Contemporary research on Open and Distance E-Learning at the Central University

of Technology, Free State, South Africa: an Africanized approach

KJ De Beer Director: Academic Support and Research, Central University of Techno
logy, Free State (CUT)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In essence, the 11th Association for African Universities (AAU) General Conferen
ce during February 2005 in Cape Town especially enhanced the development of an O
pen and Distance E-Learning (ODEL) networking process within the NEPAD agreement
of the African Union (AU). It actually implemented the Southern African Develop
ment Community (SADC) protocol for open academic agreements. Geographically, the
Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) falls in the southern Africa
n region. Consequently, research in our Unit for Academic Development, primaril
y endeavours to cover the philosophy of ODEL within PAREN (Promoting African Res
earch and Education Networking- Internet) in this part of the continent. ODEL i
s not static. Subsequently, modern perspectives are continually necessary for te
chnology utilization, said the former minister of Education in South Africa, Nal
edi Pandor at the AAU-conference (2005). The sharing of Higher Education Institu
tions’ ODEL facilities is becoming a fait de accompli which is further prioritis
ed by the current global financial recession. Therefore, ODEL research seeks to
provide an urgent strategy as how to align and support existing infrastructures
from sub-regional to national and international (read Africanized) levels.
ORGANIZATION AND BACKGROUND
The CUT main campus resides in Bloemfontein, the capitol of the Free State provi
nce, adjacent to the Kingdom of Lesotho. CUT, a former Technikon which could be
compared with polytechnics or community colleges elsewhere in the world, became
a fully fledged university of technology in 2003 (Cf. De Beer, 1998). It used
to serve four distance campuses which were closed down under the new higher educ
ation dispensation of the South African government’s Department of Education (DO
E). One of the four campuses, namely Welkom, was integrated with the former Vis
ta University and integrated with its jewellery school into CUT.
The distance facility in Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province now forms part
of the National Institute for Higher Education: Northern Cape (NIHE) which serve
s as a hub for four other Higher Education Institutions (HEIS). NIHE could be c
ompared with some elementary components of an open university system for the Nor
thern Cape. Basically, the Unit for Academic Development (UAD) of the CUT is do
ing research how to establish a management structure within a possible open univ
ersity system, not only for NIHE, but to merge ventures in technology utilizatio
n within the whole sub-region. This sub-region could include the National Unive
rsity of Lesotho (NUL) and the University of South Africa’s (UNISA) distance edu
cation network from the Northern Cape and Namibia in collaboration with the proj
ects of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
UNISA, which commenced with the very first Institute for Open Learning, also for
ms part of NIHE and has already established a network of inter active videoconfe
rencing facilities in the bigger towns such as Springbok and Kimberley of the No
rthern Cape. In Kathu, the Further Training Education Institution (FTEI) trains
the most advanced technicians for the mines in the Northern Cape.
Academically, the CUT main campus offers Science, Engineering and Technology pro
grammes as well as practical management courses such as Public Management and Hu
man Resources Management. It also offers Health (Radiology and Dental Assistant
training) and Environmental (Agricultural Management) programmes. Courses are m
ostly offered via traditional learning and teaching methodologies. Power point
presentations are supported by a well established infra structure such as a libr
ary and information centre, IT laboratories, workshops and training facilities a
s well as a Science Park.
The Science Park is linked with the Meraka Institute of the Council for Science
and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria with an outdoor computer with a very
low signal capacity (Cf. Digital Doorway, 2009). This all weather machine could
be loaded with learning material and placed anywhere in the region to open limi
ted access for open learning. One such experiment was done in the Kingdom of Le
sotho and the idea is to expand research with expertise of COL on the project fo
r the Northern Cape as well. This province is the largest in South Africa (over
350 000 square kilometres). It is a semi desert area next to the West coast an
d sparsely populated with plus minus one million people. Most of the inhabitants
experience socio economic problems and cannot afford full time tuition at unive
rsities.
To assist the part time students in the Northern Cape, a limited Web Course Tool
(Web CT) support network has been extended from the Centre for E-Learning and E
ducational Technology (CELET) at the CUT’s main campus. Web CT was upgraded to B
lackboard Campus Edition 8.
Little research has been done to merge the CUT’s Information Technology System (
ITS) in collaboration with other HEIS to develop a single and compatible system.
Especially to establish an open university system with ODEL methodologies accor
ding to the spirit of the Higher Education Act (101) which formulates the idea o
f a single higher education dispensation (Higher Education Act, 2000).
This research article endeavours to enlighten colleagues about the research prob
lem in southern Africa, namely that there exists a huge hiatus in the knowledge
how to construct a practical strategic plan for collaboration not only among HEI
S but also with other existing research organizations which will be described in
detail under the case description.
SETTING THE STAGE
In the economic sense of the word, both the Free State and Northern Cape provinc
es are rated less viable than the other seven provinces of the country. Contrary
to this negative socio economic scenario, the Free State has some of the riches
t gold mines in the world. Its agricultural industry is well developed but hamp
ered by droughts. In the Northern Cape, the De Beers diamond mines are contribu
ting to the economic welfare of the province as well as the iron ore mines in Ka
thu. Some of the world’s best semi precious stones could be found in this semi d
esert region. It also houses the South African Large Telescope (SALT) and Meerk
at, the impetus for the largest radio telescope in the world. The outcome of th
e South African bid next to Australia is still not known, but astronomy already
forms part and parcel of international research and international collaboration
(Cf. De Beer, 2007).
First of all a viable infrastructure has to be implemented which must enhance me
rgers in technology networks as well as to merge it with the vision and mission
statements of the South African Department of Education (DOE), and the Southern
African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) which subscribes to the SADC p
rotocol on Education and Training.
More research is necessary with other HEIS of the African Council for Distance E
ducation (ACDE), the Distance Education Organisation of Southern Africa (DEASA),
the National Association for Distance and Open Learning of South Africa (NADEOS
A), the South African Association for Research Development in South Africa (SAAR
DHE), the South African for Academic Development Association (SADA) and the Sout
h African Association for Co-operative Education (SASCE). (Cf. ACDE. 2006).
ODEL should be prioritised within HEIS’ International Offices and empower ODEL p
ractitioners to attend all southern African conferences and workshops in this f
ield to share existing IT project experiences of other HEIS such as the Universi
ty of Pretoria (TELETUKS), UNISA, the University of the North West and the Univ
ersity of Stellenbosch.
CASE DESCRIPTION
A prominent overview of our research project at the CUT is to cover the ODEL in
detail, however, with a view to technology under the e-learning facet. Without e
-technology, ODEL cannot be operational. Subsequently the research problem will
always include the following:
• Technology Concerns;
• Technology Components; and
• Management and Organizational Concerns.
Technology Concerns
A number of features of web-based hypermedia are also providing suitable mediums
for the design of ODEL environments. The underlying object-oriented architectu
re of hypermedia systems accords with the need for representational diversity of
andragogic mechanisms and the ongoing re-construction that an evolutionary appr
oach to the design of learning activity demands. Design and development process
es to take account of features of the environment likely to influence of be infl
uenced by interactive intervention of specific programmes. Quantitative and qua
litative methods are also employed to enable evaluations of hypermedia designs a
nd its environment of use (Trikic. 2001: 186).
Because ODEL is based on sharing facilities, HEI’s local consortiums are formed
but must also merge with global consortia, built around disaggregated value chai
ns that will on their turn lead to more global virtual universities. Technologic
al developments will drive the process, the nature of net-based relationships an
d qualities of the Web that are impacting on ODEL (Oblinger, 2001: 9) (Cf. NADE
OSA, 2009).
ODEL will eventually force HEI’s into mergers and alliances. Hubs will compile
users friendly services into single web sites to cut down cost and administratio
n.
Employers in the labour forces are also using ODEL for their employees to acquir
e skills with Work Integrated Learning (WIL) on a flexible basis. (Monk, 2001:
53).
However, the perceptions of ODEL are rapidly changing but still with the followi
ng red warning lights to forestall the idea that it is an ideal panacea for High
er Education in our region:
• A naïve faith in the new technologies to solve all of the problems of ed
ucational deprivation around the world is misplaced. Access to technology, lack
of skills to use the technology for teaching and learning, and the cost of buyi
ng and renewing technologies form the rest of the equation. It will continue to
be the main impediments to the application of technologies for a much period th
an we are willing to accept. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 64).
• An absence of institutional commitment. A significant number of courses
currently available on the Web and the Internet seem to be anchored not by inst
itutional commitment but individual enthusiasm. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 64).
• Poor level of investment in staff training. The current level of invest
ment in staff development is totally inadequate for the tasks expected from a fa
culty members requested to create learner conferred materials. The range of ski
lls required to function in a multimedia environment are even more demanding. I
nstitutions are quite enthusiastic about investing in new appliances, software p
rograms and connections, but totally unrealistic when it comes to investing in t
raining. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 65).
• Shifting costs away from institutions to individual learners. New appro
aches to ODEL via cyber pipes have also meant that the cost of learning is gradu
ally shifting from being an institutional responsibility to that of a learner re
sponsibility. Not many home learners have the level of disposable income to pay
for these in addition to tuition and other institutional fees. If providers of
education are not mindful, yet another barrier can emerge. (Dhanarajan, 2001:
65).
• A mismatch between the global market and the local curriculum. The Inte
rnet and the Web make it possible for education beyond borders to take place. B
ut from the few examples that we know, curriculum has not kept pace with a globa
l classroom. Curricula design, not surprisingly, is mostly responsive to local
needs, and non-local learners suffer serious disadvantages. There is also the d
anger of creating new forms of imperialism, with one or two countries dominating
large parts of the educational market with their view and interpretation of kno
wledge and information. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 65).
