Determining needs and priorities of learners with special needs for support services in an open and distance learning context in Turkey

This study aims to identify needs and priorities of learners with special needs for support services in an open and distance teaching university in Turkey based on disability type. Exploratory sequential design was adopted. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were performed with six individuals from each group, including hearing impairment, visual impairment, and physical disability to determine the needs of the learners. Data were coded based on a thematic framework involving managerial, pedagogical, social, and technical support. To determine the priorities of the learners with special needs for support services in the quantitative phase, surveys were developed separately for three groups with disabilities based on the qualitative findings. A total of 703 learners took part in the surveys. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings of the study revealed that learners with special needs require a wide variety of services regarding managerial, pedagogical, social, technical and vocational support. Existing support systems need to be improved and awareness for these systems should be increased to make services more inclusive

Açıköğretim ile Yaşam Boyu Öğrenme Hikayeleri

Words gain meaning when they come together, and stories are among the most effective tools for conveying these meanings within a context. Throughout history, we use stories to transfer the knowledge and experiences we've gained from one generation to another. They are frequently used to express our emotions and what we're feeling. Stories are often an outward expression of the fears and hopes that reside in our subconscious. In this context, we used stories, one of the most effective tools for conveying the realities in our lives, to listen to learners continuing their lifelong learning journey in the Open Education System, to heed their voice, to become their voice, and even to better understand the Open Education System through their eyes in the contexts they create. Almost all the stories we've addressed within this study collectively convey a single message with one voice: "Transforming dreams into reality" or "Completing unfinished dreams thanks to the Open Education System". The heroes of these stories are those who embarked on the Open Education journey to realize their dreams. Another message that the stories in this book convey to us is that the lifelong learning journey never ends and it's never too late to embark on this journey. Also, the stories featured in this book show that the main obstacles are within us, besides external obstacles; if we don't remove the obstacles in our inner world, we won't be able to intervene in the obstacles in the outer world. These obstacles can sometimes be our loved ones, the people closest to us, or even our endeavors. However, what's important is to overcome these obstacles and make the determined decision to embark on this journey to realize ourselves. The aim of this study, beyond generalizing or reaching a conclusion, is to present these stories to you firsthand, expecting you to understand both the Open Education System and the lifelong learners, the reason for this system's existence, and also to make your own interpretations by reading these stories. Another aim is to lay out the widespread effect of Open Education activities on society, in terms of the added value created by the Open Education System; in other words, the contributions it makes to the national economy, social welfare, and knowledge accumulation. Although the Open Education System is a massive system reaching millions, touching even one person's life among millions is an important gain for the Open Education System. The Open Education System is a system that aims to make education more democratic, to provide social equality and justice, and to liberate knowledge by taking openness philosophy at its core. Ultimately, what truly matters is not just the knowledge you have gained and the diplomas you have received, but how much you have realized yourself and how much you have liberated yourself with the unbearable lightness of learning

Açıköğretim ile 40 Yıl: Uygulamalar ve Araştırmalar

It is a great pleasure to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Anadolu University Open Education System. On this special occasion, we are honoured to write a foreword to this book prepared with great pride and excitement. Founded 40 years ago, Anadolu University Open Education System took a revolutionary step in the field of higher education in our country. This system has increased accessibility to educational opportunities and ensured that everyone has the opportunity to learn equally and fairly. This unique and innovative approach has enabled thousands of students to turn their dreams into reality, and today it has turned into a great success story with millions of graduates. This book invites its readers on a journey that reflects the 40-year experience of Anadolu University Open Education System. It shares the work of the units, managers, academicians and employees who have achieved countless successes in the process from the establishment of the system until today. At the same time, it touches upon the difficulties encountered in this process, the labour and effort behind the successes, and the innovations and developments in the system. In this sense, the 40-year journey of the open education system is covered in this book through scientific research studies, the narration of the historical witnesses of the development and the evaluation of the practices, and the presentation of suggestions for the development of the system. Accordingly, the book consists of two parts. In the first part, the description of the important components of the system such as applications, learning environments, activities of the units, quality, learner evaluation, student services, etc. carried out in Anadolu University Open Education System are presented within the historical development and the points they have reached today. In the second part, researches on the evaluation and development of the open education system are presented. While preparing this book, we have seen how Anadolu University Open Education System has grown with its creativity, belief in learning and search for continuous development. At the same time, we have closely witnessed the opportunities it offers to its students and the transformation in their lives. This book will be an important resource for shaping our vision for the future as well as evaluating our past. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Anadolu University Open Education System on its 40th anniversary, sincerely congratulate everyone who has contributed to this success, and thank all the authors who have contributed to this book. As the editors, we hope that the book will be a tool to celebrate our past, share our achievements and inspire the future

Acceptability of the e-authentication in higher education studies: views of students with special educational needs and disabilities

