INTRODUCTION
INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN DISTANCE LEARNING
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The employment of ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION in educational
process especially distance learning cannot be discounted. It is the easiest
and the best way of communication between the individual students and their
instructors across distances. In distance education the use of electronic
communication technology is essential (Oyeleye,
Uche, & Otedola, 2015).
Being a full time distance learner of Benguet State
University, I am deeply grateful to the advent of electronic communication that
is integrated in the education system of Benguet State University - Open
University. Not only that it is way
affordable to earn a degree, but also I am cognizance of the fact,
that without electronic- communication, it will be impervious for me in pursuing
my lifelong aspiration of a continued Master’s education.
A. POLICY:
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THE
OPEN UNIVERSITY AT BENGUET STATE UNIVERSITY
The Benguet State University-Open University (BSU-OU) was
enacted in 1997 through University Board Resolution No. 768 in realization of
Article XIV (Education) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution and R. A. No. 7722
common as the Higher Education Act in 1994 as follows:
- Article
XIV (Education) – “to make quality education at all levels accessible to all
Filipinos and to develop “non-formal, informal and indigenous learning systems
as well as self-learning/independent and out-of-school study programs
particularly those that respond to community needs.”
- R.
A. No. 7722 - “the State shall protect, foster and promote the right of all
citizens to affordable quality education at all levels, shall take appropriate
steps to ensure that education shall be accessible to all….”, and “the state
shall likewise promote the continuing intellectual growth, the advancement of
learning and research, development of responsible and effective leadership, education
of high and middle level professionals and the enrichment of cultural heritage.”
WHAT
IS OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING?
In an open-distance mode of learning, the students no longer
attend classes in classrooms regularly. At BSU-OU students are provided
course modules and they see their professors and classmates once every
month. Supplementary consultations with
the professors are also done by any modes of communication, i.e. through fax, internet,
telephone or text messaging.
With this arrangement, students are therefore able to acquire
new skills and knowledge wherever they are whether at home, at work or even
while on travel and at their own pace and time.
HOW
DOES THE OPEN UNIVERSITY DIFFER FROM THE GRADUATE SCHOOL?
The BSU-OU offers Master’s Degree programs and short and
non-degree courses that are not endeavored by the Graduate School in the
University. It likewise differs from the Graduate School by providing an
open and distance mode of learning (Open
University).
B. RESEARCH:
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In a study on use of digital library by distance learning
students as myself, Koohang (2001) found that the students vibrate positive
perception towards the utilization of digital library. As a distance learner, the exponential growth
of Electronic Communication, changes the way I perceive, study, read and how
printed materials are employed to facilitate my study. I use materials that are printed from the
Internet in order to study and read later on.
Liu and Yang (2004) explained how the use of E-com in
distance learners’ journey of knowledge impacted their research. They reported that distance learners
demonstrated preference for fast and easy information retrieval and their field
of study likewise affected their utilization of institution libraries in a
study on graduate students' adoption of information sources.
I may seldom use a traditional/physical library, as well as most distance learners do,
probably because the incentives are not there as the libraries lack current
library materials, E-communication access (Oladokun, 2002), lack of library use
instructions and time to use the library (Mabawonku, 2004). In a study on library use by distance
learners by Mabawonku (2004), it was found that many of the students attributed
their low use of the traditional//physical library to their tight schedules which were fully occupied
with lectures and interactions with lecturers. This may affect their library
habits and subsequently their optimal use of the library.
C. CHANGES RESULTING IN THE USE OF E-COM
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As distance learners, we utilize Electronic communication
through on-line discussion to facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge on
the given learning which tantamount to our recitation. On-line discussion tools have two basic categories:
asynchronous (e-mail, mailing lists, and threaded discussions) and synchronous
(chat). In a synchronous discourse,
students in effect talk to each other over the Internet in much the exact way
they speak over the telephone; in asynchronous discourse, the communication is
more similar as an exchange of letters, even if conceivably much more rapid. In summary, classes with no face-to-face
meetings are the opportune candidates for synchronous on-line discussions that
approximate the serendipitous and dynamic qualities of small discussion groups.
Classes that already meet face-to-face
may find asynchronous electronic forums a valuable supplement to their regular
discussions. A class can likewise, of
course, get the advantages of both by using an asynchronous discussion forum
through the course of the term with periodic chat sessions for special events
or guests.
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The most basic, but still very useful, technique is the use of
the campus e-mail system to broadcast messages to the students. For large lecture courses or classes that need
frequent out-of-class communication this method solely can save considerable
amounts of time. E-mail lists—a group of e-mail addresses gathered under a
single alias such as "devc203" or "ecom203" and commonly
known as a listserve—can be particularly beneficial for large classes. Lists can also permit members of the class to
communicate towards each other.