Technology Components
State of the art technology is a natural choice to compile a wish list for CUT’s
future budgets because universities of technology ultimately have to keep up wi
th the vast growing of the information age and knowledge business. Diana Obling
er (2001:1) says that the speed by which new knowledge, new practices and new pr
oducts appear in the market priorities lifelong learning and ODEL. According to
her references , the following technological trends will fuel the blending of O
DL with e- learning:
• New applications of Web technology will appear continually. Due to the
low cost of entry and the ease with which new applications can be developed and
modified, new products and services will appear almost daily;
• The Net get bigger and faster. The next generation Internet will be ver
y high bandwidth, with very affordable costs. Quality of services, security and
reliability will improve. We are already seeing the integration of voice, vide
o and data. In addition, very powerful servers that provide huge amount of stor
age will contribute to the increasing value of the network (Greene, 2000).
• Reliability will improve. The importance of the Internet to all forms o
f business and education will increase. Consequently, steps will be taken to gu
ard against catastrophic failure of the Internet due to either technical malfunc
tions of malicious attack;
• Wireless gains ground. New satellite systems will expand the coverage a
rea and capabilities of voice, data and video wireless solutions. In fact, wire
less technologies will begin to be deployed as a cost-effective alternative to w
ireless transmission. As prices fall, wireless may become especially important
in providing telecommunications services in remote areas that cannot economicall
y be served using other technologies;
• Sizes get smaller. Palmtops, PDA’s and handled PCs will continue to ga
in popularity. As they add improved communication capabilities and as access to
wireless digital services become more widely available, these smaller form-facto
r devices will become more commonplace in education;
• Storage increases. Multimedia and many other types of applications will
create growing demand for storage. Fortunately, the price per megabyte of disk
storage is predicted to continue to fall by 50% every 15 to 18 months (PwC, 199
8). Not only is the price falling, but the density of storage is increasing and
the form factor (i.e. size) of storage for PCs is shrinking;
• Displays become flexible. Although computer displays are lighter and ha
ve better resolution than ever before, new technologies such as organic light-em
itting devices (OLEDS) are exceptionally bright, operate efficiently at low volt
ages and can potentially be made very inexpensively. These new displays will be
thin, lightweight and flexible – allowing them to travel to remote locations mo
re easily than today’s displays; and
• Mainframes are still cost-effective. For many of the applications likel
y to dominate the scene for distance and open learning, “mainframes” will be a p
art of the future. And they will continue to offer superior scalability, robust
ness, security and handling of data-intensive applications, such as decision sup
port or data warehousing. In fact, for many enterprise-wide applications, mainf
rames offer a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to other platforms (C
f. also Oblinger, 2001: 12).

Management and Organizational Concerns

Quite often the managers of HEIS commenced their academic careers as ordinary le
cturers in a specific academic discipline and were promoted along academic achie
vements and eventually appointed as deans, registrars, deputy vice chancellors a
nd principals. Ignorance about the specialised ODEL technology utilization subse
quently are often misunderstood or misinterpreted by ignorant managers. However
, knowledge about technology as well as management skills such as how to budget
and collaborate with other HEIS are just important as political literacy. Polit
ical literacy about Africanization and globalization are forcing managers to mak
e wider assessments, especially about ODEL with its rapid changing of technology
. Fact of the matter is that no man is an island and managers need skilled advi
sers who can give direction in research as well as implementation.
Another concern is that board members of HEI’s consist out of prominent persons
from the private and public sectors and do not always have the insight about tec
hnology utilization. In South Africa, there are also politicians appointed by t
he government on the HEI’s boards as well as representatives of labour unions.
Consequently there are multiple concerns about the knowledge of board members wh
o have to debate or to condone decisions about ODEL. Concerns are that manageme
nt and organizational matters are intertwined both with naïve decisions about th
e latest technology or lack of consensus about how to implement existing and tes
ted research on ODEL. Some of the core concerns are the following:
• Untested leadership to manage change. ODEL requires sound management an
d leadership. The early pioneers in the field, such as Walter Perry of UK Open
University, Ram Reddy of the Indira Gandhi National Open University of India, we
re academically respected, politically connected and astute, charismatic speaker
s and interlocutors, clever strategists and tacticians. They did not just manag
e; they initiated change. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 66)
• The real danger of losing our sense of equity and equality of opportunit
ies. At the heart of educational innovations, such as ODEL, must be the concern
to reach out to those in our communities who were never able to participate in
any form of learning. (Dhanarajan, 2001, 66).
The uninformed manager or board member may for example ask: “Why the philosophy
of Open Learning?” Although the answer is very simple, uninformed people will
not easily understand that Open Learning as such is not a method, but an educati
onal philosophy. It is an open approach towards learning and teaching. In holi
stic terms it means when the whole approach to Higher Education (HE) is greater
than the individual methodologies that may vary from:
• Cooperative (group) learning in class;
• Co-operative Education (Work Integrated Learning: WIL) as in Experientia
l Learning or in-service training as in off campus real life exposure to technic
al job environments;
• E-learning both for on campus and off campus learning opportunities;
• Inter-active video conferencing for off campus learners at regional lear
ning centres or satellite campuses with video back up copies for full time stude
nts;
• First generation distance education (Correspondence courses);
• Second generation distance learning (Dual contact or tutorial sessions)
(De Beer, K.J. 1995);
• Third generation distance education (Education Technology such as web ba
sed, video based, computer based or the variety of interactive electronic overhe
ad projectors and edu-walls with satellite link ups in collaboration with a dive
rsity of higher education institutional networks);
• Learner-centred philosophies within Outcomes and Problem Based Education
al Training known as progressivism (Cf. Sherrit, C.:1999);
• Blended Learning when a lecturer makes use of clippets or part of the ab
ove mentioned methodologies (Badenhorst. J.: 2004);
• Flexible Learning according to the exact meaning of the word “flex”, i.e
. to bend or fold access, teaching, learning, assessment, articulation, mobility
and recognition of prior learning experiences according to the needs of individ
ual students or societies or specific sub-regions (Mostert, J.:1999).
Still, the most important fact to keep in mind when one refers to the philosophy
of ODEL is the political domain from which it is historically founded. It is a
ll about an open democratic approach towards HE with all the revolutionary sloga
ns for a free and open (read transparent) society. Education, read also HE, is “
not regarded as a privilege but a right” (University Cape Town Art Collection.
1990).
In itself, HE is not a static and passive entity but rather a pacemaker in itsel
f and for social change. HEI’s do often not strife to keep abreast with economi
c and industrial development. For example, when formal adult education in the W
est started to take shape during the Industrial Revolution to train the labour f
orce and a literate society, it expanded along with rapid technological developm
ent in the 1920-1930 era. Eduard Lindeman and John Dewey formulated the “democr
atic, learner-centered philosophy of education, known as Progressivism” (Sherrit
, C.:1999). This statement is often very difficult for representatives of labou
r unions to dissolve!
Project findings and experiences
We have noticed all the delicate issues, controversies that define the research
problem for ODEL at the CUT for its collaboration with other HEIS within NIHE in
the Northern Cape and in the SADC region, but fortunately new forms of HEI’s ne
tworks could henceforth conveniently assist equity-driven and marginalised insti
tutions to benefit by an ODEL approach. “Third wave” mega networks opened up an
d developed new configurations such as the World Bank’s African Virtual Universi
ty (AUV) (http://www.avu.org) based in Nairobi to serve anglo-phone and francoph
one sub-Sahara. It forms part and parcel of the “new knowledge economy” (Latche
m, 2002).
In the case of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) they envisage
four possible scenarios for HEIS:
• Global big business dominated by the strongest role players;
• The Trojan Horses to slip in international qualifications;
• Community hubs; and
• University/business hybrids (Latchem, 2002)
Academic staff development is therefore under tremendous pressure too when HEI’s
tell academe to change, but still holding them accountable by traditional curri
cula. (Cf. Latchem, 2002). Subsequently the Managements of HEI’s should be cons
equent to assist their units for academic development to re-engineer and re-inve
nt curricula that are based on andragogical forms. (CF. Bezuidenhont, 2003) Lea
rning that is collaborative applications-driven and constructivist. Unfortunate
ly, there are still too much conflict between managerial levers (especially in A
frican universities) to apply modern curricula and “the languid feedback loop of
academic boards and committees which stops change taking place” writes Colin L
atchem (2002). However, he is convinced that academe is not inherently anti-cha
nge. In fact most lecturers are willing to embrace new initiatives as long as i
t is positive.
In business driven curricula, it is of course necessary to have a thorough stude
nt support system to assist them to reach the outcomes within an OL system. Tai
t (2000) says that elements of “client-or customer centred ness” in our approach
to students should be acknowledged. Not any longer the old references to stude
nts, but in a differentiated analysis regarding:
• Age;
• Gender;
• Employment or unemployment;
• Disposable income;
• Educational background;
• Geographical situation;
• Special needs (disabilities);
• Language;
• Ethnic and cultural characteristics and
• Communications technology connectedness.
Course writing must subsequently be adapted to provide an OL approach to student
support because worthwhile student support can only take place when the specifi
c demands of students/clients are met. This includes the various forms of asses
sments (continuous or only grading) says Tait (2000).
Course demands may be for full contact or dual contact or web based teaching and
learning. Tate (2000) makes the statement that there is little research done o
n students support within OL. Especially what is less often recognised is the co
gnitive function of student support, certainly where these services include tuto
ring and assessment: “Such an understanding of the role of student support come
s primarily out of social constructivist ideas that knowledge is in a real sense
made and remade by participation in learning. Where the support of students me
diates teaching embodied in courseware, then it clearly relates to learning, and
thus to cognitive outcomes. It also and necessary relates to the objective of
providing an environment where students feel at home, where they feel valued, an
d which they find manageable. In this way we can see that the three core functi
ons are truly interrelated and interdependent.”
