Southern Africa. The scope of the study is the Botswana higher education sector, with UB, which is the only public dual mode higher education institution in Botswana, being the case studied. The main investigation question is “why do some dual mode higher education institutions in Southern Africa continue to enroll lower figures through their ODL than their face-to-face mode of delivery, though ODL is purported to have the potential to increase access more substantially than face-to-face”. Data collection methods are semi-structured interviews and document review. Participants are purposively selected from UB, TEC and MOESD, based on their experience in planning, policy and implementation of the ODL mode of delivery. Qualitative content analysis is the method of analysis. The major findings of the study are that ODL in the UB dual mode system has grown very slowly, resulting in insignificant impact on increasing participation in higher education in Botswana. This study has indicated some external and internal challenges that ODL might experience in some dual mode settings, as well as opportunities that can be taken advantage of to grow the mode. It has also indicated that ODL has the potential to address the challenges of high and diversified demands, if it could benefit from pre-planning, adequate resources, monitored implementation and appropriately trained staff. The conclusion drawn is that Botswana needs ODL for increased participation in higher education. The study ends with possible areas of future research around ICT environment for the growth of ODL and enhancement of equivalency where both ODL and face-to-face are considered for higher education provision. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Dans un contexte professionnel en perpétuelle mutation, les salariés ont la nécessité de se former régulièrement, et ce quel que soit leur niveau de formation initial. Nous avons coutume de lire et d’entendre que le taux d’abandon et le taux d’échec des apprenants dans un dispositif de FOAD est supérieur à celui observé dans la formation présentielle. Ces défections ou revers peuvent être la résultante de divers facteurs dont: l'isolement de l'apprenant, un défaut d'ergonomie de l'environnement d’apprentissage (pédagogique, technologique) ou bien le manque d'autonomie de l'apprenant. Pour passer d’un système fondé sur la transmission du savoir (présentiel) à un système fondé sur l’appropriation et la création de connaissances (FOAD), il faut consentir des efforts particuliers, aussi, notre objectif est de découvrir : comment s’y prennent ceux qui vont jusqu’au bout et réussissent leur formation ? Pour répondre à cette question, nous allons investiguer les styles d’apprentissage des apprenants, qui induisent les méthodologies et stratégies d’apprentissage, ainsi que leur dimension auto-formative qui est une composante importante de la FOAD, due à l’éclatement des unités de temps, de lieu, d’action. Ainsi, nous souhaitons découvrir quels sont les styles d’apprentissage des participants d’une part, en essayant de voir quels sont ceux qui éventuellement dominent, et d’autre part, définir quelle est la capacité d’auto-apprentissage des participants dans le processus de formation ouverte et à distance. La FOAD suppose un ancrage fort dans l’humain, notamment les dimensions psycho-affectives et cognitives. Tous les participants ayant réussi leur formation, nous espérons découvrir chez eux des traits individuels, des dominantes ou constantes comportementales qui pourraient peut-être l’expliquer. / In a constantly changing professional environment, employees need to train regularly, regardless of their level of initial training. We usually read and hear that the dropout and failure rate of learners in an open distance learning device is higher than that observed in the classroom training face to face. These defections or setbacks may be the result of various factors including: the isolation of the learner, poor ergonomics of learning environments (educational technology) or the lack of learner autonomy. To move from a system based on knowledge transfer (face to face) to a system based on ownership and knowledge creation (Open Distance Learning), we must make special efforts, however, our goal is to discover how they managed to complete their education and succeed? To answer this question, we will investigate the learning styles of learners, which induce the methodologies and learning strategies and their self-formative dimension that is an important component of distance learning, due to the breakdown of unit’s time, place, and action. Thus, we would discover what are the learning styles of participants on the one hand, trying to see which ones may dominate the other hand, define what is the capacity for self-learning participants in the process of open and distance learning.ODL requires a strong anchoring in the human, including dimensions psycho-emotional and cognitive. All participants who successfully completed their training, we hope to discover in their individual traits, the dominant behavioral or constants that could possibly explain.

