国内外远程学习者辍学研究综述

远程开放教育以其开放、灵活的教育形式得到了人们的信赖和认可,然而,远程开放教育中存在的高辍学率问题却不容忽视。国外对远程学习者辍学的研究起步较早,已形成了比较成熟的理论成果;而国内对远程学习者辍学的研究仍处于描述性研究阶段。国外的研究成果对国内远程学习者辍学研究有很好的借鉴意义。     

资源库在远程教育认知学习中的应用

本文以基于认知理论的研究为指导,通过了解成人在职学习特点和多样化自主学习需求的现状,探索国家现代远程教育资源网节点库资源在远程教学课堂的应用价值,并对教学工作进行了总结和反思。     

远程教育教师的角色定位及其发展策略探析

远程教育确立了以学生为中心的地位,强调对学习资源和学习过程的设计与开发。教师在远程教育中的地位和作用强化了,且实现了角色和职能的转变。通过对远程学习者特征和学习需求的分析,着力探讨远程教育教师的角色定位及其专业发展策略。     

Contribution of rural roads improvement on children’s school attendance: Evidence in Cambodia

This study used quantitative and qualitative data collected in rural Cambodia after road improvements to investigate whether children living along better-conditioned roads attend basic education school more. The quantitative analysis revealed that the road conditions did not influence children's attendance, while suggesting significant influences of school travel distance as well as household’s ownership of two-wheeled vehicles and its member composition. The qualitative analysis complemented these results by confirming that improved roads motivated households to purchase those vehicles for easing children’s schooling; and household members’ appreciation of education and socioeconomic characteristics influenced their children’s education attainment.     

我国现代远程教师继续教育政策探析

我国对高质量、国际化教育模式的追求,致使广大教师不断参加继续教育以提高自身的综合素质。现代远程教育以其不受时间、空间的局限,信息资源储备量大以及知识更新速度较快等方面的优势,正逐渐成为教师开展在职继续教育的首选形式。在此背景之下,对于远程教师继续教育政策构建与完善的诉求也不断加强,导致了我国现有相关政策体系的变迁。从理论和实践两个层面来审视我国这一政策变迁的背景,可以凸显其重要性和必要性;而通过考察变迁过程中政策的现存问题以及问题的成因,则有助于我国相关政策体系的进一步完善和规范,进而保证其健康、可持续地发展。     

中国远程教育经济学的研究展望

随着远程教育在我国的蓬勃发展,对于远程教育的经济学研究也开始进入到国内研究者的视野.我们从教育经济学这个学科的核心研究领域谈起,借鉴国际上教育经济学一些成型的研究结合远程教育所特有的一些规律,展望未来十年内我国远程教育经济学的一些研究方向.我们认为未来10年内我国远程教育应该加强以下三个方面的研究:(1)远程教育的外部效率,比如远程教育对于经济增长的贡献、远程教育的社会收益与私人收益以及收益率的度量等.(2)远程教育的内部效率,比如远程教育的教育生产函数、规模经济、范围经济、师资供给与培训等.(3)如何公平、有效地为教育生产提供充足的资源,也即关于教育财政的研究.@@为了更好对上述远程教育经济学的问题进行研究,我们建议必须加强远程教育相关研究的数据基础,比如加强对远程教育学习者的数据调查,增加普查数据中有关远程教育的信息与变量,增加办学点的成本调查等,只有有了可信的数据作为依据,才能得到可信的研究成果.     

Distance education and distance learning: some psychological considerations

Face‐to‐face education and distance education, viewed as differing sets of organisational provisions for the fostering of learning, emphasize different kinds of learning processes, and depend upon somewhat different psychological properties in learners. Nonetheless, all practical learning settings, whether they are labelled ‘school’, ‘adult education’, ‘distance education’, or something else, involve a mixture of face‐to‐face learning and distance learning. The psychological difference between the two kinds of setting is thus note purely qualitative in nature, but is also quantitative: for instance, certain learner characteristics which are useful in face‐to‐face learning (discussed in detail in the body of the present paper) are indispensible for distance learning, while certain processes which are at the heart of distance learning (also dis‐cusssed in detail later) are often given little emphasis in face‐to‐face settings, although they are in principle possible and even desirable there. The question thus arises of whether it would not be desirable to give more emphasis in face‐to‐face settings to psychologically desirable aspects of distance learning.     