Diverse schematic figuration images can be created to portray the ODEL – infrast
ructures of HEI’s, depending on their individual characteristics because as Tait
(2000) concludes: “There is no universal blueprint for the establishment of st
udent support systems, open as they are to a range of variations across the char
acteristics of student cohorts, programmes of study, educational cultures and ge
ographic in all their complexity.”
Therefore ODEL and ICT are a “disruptive technology that creates opportunities f
or new organisational models and strategies” says Colin Latchem and Donald Hanna
(2002).
ODEL-curriculation will of course become more difficult, especially to support l
ecturers to become aquanted with the changing methods of course delivery. Lectu
rers may experience it as “losing control of their students” (Brigss, 1999: 317)
.
Open Access
Open access for students to a HEI’s forms the very core of the philosophy of ODE
L. That is the widening of access with success for the system in open but to en
sure success applicants are still have to be selected according to HEI’s criteri
a. Two possibilities, entrance or rejection stare any applicant in the face.
If it is rejection on academic qualifications only, it may be fair, but when it
is due to space and financial reasons, it discriminates against potential studen
ts who might have become very successful academics. This is where the new strat
egic approach of African Universities involves working with and supporting activ
ities in partner institutions to enhance their institutional capacity in ODEL.
Teaching methodologies thus have to be adapted for co-operations so that HEI’s c
an increase equitable access to their demand-driven programs (Kuzvinetsa, 2005:
2).
The fact that the ODEL-model is more cost effective, i.e. where additional infra
structures are not unnecessarily duplicated, more money will be available to fin
ance the very poor applicants with good academic points on the Swedish scale, to
enter HEI’s. ODEL, which has a proven track record of flexible and modular cou
rse provision, becomes a viable and sustainable option for converting African mi
llions of human resources currently subsisting on less than US $ 1 per day from
a liability to an asset that can become pivotal in social economic development s
tates professor. Dzvimbo Kuzvinetsa (2005).
The rejected applicants on the grounds of their academic points on the Swedish s
cale (South African benchmark for access to HEIS) are also given a chance within
an ODEL-system to enter HE via bridging programmes. Multiple examples already
exist in South Africa such as the NIHE in the Northern Cape.
Of course the open access philosophy still poses problems of its own. Often ind
ividual course groups or social groups could keep on demanding to dominate a cer
tain facility. Subsequently group behaviour should be monitored very closely an
d must be discouraged (Briggs, 1999: 324).
A large strong group of IT students does not necessary mean it is a needs or dem
and driven course if they are not going to get a place in the job market. It be
comes a balancing trick not to be misled either by such behavior patterns.
ODEL is also aimed to enhance student persistence. Mantz Yorke (2004; 26) delib
erately does not use “retention” because its is deliberate while “persistence do
es not necessarily imply the lack of a break in engagement, and encompasses re-e
ngagement with the same provider after a deliberate break (the term ‘repeat busi
ness’ might be used here)”.
Equal access to ODEL is also reliable for adults with disabilities or caring res
ponsibilities. These student cohorts may have specific needs arising from their
circumstances. Their attendance patterns are more vulnerable. Subsequently th
ey have to work at their own pace and may take longer than the average students
to finish their academic qualifications. By its very nature ODEL offers more fl
exibility and customized curricular to full fill in the needs of these students
(Edmunds, 2001: 11).

CURRENT CHALLENGES FACING THE CUT

In essence the mentioned case scenario is far more problematic than the few rese
arch challenges that meet the eye. Especially the ignorance about the internati
onalisation and Africanization aspects. One of the major challenges is to conve
rt the international office of the institution to integrate ODEL expertise. More
specialized research has to be done on ODEL mergers. Academic managers must als
o play an academic diplomatic role in ODEL organizations in southern Africa, suc
h as the Vice Chancellor of our institution, Prof T Mthembu, already does in SAR
UA. Specialized ODEL orientation should be implemented in detail especially to
do the proverbial balancing trick between the price of technology and the best w
ays to merge it with existing structures and organisations both in the public as
well as in the private sectors. The current recession does not make it a simpl
e exercise. Subsequently, the huge backlog in financial resources in our sub-re
gion will force fellow HEIS to share facilities and to seek collaborative opport
unities. Many challenges other than budgetary constraints and sharing the limit
ed human resources as well as political and ethnic conflicts, civil wars, HIV/Ai
ds and corruption can be quoted here though it does not exactly fall within the
parameters of the ODEL philosophy.
International organisations such as UNESCO and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL
) will have to support the fostering and the implementation of ODEL policies wit
hin the broader educational and human resource development strategies and polici
es of member nations (AAU. 2005).
It is inevitable that no university can build its corporate image outside the ab
ove mentioned infrastructure because such a university will not be acknowledged
by the people or by international organisations. Even quality assurance practic
es will be Africanized within the African Quality Assurance Network (AQUANET) be
tween quality assurance agencies. Some of the requirements will be: how access
ible are the programmes of African universities, articulation issues, mobility;
recognition of prior learning (RPL) to build academic credits and quality standa
rds for needs driven academic curricula.
Global Challenges for the Curricula
Internal epistemological challenges to the HE-curriculum are:
Post Modernism and
Scientism (Luckett. 2001).
Luckett (2001) propose an epistemically diverse curriculum which can be develope
d within the concept of OL to cover the following four important ways:
• The traditional cognitive learning of propositional knowledge;
• Learning by doing for the application of disciplinary knowledge;
• Learning experientially, and
• Developing epistemic cognition as to be able to think reflexively and co
ntextually about learning.
The challenge to integrate the above knowledge production into a traditional con
tent-based curriculum could only be achieved with an ODEL-approach to address bo
th the local and global trends in HE curriculation.
For example, the curricula should be relevant to African students but also be re
levant in global terms (Cf. Prinsloo, 2003)
Because HE is shifting from “supply-driven” to “demand-driven”, pressures for gr
eater relevance and accountability, the impact of globalisation and information
and communications technology (ICT), competition from new providers, and the nee
d to be more self-sustaining. HEI’s seek solutions to these challenges in open
and flexible learning (better known in North America as distributed learning) an
d ICT. Educational opportunity is being extended across physical, political and
socio-economic divides and millions of learners around the globe now learn thro
ugh these means. (Daharajan, 2001). In (Latchem, C. 2002) “Open and flexible le
arning is increasing access, reducing costs, and taking the first steps to place
the learner at the centre of the educational transaction”.
SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Ruth Williams writes in Higher Education in Europe (2000, 520) that there is muc
h confusion about the use of the expression “open and distance learning”. It i
s thus helpful to start with a definition of ODEL. As her Strategic Study makes
clear: Open learning is flexible learning that makes education more accessible
to students (than the traditional forms of learning). Distance learning is a fo
rm of study and one way of pursuing open learning (Cf. De Beer and Bezuidenhout,
2006).
This stance reiterated in a SOCRATES-ODL working paper, which defines ODL as “th
e use of new methods (both technical and otherwise) to improve the flexibility o
f learning in terms of space, time, choice of content, teaching resources, and/o
r to improve access to educational systems from a distance” (European Commissio
n, 1998 Williams, 2000: 520). ODEL rather is a concept that is applied to a wi
de range of activities. Much of the development of ODEL in Central and Eastern
Europe Africa and elsewhere reflect a variation in activities and also in the us
e of terminology. It also reflects a variation in the extent to which those dev
elopments “map-on” to the definitions quoted above. Undoubtedly, this variation
is the result of different national contexts and priorities, but it also comes
from a lack of understanding of, and confusion about, terminology and definition
s. Although ODEL developments in Africa may not all strictly adhere to the defi
nitions of modern forms of teaching and learning mentioned above, alternatives t
o the traditional forms of education and training are starting to be developed (
Cf. Williams, 2000: 520)
Subsequently the Academic Development Plan of the CUT which is in tandem with it
s Manual of Policies and Procedures (CUTMOPP) that derives from National Legisla
tion (NEPAD) promotes regional, national and international research collaboratio
n (CUTMOPP, 2008). And Although CUTMOPP at this stage does not specifically use
ODEL terminology, it already implies networking with SADC and other African st
ates. In this sense CUTMOPP already encapsulates the vision and mission of the
Association of African Universities intention to play a supportive role in the d
evelopment within African Partner Institutions (API’s) of applicable mixed mode
or blended ODEL teaching and learning types (Kuzvinetsa, 2005).
This is why the CUT has to ad value to its current curricula to develop existing
programmes into synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning on campus or
out of the main campus in Welkom and Kimberley within NIHE. Eventually a AVU-n
etwork to provide for the increasing number of students. It is obvious that the
development of virtual campuses in Africa is a reality. The paucity of resourc
es, says Kuzvinetsa of the AAU (2005: 10) as well as the demands of the new mode
rn upcoming learner is now forcing African universities to think creatively abou
t how they can deliver their programmes to an ever changing student profile on t
he continent.
It is in this creative tension between vision and reality that the CUT can add v
alue to what African HEI’s are engaged in ODEL (Cf. Kuzvinetsa: 2005).
In essence ODEL is about sharing resources. Due to shoe string budgets for High
er Education in Africa, HEI’s cannot afford to duplicate facilities to the furth
er detriment of the hungry and the poor. ODEL therefore is the logic answer to
make use of innovative teaching and learning techniques with modern technology t
o reduce rural poverty (Cf. Connections, 2005).
It is also more likely that international organisations, such as UNESCO and the
Commonwealth will assist to provide resources to Africa’s most crippling problem
s. Most African States (ex British colonies) are members of the Commonwealth (A
ssociation of Commonwealth Universities, 2005). This fact will also forces Sout
h African Universities to collaborate within ODEL driven strategies to quality f
or international recognition and possible financial support. It could also beco
me a local prerequisite to qualify for state subsidy.