La disparition d'un dispositif de français en ligne et à distance ne peut qu'interroger quand elle a lieu dans le contexte d’une université ouverte. C’est de cette interrogation que part la présente thèse située en sciences de l’éducation et en didactique des langues et ancrée dans le domaine des cultures d’apprentissage, de l’autoformation et du FLE, et dont l’objectif initial était de réaliser l’analyse du déclin du dispositif pour essayer d'en comprendre les raisons. Le dispositif ayant été coordonné, conçu et réalisé par des personnes d’origines européenne et africaine, prévu pour un public tanzanien, et ayant reçu un soutien important de la coopération française et de la hiérarchie de son université d’implantation, l’Open University of Tanzania (OUT), il a, d’abord, fait l’objet d’une réflexion portant sur les cultures et habitudes d’apprentissage au sein de l’OUT afin d’étudier dans quelle mesure une culture pédagogique du Nord, présente à travers les acteurs français et formés en France, et la culture d’apprentissage des étudiants tanzaniens inscrits à l’OUT pouvait entrer en tension et constituer une cause de la disparition du dispositif initial. A côté de cela, il n’était pas possible non plus d’oblitérer la question de potentielles divergences fatales au sein même du dispositif de français, renvoyant à un possible décalage entre les conceptions des acteurs (concepteurs, enseignants et étudiants) pour ce qui concerne l’enseignement et l’apprentissage des langues mais aussi l’apprentissage médiatisé par les technologies. Au-delà de l’analyse du déclin du dispositif, cette thèse, en croisant les réponses des étudiants avec celles des responsables et enseignants de l’OUT a permis de mettre au jour, chez les étudiants, des pratiques originales marquées par la culture (d’apprentissage) tanzanienne. Elle révèle comment les étudiants reconstituent du présentiel au sein d’une université ouverte qui prône l’autoformation et propose des enseignements exclusivement à distance. L’étude montre au final, que c’est au niveau micro des conceptions et de l’adhésion des acteurs aux principes initiaux du dispositif que se situent les réels enjeux. L’analyse croisée des résultats de l’étude sur le dispositif de français (des documents fondateurs du dispositif de français aux réponses des étudiants et des enseignants) montre que de fortes convergences existent entre le dispositif tel qu’il a été pensé, d’une part, et les pratiques des étudiants de même que leurs attentes à l’égard d’un dispositif d’enseignement-apprentissage des langues, d’autre part. Mais les tensions se révèlent particulièrement fortes quand il s’agit d’envisager le numérique dans la formation en français. L’analyse rend manifeste que ce sont les conceptions négatives des enseignants au regard du numérique en éducation qui conduisent à l’abandon du dispositif en ligne au profit d’un enseignement en présentiel et que, contrairement à l’institution qui intègre les pratiques étudiantes, les enseignants en charge du dispositif de français ne prennent pas en compte les pratiques et attentes de leur public. Cette étude montre donc que, tout au moins dans le cas étudié, les tensions potentiellement fatales pour un dispositif ne se situent pas dans la rencontre des cultures d’enseignement-apprentissage si, comme, le montre l’adaptation du fonctionnement de l’OUT aux pratiques effectives des étudiants, une volonté d’adaptation est présente permettant d’aller vers une culture commune. Les difficultés apparaissent lorsque les cultures d’apprentissage et les pratiques sont imaginées et/ou projetées à partir d’expériences personnelles et que la mise en avant de ces cultures et pratiques ou non-pratiques imaginées, conduit à l’imposition du dispositif qu’un groupe d’acteurs disposant d’un certain pouvoir entend privilégier. / The decline of an online and distance learning program for French as a foreign language offered in an African open university is the starting point of this research, which is located in the fields of educational sciences and applied linguistics and dealing with learning cultures, self-training and language learning methodology. The initial objective of this PhD thesis was to understand what caused the program to fail. The teaching and learning program was coordinated, designed and implemented by people of European and African origin, intended for a Tanzanian audience, and received significant support from French cooperation and the hierarchy of its host university, the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). The thesis analyses the cultures, especially the learning cultures within the OUT, in order to explore to what extent the encounter of a pedagogical culture of the North, present through the French agents and African teachers, who were trained in France, and of the learning culture of Tanzanian students enrolled in the OUT could be a factor explaining the decline of the initial program. The thesis also investigates possible fatal divergences within the French program itself, analyzing a possible discrepancy between the conceptions of the different parties involved in the program (designers, teachers and students) with regard to the teaching and learning of languages but also to computer assisted (language) learning. Beyond the analysis of the decline of the system, this thesis has made it possible to reveal, among students, original learning practices shaped by the Tanzanian (learning) culture. It shows how students create face to face learning situations in an open university that promotes self-study and offers exclusively distance learning. It also highlights the fact that the institution has partially adapted and integrated the practices of its students. The study shows that the actual (cultural) challenge lays on the micro level of the attitudes and beliefs and the acceptance of the initial principles by the different agents. The investigation of the French program (including the documents that established the pedagogical principles of the program and the responses of students and teachers) shows that there is strong convergence between the program as it was designed on the one hand, and students' practices and conceptions of a language course on the other hand. But tensions are particularly high when it comes to considering digital technology in French language training. The analysis highlights that negative teacher conceptions of digital technology in education has led to the termination of the online learning program in favor of face to face teaching and that, unlike the institution that integrates student practices, teachers in charge of the French program do not take into account the practices and expectations of their audience. This study therefore shows that, at least in the case studied, the potentially fatal tensions for a learning program are not caused by the encounter of teaching and learning cultures if a willingness to adapt and to move towards a common culture is present. Difficulties arise when learning cultures and practices are imagined and/or projected from personal experiences, and when the focus on these imagined cultures and practices (or non-practices) leads to the imposition of a particular system by a group of agents with some power.

