AKU-IED Open Learning Programme Goes International

In response to a need for quality distance education in Pakistan, AKU Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) set up an Open Learning programme in 2002.

The programme aims to make learning more accessible to those in dispersed geographical regions and to those who face job and family restrictions. Open Learning (OL) provides teachers with equal access to quality education and enables them to continue to acquire professional knowledge and skills to build their careers.

OL allows flexibility in learning and greater access and independence for learners, as courses can be conducted on campus or by distance education. In either case, students are provided with comprehensive learning resources to study and learn in a flexible mode. Learning resources normally include printed materials written by AKU-IED faculty, readings from books or journal articles, audio/videotapes and websites. These resources are carefully designed by faculty, in coordination with the course designer, and include many activities to enhance learning and assist students in applying their learning in the workplace. Occasional face-to-face tutorials are also included in OL courses to assist students in making effective use of the learning resources provided to them.

All OL courses are approved in the same way as face-to-face courses. Stringent quality assurance procedures are applied to ensure that learning resources and support services are of the highest quality.

A 'Certificate in Education' in Environmental Education by distance education is currently under way, with 50 students located in East Africa, Central Asia and Pakistan.  Two more distance education certificate courses were scheduled for July and August 2003. A course titled 'Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs', written and developed by Debora Kramer-Roy, Senior Instructor at AKU-IED, will be offered to participants throughout Pakistan.

On being asked what advice she would give to faculty on writing OL course materials and teaching OL courses, Kramer-Roy said, "The main strength is that it is more flexible in terms of when you study and in what sequence you read the materials. It also helps the students to become more independent in their learning - which is not an easy process for most, but very valuable." 'Information and Communications Technology for Educators (ICT)' will be offered to teachers in East Africa, Bangladesh, India, Central Asia and Pakistan.  Other courses currently being developed are 'Health Education', 'Educational Leadership' and 'Management and Research Methods'.

The OL website serves as a mini-portal into the OL programme and provides one place where students located in any geographic region can obtain support, information on OL courses and can see how taking an OL course could work for them.  The website also hosts password-protected discussion forums and provides students an online forum through which they can submit queries, suggestions or discuss problems they face while taking an OL course.

There are also plans to include a staff development section on the website. This section would contain information for faculty on writing and developing OL courses, teaching resources and guidelines for copyright.  It would also provide a forum where faculty members could share their experiences with OL, voice their concerns and make suggestions.

For further information, please visit: http://www.iedolu.net