Internationalisation
In 1999 the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICB
A) was established to further for example teachers’ education in its 53 African
member states. It also strives for international co-operation for the developme
nt of education through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and
the African Union (AU, 2004).
Very important is the IICBA’s ability to utilise ODeL to train and develop a cri
tical mass of teachers in the most cost effective manner. Another characteristi
c is its partnership with African intergovernmental organisations and nongovernm
ental institutions to identify and execute comprehensive strategies for Africa’s
educational development (AU, 2005).
ICCBA links African Ministries of education to enhance Information and Communica
tion Technology. One of its key objectives of the ICCBA’s ODeL project is to ad
apt the courses within African countries.
In 2000, world leaders set eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) that aim t
o transform the conditions of human kind in the 21st century. From this global
perspective the holistic philosophy of OL was given a huge boost within the Comm
onwealth of Learning who promotes this idea since its establishment in 1988 in C
anada. (COL, 2005)
COL participates in forums that bring together agencies-governmental, intergover
nmental, or non-governmental-that have similar or complementary objectives, for
example, in the Global Knowledge Partnership; the ongoing work with UNESCO, UNIC
EF and other development agencies in a range of areas including initiatives supp
orting the EFA agenda, secondary school reform and health education; the buildin
g of African capacity in distance education through their membership on the exec
utive committee of the ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Afr
ica) supporting humanitarian agencies in their educational and training activiti
es (UNICEF, UNHCR, OXFAM); and participating on the WETV Foundation Board. (Mac
donald, 2000: 463).
The Federation of Commonwealth Open and Distance Learning Associations (FOCODLA)
. Cooperates with Commonwealth professional associations to assist them to apply
open and distance learning in continuing professional education. Also to organ
ise effective ways to follow up on the expectations of the Education For All (EF
A) conference in Dakar. (Macdonald, 2000: 463).
The development of a formal relationship with the South Asian Association for Re
gional Cooperation’s (SAARC) distance education facilities is a high priority.
As part of its role as a catalyst for collaboration, COL will explore ways to pa
rtner with the Indian educational television, Gyan Darshan, and the Indira Gandh
i National Open University (IGNOU), to include educational programming useful to
Commonwealth countries covered by the satellite’s footprint: East Africa throu
gh the Pacific and South Asia. In addition, the potential for the creation of a
n Eastern African facility for distance education development as well as the fea
sibility of establishing a facility for research and training in distance educat
ion in the Pacific will be significant initiatives. In cooperation with the Com
monwealth Secretariat, and possibly the ADEA Working Groups on Teacher Training
and Distance Education, COL organizes a sub-Saharan Africa policy dialogue on te
acher training through ODL. Learning methodologies to improve training. (Macdo
nald, 2000: 464).
Africanization
NADEOSA also collaborated with COL to organize their annual inter-national confe
rence in Durban June 2003. It forms a consortium with the South African Institu
te for Distance Education (SAIDE) and other African associations such as the Reg
ional Training and Research Institute for Open and Distance Learning (RETRIDAL)
in Nigeria as well as DEASA. (Cf. De Beer, 1999).
An African Ministers’ Conference on ODEL were also held in early 2004 in partner
ship with the South African Department of Education and UNESCO, which made recom
mendations that will enable African countries to make maximum use of ODEL and in
corporate it into their education frameworks. COL is working with the Departmen
t and UNESCO in taking forward these recommendations. (COL: 2005 and DEASA, 200
9).
In February 2005, COL collaborated with the World Bank, UNESCO and the AAU to or
ganize a joint conference in Cape Town. Substantial workshops forged closer tie
s among university vice chancellors while an African Quality Assurance Network (
AQUANET) was also established. (AAU: 2005).
The Association of African Universities (AAU) is a not-for-profit continental or
ganisation with a membership of 175 HEI’s drawn from 44 African countries and al
l sub-regions of the continent. Since its founding in 1967, the AAU has been se
rving as the collective voice and principal regional forum for consultation, exc
hange of information and co-operation among the institutions of higher education
in Africa. Key areas featuring in its Core Programme have been:
• Strengthening of institutional capacity,
• Promotion of networking and institutional collaboration, and support for
research on higher education issues,
• Policy advocacy, promotion of quality assurance and academic mobility, a
nd
• Enhancing access to scholarly information. (AAU, 2005).
The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is a registered charity with
a membership of 500 universities across the Commonwealth. It was founded in 191
3 and since then has served as the principal forum for discussion, the exchange
of information and co-operation among the institutions of higher education in th
e Commonwealth. Its programmes, inter alia, promote academic mobility, institut
ional collaboration, research networks, research on higher education issues, (in
particular borderless higher education and benchmarking institutional managemen
t processes.
Another important sub-division of the AAU, namely PAREN (The Promoting of Resear
ch and Education Networking-Internet), is already on track and collaborates with
the Canadian Independent Development Agency (CIDA) as well with the AVU, a proj
ect of the World Bank. (AAU: 2005).
Most important for South African Universities is the establishment of SARUA (Sou
thern African Regional Universities Association) which operates according to the
SADC protocol within the greater NEPAD structures. (SADC-Protocol, Article 7:1
4). In ODEL terms the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) promotes OD
EL methodologies such as Flexible and Blended learning. (AAU, 2005).
The former South African Minister of National Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, commi
tted her Department’s desire for technical partnerships with other African unive
rsities to establish a new African university infrastructure. (AAU, 2005).
In addition, the IICBA, of UNESCO, underpins the COL and AU initiatives within t
he NEPAD Secretariat on educational issues. Substantial development work has al
so been done on science and technology for industrialisation. (UNESCO, 2004).
Thinking Beyond Scenarios for the CUT
Our vision should be to Africanize a differentiated but single co-ordinated Afri
can higher, further and vocational education system of the southern African of R
egional Universities Association (SARUA) within the Association for African Univ
ersities (AAU) in tandem with NEPAD.
On the micro level, an open university system should be established to encapsula
te the following institutions:
• The University Free State (UFS);
• The Central University of Technology Free State (CUT);
• The UNISA – Regional Distance Facilities;
• Further Education and Training Institutions (FETI’s);
• Vocational colleges (Agricultural and Nursing); and
• NIHE and other collaborating HEIS.
Such an open university system could co-operate within SARUA and its ODEL substr
ates such as:
• ACDE;
• DEASA;
• NADEOSA;
• World Bank;
• AVU;
• AAU;
• COL; and
• UNESCO
New thoughts and ideas of HEI’s corporative images are now to break down the old
perceptions of poor quality first generation DE-practices into that of excellen
t quality ODEL users friendly methodologies to stay competitive in the global vi
llage of HE and the labour market.
Obviously much still has to be done to counter act the public is negative percep
tion of “correspondence distance education” and poor student retention and pass
rates. Even 30 years after the founding of Open Universities in Britain, Hong K
ong and else where in the world, perceptions of non-campus based HE as second ra
te still persists. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 63).
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African Council for Distance Education (ACDE). 2006. Founding conference. UNISA.
Afrcan Union. 2005. SA Media. Press clippings. University of the Free State.
African Virtual University AVU). 2008. http://avu.org (Assesssed: 2008-01-30)
Association of African Universities. 2005. 11th AAU General Conference: Cross-bo
rder Provision and the Future of Higher Education in Africa. Conference Document
s. 21st – 25th February.
Association of Commonwealth Universities. 2005. Press Release. Cape Town 11
March.
Badenhorst JJC and De Beer KJ. 2004. Blended Learning at the Central Universi
ty of Technology, Free State. E/merge 2004 Conference. Blended collaborative l
earning at Southern Africa. 28 June – 10 July.
Bezuidenhout, J. 2002. Unpublished research protocol for a D.Tech degree. Centra
l university of Technology, Free State.
Briggs, A.R.J. 1999. Open Doors? Moddelling accessibility of learning resource
facilities. In Journal of Further and Higher Education, 23 (3); 317-327
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Commonwealth of Learning. 2005. Open and Distance Learning Policy. www.col.org/
programmes/reporting/eval 02.htm (Assessed: 2005-05-26).
Connections. 2005. A news publication of the Commonwealth of Learning, 10 (1).
Central University of Technology, Free State. 2008. Academic Development and
Plan. Manual of Policies and Procedures (CUTMOP).
De Beer, K.J. 1995. Distance (contact) teaching at the Technikon OFS branches
in Selected conference papers of the 17th World Conference of the International
council for Distance Education, Birmingham, United Kingdom. June.
De Beer, K.J. 1998. Technilon Free State – A Historical – Structural Analysis:
A Case Study in Philosophical Ideas. Conference on Ideology in Higher
Education. Technikon Free State. 17-18 September.
De Beer. K.J. 1999. UNESCO – Africa and the World Technological University
Movement. An International Seminar on the Concept of a Technological Universi
ty. Technikon Free State. 27 – 28 October.
De Beer, KJ. 2005. An Africanised study of astronomical history in the Northern
Cape (South Africa) for purposes of secondary and higher education programmes i
n Tourism Management. African Astronomical History Symposium. Cape Town. Novembe
r 8-9
De Beer, K.J. and Bezuidenhout, J. (2006) The Context of Open Learning. Progress
io. UNISA.
Dhanarajan, G. 2001. Distance Education: Promise, performance and potential. I
n Open Learning, 16 (1) 6
Digital Doorway. 2009. Meraka Institute. CSIR. South Africa. www.csir.co.za (As
sessed: 2009-10-12).
Distance Education Association for Southern Africa (DEASA) 2009. Annual Conferen
ce, Maseru, Lesotho. 20-22 September.
Edmunds, M. 2001. Equal Access to Open Learning. In Adults Learning, 12 (6) 1-
15.
Higher Education Act (101). 2000. Department of Education. South Africa.
Kuzvinetsa, D. 2005. 11th AAU General Conference: Cross-border Provision and the
Future of Higher Education in Africa. Conference Documents. 21st – 25th Februa
ry.
