EUROPEAN DISTANCE EDUCATION NETWORK 12th ANNUAL CONFERENCE UNIVERSITY of AEGEAN Rhodes 15 – 18 June

QUALITY IN DISTANCE EDUCATION: NEAR AND DISTANT ISSUES Costas Tsolakidis

Social Changes Economic Changes, Competition Changes in the contemporary way of thinking Prosperity – Democracy: (Students, trainees/ population):  + Evolution of personal computers Development of Telecommunications Other Technological Advancements = Need for more knowledge  Broader Education Need for more specialisation  Deeper Education Need for continuous training  Life long Education Need for Education is stronger

DISTANT EDUCATION (DE) Teachers Learners Medium CHARACTERISTICS OF EDUCATION & DE STRUCTURE DIALOGUE ENVIRONMENT

Teachers Learners Medium Teaching Material Curriculum Environment Structure Dialogue Results of Ed Pr

Environment: Infrastructure (Buildings, Labs, Equipment, etc) Communication (Connectivity (%), Networks, etc) Technology diffusion into society (Use of technology, attitudes towards technology) Medium: Standard DE Technology (constantly improving) Curriculum & Methodology (Design, feedback through dialogue, and redesign) Teaching material (Production and Enrichment) Teachers Students

Quality is usually measured in the end of the educational process (eg as the results of any evaluation test) In DE, a new educational methodology the quality that validates the entire procedure was extensively tested against conventional education The results from reviews od numbers of reserch projects revealed the “Non significant difference” results

What is quality? What it depends on A relative quality – A ratio Internal issues of quality Relevance and quality of the curriculum and learning material Effectiveness of the learning processes Quality of assessment systems Effectiveness of system management External issues of quality Student problems (lack of motivation, inadequate preparation, cultural challenges) Funding Organisational support Infrastructural facilities

Teachers Learners Medium Teaching Material Curriculum Environment Structure Dialogue Results, Competence Structure – Dialogue – Environment

What is quality? For whom and in whose interests? Government Employers Professional bodies Management Teachers Students

High Quality – Low quality Discussion Technology and Quality (Change of standards through knowledge) Though DE the philosophy changes Students invest: Time, Money, Effort, Aspirations Delicate point in quality assessment: DE courses require a fee – student/customer compromise

Not only, It is difficult to define – Many definitions It is measurable and can be a statistical figure Benchmarks of quality can influenced by international standards Finally, DE moves from the margins of educational practices towards the center stage, therefore quality: But also, It should be a feature of self respect of all people involved Professionalism, skill, knowledge, commitment are characteristics that “yield” quality in DE It could and should be a moral obligation