Providing Equal Opportunity In Learning: The Role Of The OUM Digital Library In Distance Learning

The relevance of any library to its parent organization depends on the need for it. In the case of a university library, if the library is as described in the professional literature as being at the heart of teaching and learning – then the need for it must exist in the teaching and learning environment within which it operates. The need to view the relevance of the library within the educational context is important in order to avoid an ‘isolationist’ approach to library development. It is easier to understand the role of the library seen against the background of the prevailing concept of education, aims and objectives of education, teaching-learning objectives and strategies, etc. In the case of the Digital Library, it is necessary to understand the democratisation process of higher education, the concept of the Open University and its core activities so that any discussion of its role can be done in the proper context and from a meaningful perspective

ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ RESULTS IN DISTANCE- STUDIES CENTRES

The present paper focuses on study results of the students of distance-studies centres carried by the Faculty of Economics and Management at the Czech University of Life Science Prague. The centres are situated in areas with generally low concentration of universities and therefore, the possibility of university education is relatively small. We observed the students who entered the study field Public Administration and Regional Development in the academic year 2009/10 during the first three semesters of their study. We selected five different courses studied at the centres and we subjected them to statistical analyses. Our obtained findings show differences in burdensomeness among the selected courses, among students of different age and gender and, last but not least, among individual centres. This information can be useful both for students and studies centre management

Public Libraries and Lifelong Learning

This literature review examines the role of public libraries in supporting lifelong learning (LLL). The first part considers the impact of recent economic and social changes in the field of education. Thanks to official documents, the paper tries to answer the question on how is it possible to transform the information society into the learning society? The new learning culture is largely described besides focusing on the concept of LLL. The second part describes the themes related to the new role of libraries and librarians involved in LLL services. When public libraries, between the 1990s and the 2000s, are recognized as the pillars for a democratic knowledge society, the position of the libraries in the communities changes, thanks to cooperation and new partnerships into the formal, non formal and informal education system. Besides the infrastructures, the networks and the provision of services, libraries offer neutral and supportive local learning settings. As demonstrated by the experiences in the field of Information Literacy, guidance and training constitute the strategic value of libraries. In order to achieve the democratic goals of an inclusive society, libraries have to pay attention to their public and to the different needs of their users. This new scenario ask librarians to become agents of change, prepared to meet the new demands of technology and, morover, of people. New information professionals need new qualifications and professional recognition, into a perspective of a lifelong career. This study dedicates a part to the Italian case, in order to understand the state of the art of the role of public libraries in LLL in this geographical area and comparing the situation with that of other European countries. The final part offers a recognition of the main trends and problems related to the role of public libraries and LLL. In some areas it is evident a gap between the international policy and the current practices

Information needs of University of South Africa students using the adult reference department at Msunduzi Municipal Library, Pietermaritzburg.

Master of Information Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2018.Library services are one of the critical services that are needed by scholars, students and researchers to fulfill their information needs so as to operate effectively in today’s academic world. This study sought to determine what the University of South Africa (UNISA) students using the Adult Reference Department (ARD) at Msunduzi Municipal Library (MML) need to satisfy their information needs, whether they were getting what they required from the services offered by the library, and whether any existing services needed to be amended or any new services needed to be introduced. The theoretical framework used as the background to guide this research was Wilson’s 1996 model of information behaviour. It was used in conjunction with the extension of Wilson’s model for the information behaviour of distance learners as it was found to be more relevant to distance learners. The research approach used by the researcher was a quantitative one and the collection of data was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. Multiple copies of the instrument were made and distributed. A sample of 130 students was surveyed, of which 116 completed and returned the questionnaires giving a response rate of 89%. The validity and reliability of the data collection tool were established by pre-testing the questionnaire on 10 colleagues who were studying part-time. The quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and findings were presented in the form of tables, bar graphs and pie charts. The findings of the study revealed that although respondents used textbooks regularly, there was a lack of relevant and up-to-date textbooks. It was also established that not all the respondents used the Internet, mainly due to lack of access, low bandwidth and lack of requisite search skills. It also emerged that, students need library training in order to use and explore all library services available and fulfil their information needs. Recommendations included that the library must look into extending library opening hours, the provision of a discussion area, overnight loans for reference items, the provision of both print and electronic format of scholarly articles and international journals and, in terms of the Internet, the provision of faster broadband Internet access

Student perceptions on skills and learning challenges in the use of educational technology in a low-contact, blended and professional learning context: a grounded theory of ‘improvised learning’