Latchem, C. and Hanna, D.E. 2002. Leadership for Open and Flexible Learning. I
n Open Learning, 17 (3): 205-215.
Luckett, K. 2001. A proposal for an epistemically chiverse curriculum for South
African higher education in the 21st century. In South African Journal
of Higher Education, 17 (3) 49-61.
Macdonald, H.I. 2000. The Commonwealth of Learning: Its second decade and the th
ree year plan 2000-2003. In the Rand Table 356: 459-470.
Monk, D. 2001. Open/distance learning in the United Kingdom. Why do people do
it here (and else where)? In Perspectives in Education, 19 (3): 53 – 66.
Mostert, J W and De Beer, KJ. 1998. A proposed flexible learning mode for the fu
rther and higher education institutions of the Free State. LINKS/SAAD/SAARDHE CO
NFERENCE, University of the Free State Bloemfontein, 24 September 1998.
National Association for Distance Education and Open Learning of South Africa (N
ADEOSA) Annual Conference. University of Pretoria. 17-18 Augustus. http://www.
nadeosa.org.za (Assessed: 2009-10-12).
Oblinger, D. 2001. Will E-business Shape the Future of Open and Distance
Learning? In Open Learning, 16 (1): 1-25.
Pandor, N. 2005. AAU Conference. Cape Town.21st February.
Prinsloo, P. 2003. The quest for relevance: preliminary thoughts on the issue o
f relevance in higher education in South Africa. In Progression, 25 (1):
61-75.
Sherrit, C. 1999. Hong Kong and Taiwam: Two Case Studies in Open and Distance
Learning. In Asian Affairs Hong Kong.
Tait, A. 2000. Planning Student Support for Open and Distance Learning. In Ope
n Learning, 15 (3) 228-298.
Trikic, A. 2001. Evolving open learning environments using hypermedia technolog
y. In Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 17: 186-199. Black well Science Ltd
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www.unesco-iicba.org (Assessed: 2005-01-21).
University of Cape Town Art Collection. 1998.
Yorke, M. 2004. Retention, persistence and success in on-campus higher education
and their enhancement in open and distance learning. In Open Learning,
19 (1): 20-32.
APPENDIX A: RELEVANT ACCRONYMNS
ACDE- African Council for Distance Education.
COL - Commonwealth of Learning.
DEASA – Distance Education Association of Southern Africa.
MINEDAF – Ministers of Education in Africa.
NADEOSA- National Association for Distance and Open Learning Education in South
Africa.
NEPAD – New Plan for African Development Partnership for Africa’s Development.
SARUA – South African Regional Universities Association.

Contemporary research on Open and Distance E-Learning at the Central University

of Technology, Free State, South Africa: an Africanized approach
KJ De Beer Director: Academic Support and Research, Central University of Techno
logy, Free State (CUT)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In essence, the 11th Association for African Universities (AAU) General Conferen
ce during February 2005 in Cape Town especially enhanced the development of an O
pen and Distance E-Learning (ODEL) networking process within the NEPAD agreement
of the African Union (AU). It actually implemented the Southern African Develop
ment Community (SADC) protocol for open academic agreements. Geographically, the
Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) falls in the southern Africa
n region. Consequently, research in our Unit for Academic Development, primaril
y endeavours to cover the philosophy of ODEL within PAREN (Promoting African Res
earch and Education Networking- Internet) in this part of the continent. ODEL i
s not static. Subsequently, modern perspectives are continually necessary for te
chnology utilization, said the former minister of Education in South Africa, Nal
edi Pandor at the AAU-conference (2005). The sharing of Higher Education Institu
tions’ ODEL facilities is becoming a fait de accompli which is further prioritis
ed by the current global financial recession. Therefore, ODEL research seeks to
provide an urgent strategy as how to align and support existing infrastructures
from sub-regional to national and international (read Africanized) levels.
ORGANIZATION AND BACKGROUND
The CUT main campus resides in Bloemfontein, the capitol of the Free State provi
nce, adjacent to the Kingdom of Lesotho. CUT, a former Technikon which could be
compared with polytechnics or community colleges elsewhere in the world, became
a fully fledged university of technology in 2003 (Cf. De Beer, 1998). It used
to serve four distance campuses which were closed down under the new higher educ
ation dispensation of the South African government’s Department of Education (DO
E). One of the four campuses, namely Welkom, was integrated with the former Vis
ta University and integrated with its jewellery school into CUT.
The distance facility in Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province now forms part
of the National Institute for Higher Education: Northern Cape (NIHE) which serve
s as a hub for four other Higher Education Institutions (HEIS). NIHE could be c
ompared with some elementary components of an open university system for the Nor
thern Cape. Basically, the Unit for Academic Development (UAD) of the CUT is do
ing research how to establish a management structure within a possible open univ
ersity system, not only for NIHE, but to merge ventures in technology utilizatio
n within the whole sub-region. This sub-region could include the National Unive
rsity of Lesotho (NUL) and the University of South Africa’s (UNISA) distance edu
cation network from the Northern Cape and Namibia in collaboration with the proj
ects of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
UNISA, which commenced with the very first Institute for Open Learning, also for
ms part of NIHE and has already established a network of inter active videoconfe
rencing facilities in the bigger towns such as Springbok and Kimberley of the No
rthern Cape. In Kathu, the Further Training Education Institution (FTEI) trains
the most advanced technicians for the mines in the Northern Cape.
Academically, the CUT main campus offers Science, Engineering and Technology pro
grammes as well as practical management courses such as Public Management and Hu
man Resources Management. It also offers Health (Radiology and Dental Assistant
training) and Environmental (Agricultural Management) programmes. Courses are m
ostly offered via traditional learning and teaching methodologies. Power point
presentations are supported by a well established infra structure such as a libr
ary and information centre, IT laboratories, workshops and training facilities a
s well as a Science Park.
The Science Park is linked with the Meraka Institute of the Council for Science
and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria with an outdoor computer with a very
low signal capacity (Cf. Digital Doorway, 2009). This all weather machine could
be loaded with learning material and placed anywhere in the region to open limi
ted access for open learning. One such experiment was done in the Kingdom of Le
sotho and the idea is to expand research with expertise of COL on the project fo
r the Northern Cape as well. This province is the largest in South Africa (over
350 000 square kilometres). It is a semi desert area next to the West coast an
d sparsely populated with plus minus one million people. Most of the inhabitants
experience socio economic problems and cannot afford full time tuition at unive
rsities.
To assist the part time students in the Northern Cape, a limited Web Course Tool
(Web CT) support network has been extended from the Centre for E-Learning and E
ducational Technology (CELET) at the CUT’s main campus. Web CT was upgraded to B
lackboard Campus Edition 8.
Little research has been done to merge the CUT’s Information Technology System (
ITS) in collaboration with other HEIS to develop a single and compatible system.
Especially to establish an open university system with ODEL methodologies accor
ding to the spirit of the Higher Education Act (101) which formulates the idea o
f a single higher education dispensation (Higher Education Act, 2000).
This research article endeavours to enlighten colleagues about the research prob
lem in southern Africa, namely that there exists a huge hiatus in the knowledge
how to construct a practical strategic plan for collaboration not only among HEI
S but also with other existing research organizations which will be described in
detail under the case description.
SETTING THE STAGE
In the economic sense of the word, both the Free State and Northern Cape provinc
es are rated less viable than the other seven provinces of the country. Contrary
to this negative socio economic scenario, the Free State has some of the riches
t gold mines in the world. Its agricultural industry is well developed but hamp
ered by droughts. In the Northern Cape, the De Beers diamond mines are contribu
ting to the economic welfare of the province as well as the iron ore mines in Ka
thu. Some of the world’s best semi precious stones could be found in this semi d
esert region. It also houses the South African Large Telescope (SALT) and Meerk
at, the impetus for the largest radio telescope in the world. The outcome of th
e South African bid next to Australia is still not known, but astronomy already
forms part and parcel of international research and international collaboration
(Cf. De Beer, 2007).
First of all a viable infrastructure has to be implemented which must enhance me
rgers in technology networks as well as to merge it with the vision and mission
statements of the South African Department of Education (DOE), and the Southern
African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) which subscribes to the SADC p
rotocol on Education and Training.
More research is necessary with other HEIS of the African Council for Distance E
ducation (ACDE), the Distance Education Organisation of Southern Africa (DEASA),
the National Association for Distance and Open Learning of South Africa (NADEOS
A), the South African Association for Research Development in South Africa (SAAR
DHE), the South African for Academic Development Association (SADA) and the Sout
h African Association for Co-operative Education (SASCE). (Cf. ACDE. 2006).
ODEL should be prioritised within HEIS’ International Offices and empower ODEL p
ractitioners to attend all southern African conferences and workshops in this f
ield to share existing IT project experiences of other HEIS such as the Universi
ty of Pretoria (TELETUKS), UNISA, the University of the North West and the Univ
ersity of Stellenbosch.
CASE DESCRIPTION
A prominent overview of our research project at the CUT is to cover the ODEL in
detail, however, with a view to technology under the e-learning facet. Without e
-technology, ODEL cannot be operational. Subsequently the research problem will
always include the following:
• Technology Concerns;
• Technology Components; and
• Management and Organizational Concerns.
Technology Concerns
A number of features of web-based hypermedia are also providing suitable mediums
for the design of ODEL environments. The underlying object-oriented architectu
re of hypermedia systems accords with the need for representational diversity of
andragogic mechanisms and the ongoing re-construction that an evolutionary appr
oach to the design of learning activity demands. Design and development process
es to take account of features of the environment likely to influence of be infl
uenced by interactive intervention of specific programmes. Quantitative and qua
litative methods are also employed to enable evaluations of hypermedia designs a
nd its environment of use (Trikic. 2001: 186).
