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HIGHER EDUCATION
IRFOL undertook a project on behalf of DFID called 'Using Distance Education for Skills Development'. The report (number 62) by Reehana Raza and Terry Allsop has now been published by DFID and is available free of chargh by emailing dfidpubs@ecgroup.uk.com. It focuses on the experience of using open and distance learning for skills development in developing countries. Although distance education in the areas of tertiary and vocational education has expanded rapidly in the past three decades in both the developed and developing world, research on its outcomes has lagged behind its practice. The aim of this project is to help fill this gap by researching the experience of a number of Asian open distance learning institutions of higher education. It is hoped that this project will inform policy, strengthen practice and develop capacity within institutions that work with distance education at the tertiary level.
The project consists of a number of research projects which have been undertaken in collaboration with the open universities in South Asia and with independent researchers, focusing on the effectiveness of and outcomes in professional and vocational programmes. The institutions which have been involved in the project include: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Bangladesh Open University (BOU), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL).
The project has three components.
- To collect and publish data on outcomes, where possible, across the institutions with which we are working
- To encourage research by existing practitioners within these institutions to improve effectiveness and build research capacity. Researchers have been encouraged to look at issues relating to effectiveness, outcomes and costs
- To document innovative ODL programmes in the areas of vocational training
The findings of this research will be used in three important ways:
- to increase evidence-based knowledge on outcomes of open and distance learning institutions for policy makers
- to provide feedback for these institutions with respect to existing practices
- to strengthen institutional delivery