Studying by Extension in a Remote Area

One of the factors which affect the outcome of formal learning is the conditions in which students learn (Ramsden and Entwistle 1981). For distance learners, these conditions are often difficult. Access to resources is restricted, as is the interaction between teacher and student and among students. This means that, in many cases, distance learners depend entirely on their course package. Yet several researchers have warned that exclusive reliance on packaged materials does not enable students to become critical thinkers (eg Garrison 1993; Ratuva 1996). These researchers argue that, for independent thinking to develop, it is essential that learners interact with fellow students and staff in learning communities (Anderson and Garrison 1995). In the South Pacific, with its vast distances and many isolated communities, the conditions in which some distance learners study are particularly difficult. Access to books, newspapers, libraries, science labs, computers and other learning resources is limited and, in spite of the use of telecommunications (phone, fax, radio, satellite, email), so is interaction with the tutor and other students. The use of the Internet, seen by some as the perfect solution to these problems, is at present restricted in many parts of the region by an insufficient number of phone lines, a narrow bandwidth, and unreliable hardware servicing. How do distance learners manage to study in spite of these adverse conditions? In a study of USP distance learners, we interviewed students in seven of the 12 countries of the regio