Because ODEL is based on sharing facilities, HEI’s local consortiums are formed
but must also merge with global consortia, built around disaggregated value chai
ns that will on their turn lead to more global virtual universities. Technologic
al developments will drive the process, the nature of net-based relationships an
d qualities of the Web that are impacting on ODEL (Oblinger, 2001: 9) (Cf. NADE
OSA, 2009).
ODEL will eventually force HEI’s into mergers and alliances. Hubs will compile
users friendly services into single web sites to cut down cost and administratio
n.
Employers in the labour forces are also using ODEL for their employees to acquir
e skills with Work Integrated Learning (WIL) on a flexible basis. (Monk, 2001:
53).
However, the perceptions of ODEL are rapidly changing but still with the followi
ng red warning lights to forestall the idea that it is an ideal panacea for High
er Education in our region:
• A naïve faith in the new technologies to solve all of the problems of ed
ucational deprivation around the world is misplaced. Access to technology, lack
of skills to use the technology for teaching and learning, and the cost of buyi
ng and renewing technologies form the rest of the equation. It will continue to
be the main impediments to the application of technologies for a much period th
an we are willing to accept. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 64).
• An absence of institutional commitment. A significant number of courses
currently available on the Web and the Internet seem to be anchored not by inst
itutional commitment but individual enthusiasm. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 64).
• Poor level of investment in staff training. The current level of invest
ment in staff development is totally inadequate for the tasks expected from a fa
culty members requested to create learner conferred materials. The range of ski
lls required to function in a multimedia environment are even more demanding. I
nstitutions are quite enthusiastic about investing in new appliances, software p
rograms and connections, but totally unrealistic when it comes to investing in t
raining. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 65).
• Shifting costs away from institutions to individual learners. New appro
aches to ODEL via cyber pipes have also meant that the cost of learning is gradu
ally shifting from being an institutional responsibility to that of a learner re
sponsibility. Not many home learners have the level of disposable income to pay
for these in addition to tuition and other institutional fees. If providers of
education are not mindful, yet another barrier can emerge. (Dhanarajan, 2001:
65).
• A mismatch between the global market and the local curriculum. The Inte
rnet and the Web make it possible for education beyond borders to take place. B
ut from the few examples that we know, curriculum has not kept pace with a globa
l classroom. Curricula design, not surprisingly, is mostly responsive to local
needs, and non-local learners suffer serious disadvantages. There is also the d
anger of creating new forms of imperialism, with one or two countries dominating
large parts of the educational market with their view and interpretation of kno
wledge and information. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 65).
Technology Components
State of the art technology is a natural choice to compile a wish list for CUT’s
future budgets because universities of technology ultimately have to keep up wi
th the vast growing of the information age and knowledge business. Diana Obling
er (2001:1) says that the speed by which new knowledge, new practices and new pr
oducts appear in the market priorities lifelong learning and ODEL. According to
her references , the following technological trends will fuel the blending of O
DL with e- learning:
• New applications of Web technology will appear continually. Due to the
low cost of entry and the ease with which new applications can be developed and
modified, new products and services will appear almost daily;
• The Net get bigger and faster. The next generation Internet will be ver
y high bandwidth, with very affordable costs. Quality of services, security and
reliability will improve. We are already seeing the integration of voice, vide
o and data. In addition, very powerful servers that provide huge amount of stor
age will contribute to the increasing value of the network (Greene, 2000).
• Reliability will improve. The importance of the Internet to all forms o
f business and education will increase. Consequently, steps will be taken to gu
ard against catastrophic failure of the Internet due to either technical malfunc
tions of malicious attack;
• Wireless gains ground. New satellite systems will expand the coverage a
rea and capabilities of voice, data and video wireless solutions. In fact, wire
less technologies will begin to be deployed as a cost-effective alternative to w
ireless transmission. As prices fall, wireless may become especially important
in providing telecommunications services in remote areas that cannot economicall
y be served using other technologies;
• Sizes get smaller. Palmtops, PDA’s and handled PCs will continue to ga
in popularity. As they add improved communication capabilities and as access to
wireless digital services become more widely available, these smaller form-facto
r devices will become more commonplace in education;
• Storage increases. Multimedia and many other types of applications will
create growing demand for storage. Fortunately, the price per megabyte of disk
storage is predicted to continue to fall by 50% every 15 to 18 months (PwC, 199
8). Not only is the price falling, but the density of storage is increasing and
the form factor (i.e. size) of storage for PCs is shrinking;
• Displays become flexible. Although computer displays are lighter and ha
ve better resolution than ever before, new technologies such as organic light-em
itting devices (OLEDS) are exceptionally bright, operate efficiently at low volt
ages and can potentially be made very inexpensively. These new displays will be
 thin, lightweight and flexible – allowing them to travel to remote locations mo
re easily than today’s displays; and
• Mainframes are still cost-effective. For many of the applications likel
y to dominate the scene for distance and open learning, “mainframes” will be a p
art of the future. And they will continue to offer superior scalability, robust
ness, security and handling of data-intensive applications, such as decision sup
port or data warehousing. In fact, for many enterprise-wide applications, mainf
rames offer a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to other platforms (C
f. also Oblinger, 2001: 12).

Management and Organizational Concerns

Quite often the managers of HEIS commenced their academic careers as ordinary le
cturers in a specific academic discipline and were promoted along academic achie
vements and eventually appointed as deans, registrars, deputy vice chancellors a
nd principals. Ignorance about the specialised ODEL technology utilization subse
quently are often misunderstood or misinterpreted by ignorant managers. However
, knowledge about technology as well as management skills such as how to budget
and collaborate with other HEIS are just important as political literacy. Polit
ical literacy about Africanization and globalization are forcing managers to mak
e wider assessments, especially about ODEL with its rapid changing of technology
. Fact of the matter is that no man is an island and managers need skilled advi
sers who can give direction in research as well as implementation.
Another concern is that board members of HEI’s consist out of prominent persons
from the private and public sectors and do not always have the insight about tec
hnology utilization. In South Africa, there are also politicians appointed by t
he government on the HEI’s boards as well as representatives of labour unions.
Consequently there are multiple concerns about the knowledge of board members wh
o have to debate or to condone decisions about ODEL. Concerns are that manageme
nt and organizational matters are intertwined both with naïve decisions about th
e latest technology or lack of consensus about how to implement existing and tes
ted research on ODEL. Some of the core concerns are the following:
• Untested leadership to manage change. ODEL requires sound management an
d leadership. The early pioneers in the field, such as Walter Perry of UK Open
University, Ram Reddy of the Indira Gandhi National Open University of India, we
re academically respected, politically connected and astute, charismatic speaker
s and interlocutors, clever strategists and tacticians. They did not just manag
e; they initiated change. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 66)
• The real danger of losing our sense of equity and equality of opportunit
ies. At the heart of educational innovations, such as ODEL, must be the concern
to reach out to those in our communities who were never able to participate in
any form of learning. (Dhanarajan, 2001, 66).
The uninformed manager or board member may for example ask: “Why the philosophy
of Open Learning?” Although the answer is very simple, uninformed people will
not easily understand that Open Learning as such is not a method, but an educati
onal philosophy. It is an open approach towards learning and teaching. In holi
stic terms it means when the whole approach to Higher Education (HE) is greater
than the individual methodologies that may vary from:
• Cooperative (group) learning in class;
• Co-operative Education (Work Integrated Learning: WIL) as in Experientia
l Learning or in-service training as in off campus real life exposure to technic
al job environments;
• E-learning both for on campus and off campus learning opportunities;
• Inter-active video conferencing for off campus learners at regional lear
ning centres or satellite campuses with video back up copies for full time stude
nts;
• First generation distance education (Correspondence courses);
• Second generation distance learning (Dual contact or tutorial sessions)
(De Beer, K.J. 1995);
• Third generation distance education (Education Technology such as web ba
sed, video based, computer based or the variety of interactive electronic overhe
ad projectors and edu-walls with satellite link ups in collaboration with a dive
rsity of higher education institutional networks);
• Learner-centred philosophies within Outcomes and Problem Based Education
al Training known as progressivism (Cf. Sherrit, C.:1999);
• Blended Learning when a lecturer makes use of clippets or part of the ab
ove mentioned methodologies (Badenhorst. J.: 2004);
• Flexible Learning according to the exact meaning of the word “flex”, i.e
. to bend or fold access, teaching, learning, assessment, articulation, mobility
and recognition of prior learning experiences according to the needs of individ
ual students or societies or specific sub-regions (Mostert, J.:1999).
Still, the most important fact to keep in mind when one refers to the philosophy
of ODEL is the political domain from which it is historically founded. It is a
ll about an open democratic approach towards HE with all the revolutionary sloga
ns for a free and open (read transparent) society. Education, read also HE, is “
not regarded as a privilege but a right” (University Cape Town Art Collection.
1990).
In itself, HE is not a static and passive entity but rather a pacemaker in itsel
f and for social change. HEI’s do often not strife to keep abreast with economi
c and industrial development. For example, when formal adult education in the W
est started to take shape during the Industrial Revolution to train the labour f
orce and a literate society, it expanded along with rapid technological developm
ent in the 1920-1930 era. Eduard Lindeman and John Dewey formulated the “democr
atic, learner-centered philosophy of education, known as Progressivism” (Sherrit
, C.:1999). This statement is often very difficult for representatives of labou
r unions to dissolve!
Project findings and experiences
We have noticed all the delicate issues, controversies that define the research
problem for ODEL at the CUT for its collaboration with other HEIS within NIHE in
the Northern Cape and in the SADC region, but fortunately new forms of HEI’s ne
tworks could henceforth conveniently assist equity-driven and marginalised insti
tutions to benefit by an ODEL approach. “Third wave” mega networks opened up an
d developed new configurations such as the World Bank’s African Virtual Universi
ty (AUV) (http://www.avu.org) based in Nairobi to serve anglo-phone and francoph
one sub-Sahara. It forms part and parcel of the “new knowledge economy” (Latche
m, 2002).