Studies relating to recent curriculum changes implemented by SAICA and CIMA with an increased focus on pervasive skills are limited. The problem addressed in this study related to the challenge faced by ODL accounting education institutions to deliver practice-ready accounting graduates. This study explored accounting educators’ and students’ perception of whether pervasive skills can be developed effectively through the use of case studies in an ODL environment. The study aimed to determine whether ODL accounting departments should introduce a dedicated case study-based module as part of their curriculum. The perceived level at which case studies should be introduced, challenges and the benefits of case studies in light of their pervasive skills development potential were considered in an ODL environment. The study revealed that the case study-based approach is effective and that a staggered approach to introducing case studies in existing accounting-related modules tailored for different difficulty levels, would be appropriate. / Management Accounting / MPhil (Accounting Sciences)

Les difficultés croissantes de l’enseignement supérieur en matière d’accessibilité aux formations et de disponibilité de filières de qualité, dans les pays en voie de développement de l’Afrique de l’Ouest notamment, conjuguées avec le développement vertigineux des technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC), suscitent un grand espoir de faire de la formation à distance une solution alternative crédible des formations présentielles (OCDE, 2006). Or, si la littérature s’accorde à reconnaitre aux TIC et l’interactivité qu’elles procurent des facteurs favorisant l’apprentissage (Karsenti, 2006), la réalité du terrain éducatif lui impose de reconnaitre que non seulement la révolution de la formation ouverte et à distance (FOAD) n’est pas encore d’actualité (OCDE, 2006), mais qu’elle ne le sera que si, pour faire face à la distance transactionnelle, plus accrue en formation à distance, l’apprenant ne se contente plus d’apprendre, mais d’apprendre à apprendre, ce qui exige de lui des compétences d’autonomie. Or, malgré des décennies d’intérêt et d’investissement de la recherche, le développement de l’autonomie sur le terrain reste toujours marginal, les débats philosophiques ayant pris le pas sur la quête de solutions pratiques (Albero ,2003). La question de savoir comment les éducateurs de la FOAD utilisent les solutions existantes, censées favoriser l’autonomie de l’apprenant, telles certaines formes de tutorat et de travail de groupes, n’est pas sans intérêt, puisqu’elle permet de mieux comprendre le terrain cible et sa part de responsabilité dans cet insuccès de l’autonomie. S’inscrivant en droite ligne des travaux d’Albero (2003), la présente étude organise les principes d’autonomie suivant un cadre conceptuel privilégiant l’action et le développement, selon une dimension dynamique symbolisant l’importance du soutien à accorder à l’apprenant, une dimension topologique indiquant la nécessité pour ce soutien de prendre en compte les différents aspects sur lesquels l’apprenant peut exercer son autonomie et une dimension chronologique exprimant l’importance du désétayage. De façon pratique, cette étude, démarrée en 2009 dans le contexte de la FOAD du 2IE (Institut International des Ingénieurs de l’Eau et de l’Environnement), sis à Ouagadougou au Burkina Faso, s’organise en trois articles : le premier tente de comprendre si les conditions d’efficacité de la FOAD, selon les apprenants, formulent un besoin d’apprentissage en autonomie; le second tente de comprendre, à partir des propos des tuteurs, si l’encadrement des apprenants respecte les principes d’autonomie; enfin, le troisième article s’est penché, sur la base des intentions exprimées par les concepteurs, sur le respect des principes d’autonomie par les cours. L’éloignement des apprenants et l’objectif de comprendre leurs perceptions de la FOAD, nous ont fait préférer une approche de recherche de type mixte, à la fois qualitative pour mieux comprendre leur perception (Karsenti & Savoie-Zajc, 2004) et quantitative, pour tenir compte de leur éloignement. Pour la perception des éducateurs, nous avons opté pour une approche qualitative/descriptive plus appropriée dès que l’étude vise la compréhension du phénomène social abordé (Karsenti & Savoie-Zajc, 2004). Des résultats obtenus, la perception des 62 apprenants sur les 170 initialement invités par courriel à répondre au questionnaire, semble confirmer l’autonomie de l’apprenant comme une condition de leur réussite en FOAD. La demande des apprenants pour un soutien accru, malgré l’effort actuellement consenti par l’encadrement, effort reconnu par les apprenants eux-mêmes et qu’attestent les 10 tuteurs interviewés sur une quarantaine au 2IE, devrait, toutefois, inviter à la réflexion, puisque ne s’opposant pas réellement à un apprentissage en hétéronomie. À l’analyse, il apparait que l’insatisfaction des apprenants s’expliquerait par la non-prise en compte