Time,space and distance education

This paper challenges the lingering tendency to understand distance education in terms of the ‘real thing’, that is, face‐to‐face, classroom teaching. It critiques distance education's implicit theory of text, space and time, ontology and epistemology, and examines its connections to the current practice of teaching‐at‐a‐distance. These arguments are developed in response to the questions: who teaches? who is the student? and who or what is ‘distant’ in distance education? On this basis, drawing on the philosophy of critical realism, an alternative model of distance education is presented and its implications for course design, and the role of editing, are considered.     

Student perceptions of support services and the influence of targeted interventions on retention in distance education

To improve student retention in distance education, Simpson suggested in 2003 that institutions analyse their own retention characteristics and ‘spot the leaks.’ In 2008 the Centre for Distance Learning at Laidlaw College, New Zealand, employed two part‐time academic support coordinators in an effort to improve student retention and success. This study compares the retention statistics for first‐time student outcomes across two semesters, one without and one with specific course retention interventions. Results are benchmarked across national data. Interviews with students who were retained revealed that students frequently attribute their success to their own efforts. Student support services in distance education might therefore be perceived by its beneficiaries as a ‘hygiene’ factor (Herzberg, 1968, 2008) in that their presence is not generally appreciated by students. However, their absence is noticed. The similarity of this finding with Shin’s institutional transactional presence (2002, 2003) is also explored.     

Potencial De La Educación a Distancia Para Reducir Brechas De Aprendizaje En Educación Superior: Una Mirada Al Caso Colombiano

ABSTRACT

One of the main needs of Latin America, besides education coverage, is to reduce learning gaps in higher education. In order to respond to such need, many strategies have been designed, worldwide, to impact the demand and provision of higher education programs. Among these strategies we can find grants and scholarships, financial aids, and others. Many have been the options that have been proposed to raise the provision of higher education programs, such as offering technology-supported education modalities like blended-learning, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and distance and online education. This paper aims to explore the potential of the provision of distance education programs to close learning gaps in Colombia’s higher education. In order to do so, we present an estimatation of the effects that students and programs characteristics can have on the results of the test “Saber PRO” (a Colombian standardized test that measures the level of competences developed by students in different higher education programs). This estimation was done applying a mixed model (Hierarchical Linear Modeling-HLM) based on the information of 451,358 students who were assessed in their last phase of their university major. Data were collected from 2016 to 2018.

The econometrics estimations show that controlling individuals’ backgrounds and the characteristics of different academic programs, the variables that were highly associated with the reduction of learning gaps among individuals registered in distance programs compared to face-to-face programs are the students’ age and their cognitive backgrounds (grades in standardized tests taken before their undergraduate studies). The results show that we could expect distance education to become an efficient mechanism to contribute to the reduction of learning gaps in higher education. The quantitative findings suggest a series of research questions that invite to reflect about the potential of distance education in medium-income countries.     

移动学习呼唤优质的远程教育课程资源研发

在我国构建全民学习、终身学习的学习型社会背景下,远程教育为由于种种原因不能接受传统面授教育的人们,提供一种灵活的高质量的教育机会,也使接受高等教育不再是少数人享有的权利,为大众的终身学习提供了可能。随着信息技术的迅猛发展,智能移动设备使得人人、处处、时时学习成为现实。要提升移动学习的效果,提高远程教育的质量,亟需研发优质的远程教育课程资源。课程资源的研发,要紧随现代信息技术的步伐,充分考虑成人学习的特点,打造课程研发团队,更好地适应学习者的阅读习惯,引起阅读兴趣。     

Ghanaian mature students’ motivation to pursue degree programmes through distance education

Mature distance education students in Ghana, like part-time students all over the world, need to be motivated in order to enjoy their studies and succeed in what they do. In order to come up with incentives for such learners to join and complete a course, universities have to be aware of the characteristics and the socio-economic background of this group of learners and use an approach that best suits their needs at any given time. Based on Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci’s self-determination theory, the authors of this article investigate the factors that motivate mature students to engage in distance education and how their motivation is sustained throughout their studies. Using a survey questionnaire, the authors collected data from 210 mature distance education students (106 males and 104 females; aged 30+) of the University of Ghana. Interestingly, some of the authors’ findings depart from the norm in terms of adult learners’ motivations and what extant literature holds as typified in the work of Ryan and Deci. Adult learners more generally are described in the literature as being mainly intrinsically motivated (e.g. by the desire to learn for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provides, or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes). Interestingly, this survey reveals that mature distance education students who were enrolled in a higher education programme offered by the University of Ghana were mainly extrinsically motivated, giving career development as their top reason for course selection.     