In the case of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) they envisage
four possible scenarios for HEIS:
• Global big business dominated by the strongest role players;
• The Trojan Horses to slip in international qualifications;
• Community hubs; and
• University/business hybrids (Latchem, 2002)
Academic staff development is therefore under tremendous pressure too when HEI’s
tell academe to change, but still holding them accountable by traditional curri
cula. (Cf. Latchem, 2002). Subsequently the Managements of HEI’s should be cons
equent to assist their units for academic development to re-engineer and re-inve
nt curricula that are based on andragogical forms. (CF. Bezuidenhont, 2003) Lea
rning that is collaborative applications-driven and constructivist. Unfortunate
ly, there are still too much conflict between managerial levers (especially in A
frican universities) to apply modern curricula and “the languid feedback loop of
academic boards and committees which stops change taking place” writes Colin L
atchem (2002). However, he is convinced that academe is not inherently anti-cha
nge. In fact most lecturers are willing to embrace new initiatives as long as i
t is positive.
In business driven curricula, it is of course necessary to have a thorough stude
nt support system to assist them to reach the outcomes within an OL system. Tai
t (2000) says that elements of “client-or customer centred ness” in our approach
to students should be acknowledged. Not any longer the old references to stude
nts, but in a differentiated analysis regarding:
• Age;
• Gender;
• Employment or unemployment;
• Disposable income;
• Educational background;
• Geographical situation;
• Special needs (disabilities);
• Language;
• Ethnic and cultural characteristics and
• Communications technology connectedness.
Course writing must subsequently be adapted to provide an OL approach to student
support because worthwhile student support can only take place when the specifi
c demands of students/clients are met. This includes the various forms of asses
sments (continuous or only grading) says Tait (2000).
Course demands may be for full contact or dual contact or web based teaching and
learning. Tate (2000) makes the statement that there is little research done o
n students support within OL. Especially what is less often recognised is the co
gnitive function of student support, certainly where these services include tuto
ring and assessment: “Such an understanding of the role of student support come
s primarily out of social constructivist ideas that knowledge is in a real sense
made and remade by participation in learning. Where the support of students me
diates teaching embodied in courseware, then it clearly relates to learning, and
thus to cognitive outcomes. It also and necessary relates to the objective of
providing an environment where students feel at home, where they feel valued, an
d which they find manageable. In this way we can see that the three core functi
ons are truly interrelated and interdependent.”
Diverse schematic figuration images can be created to portray the ODEL – infrast
ructures of HEI’s, depending on their individual characteristics because as Tait
(2000) concludes: “There is no universal blueprint for the establishment of st
udent support systems, open as they are to a range of variations across the char
acteristics of student cohorts, programmes of study, educational cultures and ge
ographic in all their complexity.”
Therefore ODEL and ICT are a “disruptive technology that creates opportunities f
or new organisational models and strategies” says Colin Latchem and Donald Hanna
(2002).
ODEL-curriculation will of course become more difficult, especially to support l
ecturers to become aquanted with the changing methods of course delivery. Lectu
rers may experience it as “losing control of their students” (Brigss, 1999: 317)
.
Open Access
Open access for students to a HEI’s forms the very core of the philosophy of ODE
L. That is the widening of access with success for the system in open but to en
sure success applicants are still have to be selected according to HEI’s criteri
a. Two possibilities, entrance or rejection stare any applicant in the face.
If it is rejection on academic qualifications only, it may be fair, but when it
is due to space and financial reasons, it discriminates against potential studen
ts who might have become very successful academics. This is where the new strat
egic approach of African Universities involves working with and supporting activ
ities in partner institutions to enhance their institutional capacity in ODEL.
Teaching methodologies thus have to be adapted for co-operations so that HEI’s c
an increase equitable access to their demand-driven programs (Kuzvinetsa, 2005:
2).
The fact that the ODEL-model is more cost effective, i.e. where additional infra
structures are not unnecessarily duplicated, more money will be available to fin
ance the very poor applicants with good academic points on the Swedish scale, to
enter HEI’s. ODEL, which has a proven track record of flexible and modular cou
rse provision, becomes a viable and sustainable option for converting African mi
llions of human resources currently subsisting on less than US $ 1 per day from
a liability to an asset that can become pivotal in social economic development s
tates professor. Dzvimbo Kuzvinetsa (2005).
The rejected applicants on the grounds of their academic points on the Swedish s
cale (South African benchmark for access to HEIS) are also given a chance within
an ODEL-system to enter HE via bridging programmes. Multiple examples already
exist in South Africa such as the NIHE in the Northern Cape.
Of course the open access philosophy still poses problems of its own. Often ind
ividual course groups or social groups could keep on demanding to dominate a cer
tain facility. Subsequently group behaviour should be monitored very closely an
d must be discouraged (Briggs, 1999: 324).
A large strong group of IT students does not necessary mean it is a needs or dem
and driven course if they are not going to get a place in the job market. It be
comes a balancing trick not to be misled either by such behavior patterns.
ODEL is also aimed to enhance student persistence. Mantz Yorke (2004; 26) delib
erately does not use “retention” because its is deliberate while “persistence do
es not necessarily imply the lack of a break in engagement, and encompasses re-e
ngagement with the same provider after a deliberate break (the term ‘repeat busi
ness’ might be used here)”.
Equal access to ODEL is also reliable for adults with disabilities or caring res
ponsibilities. These student cohorts may have specific needs arising from their
circumstances. Their attendance patterns are more vulnerable. Subsequently th
ey have to work at their own pace and may take longer than the average students
to finish their academic qualifications. By its very nature ODEL offers more fl
exibility and customized curricular to full fill in the needs of these students
(Edmunds, 2001: 11).

CURRENT CHALLENGES FACING THE CUT

In essence the mentioned case scenario is far more problematic than the few rese
arch challenges that meet the eye. Especially the ignorance about the internati
onalisation and Africanization aspects. One of the major challenges is to conve
rt the international office of the institution to integrate ODEL expertise. More
specialized research has to be done on ODEL mergers. Academic managers must als
o play an academic diplomatic role in ODEL organizations in southern Africa, suc
h as the Vice Chancellor of our institution, Prof T Mthembu, already does in SAR
UA. Specialized ODEL orientation should be implemented in detail especially to
do the proverbial balancing trick between the price of technology and the best w
ays to merge it with existing structures and organisations both in the public as
well as in the private sectors. The current recession does not make it a simpl
e exercise. Subsequently, the huge backlog in financial resources in our sub-re
gion will force fellow HEIS to share facilities and to seek collaborative opport
unities. Many challenges other than budgetary constraints and sharing the limit
ed human resources as well as political and ethnic conflicts, civil wars, HIV/Ai
ds and corruption can be quoted here though it does not exactly fall within the
parameters of the ODEL philosophy.
International organisations such as UNESCO and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL
) will have to support the fostering and the implementation of ODEL policies wit
hin the broader educational and human resource development strategies and polici
es of member nations (AAU. 2005).
It is inevitable that no university can build its corporate image outside the ab
ove mentioned infrastructure because such a university will not be acknowledged
by the people or by international organisations. Even quality assurance practic
es will be Africanized within the African Quality Assurance Network (AQUANET) be
tween quality assurance agencies. Some of the requirements will be: how access
ible are the programmes of African universities, articulation issues, mobility;
recognition of prior learning (RPL) to build academic credits and quality standa
rds for needs driven academic curricula.
Global Challenges for the Curricula
Internal epistemological challenges to the HE-curriculum are:
Post Modernism and
Scientism (Luckett. 2001).
Luckett (2001) propose an epistemically diverse curriculum which can be develope
d within the concept of OL to cover the following four important ways:
• The traditional cognitive learning of propositional knowledge;
• Learning by doing for the application of disciplinary knowledge;
• Learning experientially, and
• Developing epistemic cognition as to be able to think reflexively and co
ntextually about learning.
The challenge to integrate the above knowledge production into a traditional con
tent-based curriculum could only be achieved with an ODEL-approach to address bo
th the local and global trends in HE curriculation.
For example, the curricula should be relevant to African students but also be re
levant in global terms (Cf. Prinsloo, 2003)
Because HE is shifting from “supply-driven” to “demand-driven”, pressures for gr
eater relevance and accountability, the impact of globalisation and information
and communications technology (ICT), competition from new providers, and the nee
d to be more self-sustaining. HEI’s seek solutions to these challenges in open
and flexible learning (better known in North America as distributed learning) an
d ICT. Educational opportunity is being extended across physical, political and
socio-economic divides and millions of learners around the globe now learn thro
ugh these means. (Daharajan, 2001). In (Latchem, C. 2002) “Open and flexible le
arning is increasing access, reducing costs, and taking the first steps to place
the learner at the centre of the educational transaction”.
SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Ruth Williams writes in Higher Education in Europe (2000, 520) that there is muc
h confusion about the use of the expression “open and distance learning”. It i
s thus helpful to start with a definition of ODEL. As her Strategic Study makes
clear: Open learning is flexible learning that makes education more accessible
to students (than the traditional forms of learning). Distance learning is a fo
rm of study and one way of pursuing open learning (Cf. De Beer and Bezuidenhout,
2006).
