The impact of technology on distance education : implications for developing countries

Survival in a knowledge economy demands the acquisition of high quality education and specialist skills. However in most developing countries, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the demand for more places in tertiary-level (further and higher) education is unmet due to decreased public funding and limited resources. The rapid evolution of technology and the World Wide Web (Web) have undoubtedly increased access to education and training by affording flexibility, convenience and provision of courses (e.g. Distance Education courses) which individuals can access anytime, anywhere and at relatively cost effective fees. Distance Education is a complex concept comprising the following key provisions: education and training provided by Open and Distance Institutions or departments within traditional universities; eLearning delivered asynchronously via online learning systems (e.g. Moodle, BlackBoard, etc.) or synchronously via Live Classrooms e.g. Centra, Wimba, Elluminate, Adobe Connect, etc; and mobile learning (m-Learning) provided via personal digital assistants (PDAs). Technology is important in supporting the effective delivery of distance education and provides several benefits to the end users. Some of the key benefits include: accessibility - access to expertise and content; convenience; cost effectiveness; helping to close the gap in demand for education due to the lack of capacity, resources and infrastructure in the mainstream provision of education and training in a majority of countries; enabling individuals to improve their knowledge, skills development and lifelong learning; the development of ‘interconnected’ research networks and shared databases enabling indigenous research and development in distance education in developing countries, etc. This paper/presentation will focus on the impact of technology on distance education and will cover issues related to: * the shift in knowing * temporalities in time, speed and textuality * Web 2.0 technologies and the pedagogies of the digital environment * skills set required to operate within the digital space and academic practice. The presentation will conclude with implications of technology-enhanced distance education in developing countries with regard to: investment in sustainable technologies to meet the cultural and educational needs of the people; synergies and efficiencies; leadership and preparation for educators of the 21st century; digital resources; trans national education, quality assurance and enhancement, etc.) and to suggest ways forward for enhanced student learning experience.UnisaInstitute for Open and Distance Learning (IODL