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A distance education management model for the Polytechnic of Namibia

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A major factor affecting higher education world wide and in particular in Namibia
is a trend towards massification. Within Namibia this trend is due to an increase
in population, an increased demand for skilled human resources and an increase
in political power of the formerly disadvantaged communities. This resulted in a
rising demand that the government of Namibia provide access to higher
education for increasing numbers of young people. The Polytechnic of Namibia
(PaN) has therefore opted for distance education as a means of providing flexible
and cost-effective education to the people of Namibia.
The term "distance education" is currently accepted internationally to describe a
whole range of educational activities in which teaching and learning take place
without the students and the educators being together for all, or even most of the
time. This is made possible by the use of communication media in the form of
print, broadcasts, audio and video recordings, telephones or computers and often
a combination of several of these, usually in conjunction with occasional face-taface
contact between students and educators or between fellow students. These
common characteristics are the result of the convergence of various traditlena
and a variety of political, economic, social, educational and technological
developments in different countries at different times.
Managing distance education is a complex undertaking. In addition, educators
have so far only had limited experience of managing distance education,
because it has such a short history. This situation is further complicated by the
fact that such diverse media are used, each with its own peculiar characteristics
and that the scale of operation is often larger than in conventional education
institutions. For the purpose of this dissertation distance education institutions
were divided into four types, namely, dedicated distance education institutions,
departments of existing conventional education institutions, consortia and
hybrids. Furthermore, the internal organisation and management issues related to the management and administration of distance education were explored and
certain criteria were identified to develop a normative model of distance
education management for a mixed or dual mode institution like the PaN.
The current distance education management model at the PaN was evaluated in
terms of the normative management model identified. An evaluation was
undertaken to identify the shortcomings and to make certain recommendations to
overcome these shortcomings. A new distance education management model
was also proposed. The aim of this distance education management model is to
ensure that a suitable division of labour is created to fulfill the required distance
education activities, and to ensure that all distance education activities are
properly co-ordinated within the PaN and that the Centre for Open and Lifelong
learning (COll) which is responsible for the managing of all distance education ..
activities at the PaN gets the support it needs to carry out its task.
The writer believes that distance education will increasingly be an essential factor
in making education accessible at all levels, in all forms, to all people at every
stage of their life. New technology is increasingly making this possible. Due to
the fact that distance education will become of vital importance in the twenty first
century, distance education practitioners and planners need to be more flexible
and open-minded about distance education's appropriate role and usage. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Belangrike faktor wat hoër onderwys dwarsoor die wêreld en veral in Namibië
beïnvloed, is 'n neiging tot massifikasie. Binne Namibië kan hierdie neiging
toegeskryf word aan 'n toename in bevolking, in die vraag na opgeleide menslike
hulpbronne en in politieke mag by die voormalige agtergeblewe gemeenskappe.
Dit het uitgeloop op groter eise dat die regering van Namibië toegang tot hoër
onderwys moet verskaf vir 'n groeiende getal jongmense. Die PoN het dus
besluit op afstandsonderrig as 'n manier om buigbare en koste-effektiewe
onderrig aan die mense van Namibië te voorsien.
Die term "afstandsonderrig" word tans internasionaal aanvaar as die beskrywing
van 'n hele reeks onderwysaktiwiteite waartydens onderrig en leer plaasvind
sonder dat die studente en die opvoeders voortdurend of selfs vir die meeste van
die tyd bymekaar is. Dit word moontlik gemaak deur die gebruik van
kommunikasiemedia in die vorm van drukwerk, uitsendings, oudio- en
beeldopnames, telefone of rekenaars, en dikwels 'n kombinasie van 'n aantal
hiervan, gewoonlik gepaard met toevallige persoonlike kontak tussen studente
en opvoeders of tussen mede-studente. Hierdie gemeenskaplike eienskappe is
die resultaat van 'n sameloop van verskeie tradisies, asook 'n verskeidenheid
van politieke, ekonomiese, sosiale, opvoedkundige en tegnologiese
ontwikkelings in verskillende lande op verskillende tye.
Om afstandsonderrig te bestuur is 'n ingewikkelde onderneming. Hierbenewens
het opvoedkundiges tot dusver slegs beperkte ondervinding opgedoen ten
opsigte van die bestuur van afstandsonderrig, omdat dit so 'n kort geskiedenis
het. Hierdie situasie word verder gekompliseer deur die feit dat 'n verskeidenheid
van media gebruik word, elkeen met sy eiesoortige eienskappe, en dat die skaal
waarop hierdie soort onderrig onderneem moet word dikwels groter is as in
konvensionele opvoedingsinrigtings. Vir die doel van hierdie proefskrif is
afstandsonderriginrigtings in vier tipes verdeel, naamlik, afstandsonderwysinrigtings wat geen ander doel het nie, departemente in
bestaande konvensionele opvoedkundige inrigtings, konsortia en 'n samestelling
van twee of meer van hierdie drie. Hierbenewens is die interne organisasie en
bestuursvraagstukke verwant aan die bestuur en administrasie van
afstandsonderrig ondersoek en sekere kriteria is geïdentifiseer om 'n normatiewe
model van afstandsonderrigbestuur te ontwikkel vir 'n gemengde of dubbelganginrigting
soos die PoN.
Die afstandsonderrig-bestuursmodel wat tans aan die PoN gebruik word, is geevalueer
ten opsigte van die normatiewe bestuursmodel wat geïdentifiseer is. 'n
Evaluasie is gedoen om die tekortkominge te identifiseer en om sekere
aanbevelings te doen om hierdie tekortkominge aan te spreek. 'n Nuwe
afstandsonderrig-bestuursmodel word ook voorgestel. Die doel van hierdie
afstandsonderrig-bestuursmodel is om te verseker dat 'n geskikte
arbeidsverdeling geskep word sodat die nodige afstandsonderrig aktiwiteite
doeltreffend binne die PoN gekoordineer word, en dat die Sentrum vir Ope- en
Lewenslange Leer, wat verantwoordelik is vir die bestuur van alle
afstandsonderrig aktiwiteite aan die PoN die nodige steun kry om sy taak uit te
voer.
Die skrywer glo dat afstandsonderrig toenemend noodsaaklik sal wees om
onderwys toegangklik te maak op alle vlakke, in alle vorme, aan alle mense in
elke stadium van hulle lewens. Nuwe tegnologie maak dit toenemend moontlik.
Aangesien afstandsonderrig 'n noodsaaklike rolspeler sal word in die een en
twintigste eeu, sal die beoefenaars en beplanners hiervan toenemend buigbaar
en oop van gemoed moet wees ten opsigte van afstandsonderrig se toepaslike
rol en toepassing in die samelewing.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52633
Date12 1900
CreatorsKeyter, Charles Antonie
ContributorsSchwella, Erwin, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Public and Developmental Management .
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format270 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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