This research project provides an original contribution to knowledge, comprising a grounded and unified theory of improvisational behaviours via Blended Learning and suggests a new paradigm of self-regulated, improvisational learning for potential application beyond the field of study. The study comprises an original Grounded Theory of ‘Improvised Learning’ demonstrating the most prevalent challenges, strategies and behaviours of students undertaking Higher Education programmes in a campus-based, low-contact teaching environment. The participant group were typically undertaking accredited professional programmes (usually related to a profession such as nursing or accounting). The students engaged in ‘Blended Learning’ i.e. study on-campus alongside use of learning technologies such as a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The research project used Grounded Theory as an holistic methodology to investigate the experience of students in this study context. The main data collection phase consisted of informal individual or group discussions held in classes, open plan Library areas or IT Labs. Grounded Theory is a sociological methodology designed to formulate a new (Grounded) theory from a ‘substantive area’, i.e. a participant group typically comprising a shared vocational role or activity. Key elements of Grounded Theory include an emphasis on induction-based conceptualisation of theory from descriptive participant indicators and the continuous comparison of data for the emergence of ‘theoretical categories’ or codes. The ultimate aim of Grounded Theory is to demonstrate how conceptual categories inter-relate within a common theoretical explanation for the behaviour of participants (the ‘core category’). This grounded study of professional learners identified a number of theoretical models of behaviour for engaging with Blended Learning, including innovative self-led use of Information Technology and collaborative learning. The emergent ‘core category’ - reflecting all dependant codes or variables was defined as ‘Improvised Learning’, explaining conceptually how students employ self-led strategies and skills to engage with disparate systems, environments and resources

Online and Distance Education for a Connected World

Learning at a distance and learning online are growing in scale and importance in higher education, presenting opportunities for large scale, inclusive, flexible and engaging learning. These modes of learning swept the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The many challenges of providing effective education online and remotely have been acknowledged, particularly by those who rapidly jumped into online and distance education during the crisis. This volume, edited by the University of London’s Centre for Online and Distance Education, addresses the practice and theory of online and distance education, building on knowledge and expertise developed in the University over some 150 years. The University is currently providing distance transnational education to around 50,000 students in more than 180 countries around the world. Throughout the book, contributors explore important principles and highlight successful practices in areas including course design and pedagogy, online assessment, open education, inclusive practice, and enabling student voice. Case studies illustrate prominent issues and approaches. Together, the chapters offer current and future leaders and practitioners a practical, productive, practice- and theory-informed account of the present and likely future state of online and distance higher education worldwide

An exploration of a teaching school programme in Malaysia: towards democratic education

The thesis is an exploration of the Teaching School programme in Malaysia. The programme was conceived by the policies of the Government of Malaysia, implemented by the Ministry of Education and realized by the teacher training institutions in Malaysia. It is a school programme that is explored in terms of Dewey’s conception of education. In political terms it aspires to be the ‘showcase’ for the teacher training institutions of Malaysia. In addition, for other Malaysia primary schools it is to be a point of reference in their attempts to modernise and increase the quality of primary schools in Malaysia, as a foundation for making the country more globally competitive. In the exploration to be better informed of the teaching school programme under study, the stance of the study is qualitative. It mainly used interviews, observation and the study of policy documents as a means of data collection. The thesis draws upon Schostak and Schostak’s (2008) “Architectures of the Social” framework in researching the range of alternative visions and rationales to analyse and evaluate the differences between the Teaching School on paper and in practice. In sum, by using the “Architectures of the Social” framework the thesis explores the relationships between the Conceptual Domain, the Practical Domain and the Material Domain to provide significant insights into the implementation of education innovations. The key insights focus on the development of the democratic potential of the teaching school as a ‘social architecture’ for schools as a basis for the democratic development of society. It challenges the current practices of schools and argues for a real change towards a more democratic development to create better primary schools in Malaysia. The key to developing schools is the involvement of the ’voices’ of the people in ways that involves a clear alignment between the policy vision at the level of the Conceptual Domain, the interpretation of policy in practice in Practical Domain together with appropriate resources in the Material Domain required to fulfill the potential of the teaching school programme in Malaysia. However, it is argued, the visions are not sufficiently understood, nor are the practical mechanisms and resources for its implementation fully appropriate. Furthermore, the democratic potential of the vision has not been realized. This thesis argues that a way forward is to explore the democratic legacies of Dewey and other progressive educators in the context of contemporary democratic theory drawing upon such theorists as Rancière