des différents aspects susceptibles d’influencer leur apprentissage. De plus, en nous référant aux entretiens avec les 11 concepteurs de cours sur un total de 30, il apparait que, bien que conscients de la nécessité d’adapter les cours au contexte de la FOAD, ni la modularité des contenus, ni la flexibilité de la structure des cours ne semblent être prises en compte. Au final, l’étude révèle l’urgence de lutter contre les habitudes acquises en formation présentielle et la nécessité d’employer des pédagogues professionnels formés pour une pédagogie d’autonomisation. Encore faudrait-il que l’autonomie soit véritablement consacrée par la littérature comme une praxis pour signifier qu’elle n’a d’autre fin qu’elle-même, et non comme une poiesis, pour dire que l’autonomie vise une production et cesserait dès que son objectif est atteint. / The increasing difficulty of providing university education in developing West African countries due to lack of access and inadequate facilities, combined with the breakneck development of information and communication technologies (ICT), have given rise to hopes that open and distance learning (ODL) can provide a practical alternative to face-to-face classrooms (OECD, 2006). However, although the literature reports that ICT and the interactivity they provide can foster learning (Karsenti, 2006), the reality of current education systems forces us to admit that not only has the ODL revolution not been fully realized (OECD, 2006), it will happen only when, to cope with transactional distance, which is a major factor in ODL, learners will not be content with simply learning but will learn how to learn, and this will require autonomous skills. Nevertheless, despite decades of interest and research, real learner autonomy is still marginal, and philosophical debates have replaced the quest for practical solutions (Albero, 2003). It was therefore deemed relevant to explore how ODL educators use available solutions, said to foster learner autonomy, such as certain forms of tutoring and group work. The aim was to gain a deeper understanding of how these practices are applied and their role in the failure to develop autonomy. Following the works of Albero (2003), this study organizes the principles of autonomy within a conceptual framework: interrelations between action and development are described, evidencing the importance of providing support to learners. This topological dimension underscores how educational support must take into account the diverse areas where learners can exercise their autonomy, and a temporal dimension highlights the importance of the progressive reduction of support. This study was initiated in 2009 under the ODL program of the 2iE (International Institute for Water and the Environment) at Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. It is organized as three articles: the first seeks to identify the conditions for effective ODL as perceived by learners, and evokes the need for autonomous learning; the second attempts to understand, based on interviews with tutors, whether coaching practices conform to autonomous principles; and the third, based on the expressed intentions of the course designers, examines course compliance with autonomous principles. Given the geographic distance between learners and our aim to understand their perceptions of ODL, we adopted a mixed methods approach, using qualitative methods to better understand learners’ perceptions (Karsenti & Savoie-Zajc, 2004) and quantitative methods to account for their isolation. To grasp the educators’ perceptions, we opted to use qualitative description as a more appropriate way to comprehend the social issues involved (Karsenti & Savoie-Zajc, 2004). Of the 170 learners who were emailed a questionnaire, 62 responded. The results appear to confirm that learner autonomy is a condition for successful ODL. Nevertheless, requests by the learners for more support, despite ongoing efforts under the coaching system, efforts recognized by the learners themselves and confirmed by the ten tutors interviewed out of 40 approached at the 2iE, led us to reconsider: there may still be a place for heteronomous learning. The analysis suggested that learners’ dissatisfaction could be explained by the failure to take into account diverse aspects liable to influence learning. In addition, referring to the interviews with the 11 course designers (out of a total of 30), it appeared that, although they were well aware of the need to adapt the courses to the realities of ODL, neither site-specific contents nor flexible structures were included in the course design. The study concludes on the urgent need to cast off traditional face-to-face learning modes and to hire professional educators trained in learner empowerment. And the question arises: will autonomy ever be defined in the literature as a praxis, i.e. a goal in itself, or will it remain a poiesis, whereby autonomy aims for production and loses its purpose once the objective has been obtained?