现代远程教育资源建设模式初探

现代远程教育作为新的教学模式,教学资源在质量、开发和利用等方面,存在着不适应现代远程教育的情况,成为提升教育质量的一个瓶颈。本文从远程教育资源的现状、内容及其特征入手,探索现代远程教育资源的层次建设模式,对于发展和完善教学资源建设理论、促进教学资源建设与应用,具有较好的理论意义和现实价值。     

On the margins or at the center? Distance education in higher education

Abstract

This reflection focuses on the position of distance education in today’s global higher education. Firstly, it identifies three types of convergence of distance and campus-based education – dual mode, add-on/blended, and full convergence – arguing that the last type has yet to be fully realized due to the complexities involved. It then critiques the interplay between the two, concluding that despite being influenced by campus-based instructional delivery in its early days, distance education is now influencing campus-based education. Implications of convergence are also discussed. Arguably, distance education universities should be proud of the increasing presence of distance education in campus-based universities and have confidence in maintaining their advantages. As for campus-based universities, a systems approach is needed if they intend to take advantage of this ‘unorthodox’ mode of education. Finally, it is suggested that both campus-based education and distance education are at the center of higher education because they are now equally conventional.     

Non-government distance education funding: the need for equity in Australian schooling

This reflection outlines the problems associated with the Australian Government’s recurrent funding policy for non-government distance education. It demonstrates the policy’s inconsistencies with stated government educational policy and with commonly held expectations of fairness in a democratic society. A comparison of the current funding of non-government distance education to various long-standing educational delivery modes demonstrates that non-government distance education is yet to be appropriately funded by the Commonwealth. The discussion concludes by indicating that this emerging pedagogy is distinct from traditional schooling, that its students ought to be given the same educational opportunities as other Australian school students, and that the current policy ought to be redressed expeditiously.     

远程高等教育质量保障的国际比较及启示

远程高等教育的自身特性决定着要保障质量就必须有相应的措施。美、英等国在这方面已经建立了比较完善的质量保障体系,其核心是质量认证制度和学习支持服务体系。借鉴美、英等国的经验,以学习者为中心,参与国际远程高等教育质量的认证,以开阔的国际视野建立适合中国实际的远程高等教育质量保障体系是理性的选择。     

远程教育的工业化运作与经济效益

远程教育的经济学特征是高投入高产出。如何评判经济效益是发展远程教育的一个重要问题。本文借助于奥托·彼得斯的远程教育工业化理论,对电大的运作提出了优化管理体制,改善系统结构,利用系统优势进行资源开发等方面的设想,以期提高远程教育的经济效益。     

远程开放教育系统中半开卷考试模式的形成与发展

半开卷考试是一种有利有弊的考核方式,电大系统是一个不同于其他院校的开放教育体系,需要借助远程教育教师团队的力量,结合自主学习和协作学习两者的长处,将半开卷考试模式的优势最大化。本文通过实验、问卷调查和访谈的方式,阐述电大系统开放教育半开卷考试模式的形成与发展历程,并研究半开卷考试背景下如何通过建立和完善开放教育教师团队,充分发挥半开卷考试模式的优势。     

远程开放教育中学生自主学习能力培养的研究

自主学习是一种学习者自我导向的学习。在远程开放教育中,要建立学生自主学习的模式,就必须在现代教育思想、远程开放教育理论的指导下,依托在线学习平台,激活教师的主导作用和学生的主体作用。针对远程开放教育学生的现状,提出建立学生自主学习模式的基本思路和提高学生自主学习能力的主要措施,从而实现远程开放教育整体水平的不断提高。     

电大现代远程开放教育发展的分析

现代远程教育是以现代远程教育信息传输技术为基础,融面授、函授和自学等教学形式于一体,通过多种媒体及其优化和有机组合传授知识的一种教育方式。其发展特点是：学习过程以学生为主体;学习信息的快速反馈;多种技术的融合应用;需适应个别化学习要求;终身教育。这种发展趋势要求远程教育系统要转变为在教学目标的指导下适应学生学习需求的学习系统。