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Slightly more resource intensive and complicated are threaded
discussion forums such as Yahoogroups and various web-based forums; such forums
maintain a permanent record of each person's contribution so that every
succeeding participant can review the entire course of discourse and add his or
her own contribution to it. Chat sessions
take possibly the most specialized software, the most planning, and
considerable guidance on chat room procedures and etiquettes.
D. PROBLEMS:
Despite the obvious advantages and promises to distance learning,
there are problems that necessitate being resolved when it comes to
E-communication. One of these is the “misuse
of technology”. The said problem has an
effect on the overall quality of distance learning as a product.
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Misuse of Technology. Aside from the cost of the Electronic communication
technology, there is the possibility of not utilizing all its potential. Some of these problems originate from a lack
of training, some from the instructors attitudes toward using the E-com
technology, and still others by hardware problems. It seems to be self-evident
that instructors need to be trained to adopt distance learning E-com technology,
but usually they are not. Once again, it
appears that administration may feel that the technology alone will improve the
course.
Advancement in technology does
not equate to effective distance education. The best distance education practices rely
upon on creative, well-informed instructors (Greenberg, 1998). Bates (1995) suggests that newer E-com
technologies are not inherently better than obsolete ones and many of the
lessons acquired from the application of older technologies will still put into
use to any newer technology. Again, the
instructor should be trained to capitalize of both their experience and being
able to accommodate that experience to the new environment of distance
learning. The instructors must be
trained not only to use E-com technology, but further to shift the way in which
they deliver and organize material (Palloff & Pratt, 2000).
CONCLUSION:
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It is generally accepted that Electronic communication
technologies is a prominent factor in E-education process, quality services, organizational
structure, work and etc. Therefore
Educational policy makers will need to work with other sectors to cultivate a
multi-sectoral approach to development that will effectively advance the
potential of E-com and promote more effectively processes that include
promotion of transparency and accountability. E-education has great potentials
to attain education for all and therefore should be maximally harnessed by
every probable avenue.
Electronic Communication has apparently changed the way
people are educated. It will continue to
change the way business is conducted and it will continue to change the global
market place. While universities, corporations, and governments are rapidly
embracing this tool for learning, many issues remain.
It is necessary that the pedagogy continues to evolve and
grow as E-com technologies change. The
biggest concern is how distance learning and E-com technology will change the educational
system in the long run.
As Roger Crawford so eloquently asserted:
A generation of youths is emerging already immersed in a
multimedia ‘‘data storm’’. Their
comprehensions and expectations of the world are mediated over their experiences
of multimedia and E-Com’s and these differ from those of previous generations
nourished on linear technologies. Educating
these children employing models of teaching and learning that are grounded in
concepts of understanding and understanding that are linear and finite will not
help them to be successful in E-Com technological global factor where
multi-disciplinary, holistic approaches predominate.
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Let us capitalize ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION in the fulfillment of our dreams, regardless of space, distance, and social status. Digital divide should no longer serve as a deterrent of our self-aspirations. Thank you BSU-OU, thank you TECHNOLOGY.
Supplementary Readings:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/392641/news/nation/pnoy-signs-open-distance-learning-law
http://www.rappler.com/nation/79025-ofws-higher-education-afar
Works Cited
Bates, T.
(1995). Technology: Open learning and distance education. New York:
Routledge.
Greenberg,
G. (1998). IEEE Technology and Society Magazine.
Koohang, A.
(2001). Students' perception toward the use of digital learning assignments
portion f a hybrid programme. British Journal of Educational Technology
.
Liu, Z.,
& Yang, Z. (2004). Factors influencing Distance-Education Graduates
Students' Use of Information Sources: A User Study. The Journal of Academic
Librarianship , 30.
Mabawonku,
I. (2004). Librarary use in distance learning: A surey of undergraduates in
three Nigerian universities. African Journal of Library, Archival and
Informaion Science 14 .
Oladokun, O.
(2002). The practice of distance librarianship in Africa Library.
Open
University. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 4, 2015, from Benguet State University:
http://www.bsu.edu.ph/ou
Oyeleye, A.
O., Uche, I. K., & Otedola, M. (2015). Electronic Education (E-education)
and its Effect in Distance Learning Programmes in Nigeria. Tojdel , 3
(1).
Palloff, R.,
& Pratt, K. (2000). Making the transition: Helping teachers to teach
online. Nashville Tennessee.