Trust-based e-assessment systems are increasingly important in the digital age for both academic institutions and students, including students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Recent literature indicates a growing number of studies about e-authentication and authorship verification for quality assurance with more flexible modes of assessment. Yet understanding the acceptability of e-authentication systems among SEND students is underexplored. This study examines SEND students’ views about the use of e-authentication systems, including perceived advantages and disadvantages of new technology-enhanced assessment. This study aims to shed light on this area by examining the attitudes of 267 SEND students who used, or were aware of, an authentication system known as adaptive trust-based e-assessment system for learning (TeSLA). The results suggest a broadly positive acceptability of these e-authentication technologies by SEND students. In the view of these students, the key advantages are the ability of proving the originality of their work, and trust-based e-assessment results; the key disadvantages are the possibility that the technology might not work or present wrong outputs in terms of cheating

Social Networking Sites as Communication, Interaction, and Learning Environments: Perceptions and Preferences of Distance Education Students

The advent of Web 2.0 technologies transformed online networks into interactive spaces in which user-generated content has become the core material. With the possibilities that emerged from Web 2.0, social networking sites became very popular. The capability of social networking sites promises opportunities for communication and interaction, especially for distance education students who are separated from their teachers, learning resources and other students in terms of time and/or space. Within this perspective, the aim of the study is to investigate distance education students’ perceptions and preferences regarding use of social networking sites for communication and interaction purposes. In this context, the study employed a quantitative cross-sectional methodology. Research findings were derived from a sample of 2065 distance education students and the data were gathered through an online questionnaire. The research findings indicate that social networking sites (SNSs) can be used to support social learning processes

Communication networks and cooperation regimes of international distance education organizations

Ulusaşırı işbirlikleri, devletlerin dışında çok sayıda ulusal ve uluslararası aktörün aktif olarak; ortak çıkarlar, amaçlar, değerler etrafında buluşmalarına ve sinerji oluşturmalarına ortam ve olanak sunmaktadır. Bu aktörler, ulusaşırı işbirlikleri yanında hükümetler arasındaki işbirliklerine de etki etmektedir. Uzaktan eğitimin uluslararasılaşması sonucunda bu alanda aktif olan örgütler ve mesleki ağlar, eğitimde rejim oluşumu yönünde etkinliklerde bulunmaktadır. Proje UZENET kapsamında (Uluslararası Uzaktan Eğitim Örgütleri İletişim Ağlarının ve İşbirliği Rejimlerinin Karşılaştırmalı Olarak Değerlendirilmesi), uzaktan eğitim alanında çalışan uluslararası örgütlerin iletişim ağları ve işbirliği modelleri uluslararası rejim unsurlarına göre karşılaştırmalı olarak incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın temel amacı; uluslararası uzaktan eğitim örgütlerinin iletişim ağlarının ne ölçüde rejimlere dönüştüğü ve ortak hareket edilebildiğinin belirlenmesidir. Ortak çatılar altında kurumsallaşan işbirliklerinin, kendi içinde ve diğer örgütlerle geliştirdikleri ortak norm, değer ve kurallar saptanarak bu veriler ışığında alanda bir rejim oluşturma konusunda hangi aktörlerin daha belirleyici olduğu ve rejimin hangi konularda daha güçlü olduğu tartışılmaktadır. Araştırmanın kuramsal temelini, uluslararası rejim teorilerinden bilgi-bazlı/bilişsel yaklaşım oluşturmaktadır. Karşılaştırmalı durum çalışması olarak desenlenen araştırmada yirmi (20) farklı uzaktan öğretim örgütüyle çalışılmıştır. Araştırma bulgularına dayanarak bilgi ve iletişim teknolojilerindeki gelişmelerin uluslararası rejim yaklaşımlarından bilgiye dayalı olanları, özellikle “fikirlere, öğrenmeye, bilgi topluluklarına” dayalı uluslararası işbirliği anlayışını ön plana çıkardığı görülmüştür.Increasing transnational cooperation in open and distance education provides opportunities for non-state actors to meet around common interests, objectives, values. Besides transnational cooperation, these actors also motivate intergovernmental cooperation processes. International organizations and professional networks in the field, share common normative values and lead to the construction of cooperation regimes. Project UZENET (A Comparative Analysis of the Communication Networks and Cooperation Regimes of the International Distance Education Organizations) aims to make comparative analyses of communication networks and regimes of international distance education organizations, with an eye to the conceptual framework of international regime theory. The major research question asks “the extent to which decision making procedures of organizations can be transformed into regimes and provide tools for sustainability of international cooperation”. The institutionalization of cooperation under organizations within common norms, values and rules are determined and discussed, in order to project light to the actors that are active in regime structures. The theoretical framework is epistemic regime theory which concentrates on epistemic communities towards cognitive regime building processes. Twenty (20) different distance education organizations are taken as a sample in this comparative case-study. According to the findings, the developments in the information and communication technologies bring forth knowledge-based regime approaches in international cooperation