This stance reiterated in a SOCRATES-ODL working paper, which defines ODL as “th
e use of new methods (both technical and otherwise) to improve the flexibility o
f learning in terms of space, time, choice of content, teaching resources, and/o
r to improve access to educational systems from a distance” (European Commissio
n, 1998 Williams, 2000: 520). ODEL rather is a concept that is applied to a wi
de range of activities. Much of the development of ODEL in Central and Eastern
Europe Africa and elsewhere reflect a variation in activities and also in the us
e of terminology. It also reflects a variation in the extent to which those dev
elopments “map-on” to the definitions quoted above. Undoubtedly, this variation
is the result of different national contexts and priorities, but it also comes
from a lack of understanding of, and confusion about, terminology and definition
s. Although ODEL developments in Africa may not all strictly adhere to the defi
nitions of modern forms of teaching and learning mentioned above, alternatives t
o the traditional forms of education and training are starting to be developed (
Cf. Williams, 2000: 520)
Subsequently the Academic Development Plan of the CUT which is in tandem with it
s Manual of Policies and Procedures (CUTMOPP) that derives from National Legisla
tion (NEPAD) promotes regional, national and international research collaboratio
n (CUTMOPP, 2008). And Although CUTMOPP at this stage does not specifically use
ODEL terminology, it already implies networking with SADC and other African st
ates. In this sense CUTMOPP already encapsulates the vision and mission of the
Association of African Universities intention to play a supportive role in the d
evelopment within African Partner Institutions (API’s) of applicable mixed mode
or blended ODEL teaching and learning types (Kuzvinetsa, 2005).
This is why the CUT has to ad value to its current curricula to develop existing
programmes into synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning on campus or
out of the main campus in Welkom and Kimberley within NIHE. Eventually a AVU-n
etwork to provide for the increasing number of students. It is obvious that the
development of virtual campuses in Africa is a reality. The paucity of resourc
es, says Kuzvinetsa of the AAU (2005: 10) as well as the demands of the new mode
rn upcoming learner is now forcing African universities to think creatively abou
t how they can deliver their programmes to an ever changing student profile on t
he continent.
It is in this creative tension between vision and reality that the CUT can add v
alue to what African HEI’s are engaged in ODEL (Cf. Kuzvinetsa: 2005).
In essence ODEL is about sharing resources. Due to shoe string budgets for High
er Education in Africa, HEI’s cannot afford to duplicate facilities to the furth
er detriment of the hungry and the poor. ODEL therefore is the logic answer to
make use of innovative teaching and learning techniques with modern technology t
o reduce rural poverty (Cf. Connections, 2005).
It is also more likely that international organisations, such as UNESCO and the
Commonwealth will assist to provide resources to Africa’s most crippling problem
s. Most African States (ex British colonies) are members of the Commonwealth (A
ssociation of Commonwealth Universities, 2005). This fact will also forces Sout
h African Universities to collaborate within ODEL driven strategies to quality f
or international recognition and possible financial support. It could also beco
me a local prerequisite to qualify for state subsidy.

Internationalisation
In 1999 the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICB
A) was established to further for example teachers’ education in its 53 African
member states. It also strives for international co-operation for the developme
nt of education through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and
the African Union (AU, 2004).
Very important is the IICBA’s ability to utilise ODeL to train and develop a cri
tical mass of teachers in the most cost effective manner. Another characteristi
c is its partnership with African intergovernmental organisations and nongovernm
ental institutions to identify and execute comprehensive strategies for Africa’s
educational development (AU, 2005).
ICCBA links African Ministries of education to enhance Information and Communica
tion Technology. One of its key objectives of the ICCBA’s ODeL project is to ad
apt the courses within African countries.
In 2000, world leaders set eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) that aim t
o transform the conditions of human kind in the 21st century. From this global
perspective the holistic philosophy of OL was given a huge boost within the Comm
onwealth of Learning who promotes this idea since its establishment in 1988 in C
anada. (COL, 2005)
COL participates in forums that bring together agencies-governmental, intergover
nmental, or non-governmental-that have similar or complementary objectives, for
example, in the Global Knowledge Partnership; the ongoing work with UNESCO, UNIC
EF and other development agencies in a range of areas including initiatives supp
orting the EFA agenda, secondary school reform and health education; the buildin
g of African capacity in distance education through their membership on the exec
utive committee of the ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Afr
ica) supporting humanitarian agencies in their educational and training activiti
es (UNICEF, UNHCR, OXFAM); and participating on the WETV Foundation Board. (Mac
donald, 2000: 463).
The Federation of Commonwealth Open and Distance Learning Associations (FOCODLA)
. Cooperates with Commonwealth professional associations to assist them to apply
open and distance learning in continuing professional education. Also to organ
ise effective ways to follow up on the expectations of the Education For All (EF
A) conference in Dakar. (Macdonald, 2000: 463).
The development of a formal relationship with the South Asian Association for Re
gional Cooperation’s (SAARC) distance education facilities is a high priority.
As part of its role as a catalyst for collaboration, COL will explore ways to pa
rtner with the Indian educational television, Gyan Darshan, and the Indira Gandh
i National Open University (IGNOU), to include educational programming useful to
Commonwealth countries covered by the satellite’s footprint: East Africa throu
gh the Pacific and South Asia. In addition, the potential for the creation of a
n Eastern African facility for distance education development as well as the fea
sibility of establishing a facility for research and training in distance educat
ion in the Pacific will be significant initiatives. In cooperation with the Com
monwealth Secretariat, and possibly the ADEA Working Groups on Teacher Training
and Distance Education, COL organizes a sub-Saharan Africa policy dialogue on te
acher training through ODL. Learning methodologies to improve training. (Macdo
nald, 2000: 464).
Africanization
NADEOSA also collaborated with COL to organize their annual inter-national confe
rence in Durban June 2003. It forms a consortium with the South African Institu
te for Distance Education (SAIDE) and other African associations such as the Reg
ional Training and Research Institute for Open and Distance Learning (RETRIDAL)
in Nigeria as well as DEASA. (Cf. De Beer, 1999).
An African Ministers’ Conference on ODEL were also held in early 2004 in partner
ship with the South African Department of Education and UNESCO, which made recom
mendations that will enable African countries to make maximum use of ODEL and in
corporate it into their education frameworks. COL is working with the Departmen
t and UNESCO in taking forward these recommendations. (COL: 2005 and DEASA, 200
9).
In February 2005, COL collaborated with the World Bank, UNESCO and the AAU to or
ganize a joint conference in Cape Town. Substantial workshops forged closer tie
s among university vice chancellors while an African Quality Assurance Network (
AQUANET) was also established. (AAU: 2005).
The Association of African Universities (AAU) is a not-for-profit continental or
ganisation with a membership of 175 HEI’s drawn from 44 African countries and al
l sub-regions of the continent. Since its founding in 1967, the AAU has been se
rving as the collective voice and principal regional forum for consultation, exc
hange of information and co-operation among the institutions of higher education
in Africa. Key areas featuring in its Core Programme have been:
• Strengthening of institutional capacity,
• Promotion of networking and institutional collaboration, and support for
research on higher education issues,
• Policy advocacy, promotion of quality assurance and academic mobility, a
nd
• Enhancing access to scholarly information. (AAU, 2005).
The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is a registered charity with
a membership of 500 universities across the Commonwealth. It was founded in 191
3 and since then has served as the principal forum for discussion, the exchange
of information and co-operation among the institutions of higher education in th
e Commonwealth. Its programmes, inter alia, promote academic mobility, institut
ional collaboration, research networks, research on higher education issues, (in
particular borderless higher education and benchmarking institutional managemen
t processes.
Another important sub-division of the AAU, namely PAREN (The Promoting of Resear
ch and Education Networking-Internet), is already on track and collaborates with
the Canadian Independent Development Agency (CIDA) as well with the AVU, a proj
ect of the World Bank. (AAU: 2005).
Most important for South African Universities is the establishment of SARUA (Sou
thern African Regional Universities Association) which operates according to the
SADC protocol within the greater NEPAD structures. (SADC-Protocol, Article 7:1
4). In ODEL terms the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) promotes OD
EL methodologies such as Flexible and Blended learning. (AAU, 2005).
The former South African Minister of National Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, commi
tted her Department’s desire for technical partnerships with other African unive
rsities to establish a new African university infrastructure. (AAU, 2005).
In addition, the IICBA, of UNESCO, underpins the COL and AU initiatives within t
he NEPAD Secretariat on educational issues. Substantial development work has al
so been done on science and technology for industrialisation. (UNESCO, 2004).
Thinking Beyond Scenarios for the CUT
Our vision should be to Africanize a differentiated but single co-ordinated Afri
can higher, further and vocational education system of the southern African of R
egional Universities Association (SARUA) within the Association for African Univ
ersities (AAU) in tandem with NEPAD.
On the micro level, an open university system should be established to encapsula
te the following institutions:
• The University Free State (UFS);
• The Central University of Technology Free State (CUT);
• The UNISA – Regional Distance Facilities;
• Further Education and Training Institutions (FETI’s);
• Vocational colleges (Agricultural and Nursing); and
• NIHE and other collaborating HEIS.
Such an open university system could co-operate within SARUA and its ODEL substr
ates such as:
• ACDE;
• DEASA;
• NADEOSA;
• World Bank;
• AVU;
• AAU;
• COL; and
• UNESCO
New thoughts and ideas of HEI’s corporative images are now to break down the old
perceptions of poor quality first generation DE-practices into that of excellen
t quality ODEL users friendly methodologies to stay competitive in the global vi
llage of HE and the labour market.
Obviously much still has to be done to counter act the public is negative percep
tion of “correspondence distance education” and poor student retention and pass
rates. Even 30 years after the founding of Open Universities in Britain, Hong K
ong and else where in the world, perceptions of non-campus based HE as second ra
te still persists. (Dhanarajan, 2001: 63).
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APPENDIX A: RELEVANT ACCRONYMNS
ACDE- African Council for Distance Education.
COL - Commonwealth of Learning.
DEASA – Distance Education Association of Southern Africa.
MINEDAF – Ministers of Education in Africa.
NADEOSA- National Association for Distance and Open Learning Education in South
Africa.
NEPAD – New Plan for African Development Partnership for Africa’s Development.
SARUA – South African Regional Universities Association.