Thesis (Ph.D. (Educational Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / The primary aim of this study was to investigate the growing rate of dropout phenomenon within the ambiance of higher education and to develop a support model for lower-postgraduate students. Anchored within Maxwell’s (2012) model of qualitative design, this case-study research has employed the deficit theory and the theory of transactional distance to guide the investigation. While the theoretical evidence was garnered through the application of traditional (narrative) literature review design, the empirical evidence was achieved by targeting lecturers, administrative officers and dropout students. These participants were only those who have respectively taught an advanced communication research (COM4809) module which is offered in the department of communication science as part of the honours programme, who have been involved into the administration of the module in the same department and who have dropped out of COM4809 between 2011 and 2016. Purposive selection technique was used to sample distinct units of analysis at various levels. At the first level, the University of South Africa (Unisa) was used as a case ODL university. At the second level, COM4809 was used as an ideal module to demonstrate that dropout is prevalent at an honours postgraduate level within the ODL domain. At the third level, lecturers were also purposively included into the study since they were key informants. With regard to administrative officers, a census approach was adopted to include the only two administrative officers who have been involved in the administration of COM4809 between 2011 and 2016. Dropout students were selected using snowball and purposive sampling techniques. While the purposive selection of dropout students from the given dataset (statistical information) of 219 dropouts, which was requested from the information and communication department (ICT), was used, the snowball selection method came into play when lecturers identified twenty-one dropout students from their personal records and furnishing the researcher with detailed contact information about them. However, the researcher has managed to hold focus-group interviews with a group of six dropout students and telephonic interviews with ten dropout students, summing up to 16 participants. Focus-group interviews were also undertaken with a cohort of eight lecturers while another seven lecturers have participated in the in-depth interviews. Data were analysed through the use of qualitative content analysis method, and O’Connor and Gibson’s (n.d) design viii    to analyse qualitative data was used. To ensure the credibility and dependability of findings, a triangulated approach to data collection and analysis were used. The study unveiled four major themes on dropout factors, namely: dropout factors associated with students’ personal circumstances, with lecturers’ personal circumstances, with institutional (academic) circumstances and with those factors which are determined by circumstances of other units of analysis (other research contexts). The study has further revealed that while the majority of factors can be controlled, others cannot. Based on the findings and the literature, an integrated honours student-centred support model (IHSCM) was developed to serve as a framework within which to understand dropouts of lower-postgraduate students in an ODL institution. Findings have demonstrated the importance of providing support services in an ODL environment and advocate for a holistic approach towards addressing attrition. The proposed model is envisaged to better expound dropout attributes, which lead students to discontinuing their studies in the ODL environment, and to assist ODL institutions to effectively address the concern. ODL institutions, which want to apply the proposed IHSCM, should do that with caution in mind owing to the fact that the model is not yet tested. Hence, it is inferable to suggest that future research should focus on its impact in the reduction of dropouts of honours students in ODL contexts.   Key words: Student dropout (attrition), dropout student, open and distance learning (ODL) institution, Higher education institution, distance education, student support intervention (services, intervention, mitigation strategy) and student support model (framework).