11.1. General conclusions
11.2. Conclusions from the three country studies
11.3. Similarities between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe
11.4. Czech republic - Special points
11.5. Sri Lanka - Special points
11.6. Zimbabwe - Special points
· Distance education is an increasingly important mode of education and training and is gaining ever more stature and recognition as a practical and potentially cost-effective way of learning and training in the UK and overseas.· Distance learning is as subject to market forces as any other product or service. Providers and sponsors need to bear in mind that the notions of added-value and customer service apply in this field as in any other. The average distance learning student tends to be older, more mature, more experienced and potentially more demanding than the average full-time student. He/she will also be more isolated in terms of the study. The provider will therefore need to use a whole range of strategies to keep this person both satisfied and motivated.
· A major factor which encourages companies to use distance and open learning rather than traditional face-to-face instruction is the notion of "opportunity cost", which leads to the perception of distance education being cost-effective. Indeed, buyers of distance learning perceive it as both effective and cost-effective without necessarily having evidence of this. Little if any cost-benefit analysis is applied to training in any form.
· Employers familiar with open or distance learning are very ready to recognise the many practical benefits and results of the training, but the primary advantage to them is the use of the learners' own time for studying. Paradoxically, this is also the biggest disadvantage to open/distance learning due to the increased risk of slow or non-completion and drop-out.
· Distance learning courses generally require higher 'break-ever' numbers than conventional courses but offer the opportunity of greater economies as numbers increase. It should be noted however that low unit cost of training does not imply long-term effectiveness: the cost of training has to be examined in a much wider context.
· There is a considerable amount of distance learning material on the market; some excellent and indeed some of poor quality. Buyers/sponsors must not consider just the course contents, they must also scrutinise the potential provider for application of good practice and quality support systems.
· Most of the-UK engineering distance learning courses offered to overseas students appear to require relatively little "hands on" and are primarily text-based. It would appear that the lack of other support materials is due primarily to production costs. Funding is also the barrier to the lack of a local point of contact.
· Distance learning courses in engineering must offer participants the opportunity to gain a qualification, preferably one of international standing.
· Good distance learning is a learner-centred process integrated with active student involvement.
· Good student support enables students to study effectively and is vital to the potential success of a course. It requires significant investment of time and money if support is to be offered at a satisfactory level throughout the course. Some form of face-to-face contact may be considered important and is likely to increase student motivation.
· Investment in local infrastructure including an efficient local point of contact, will contribute significantly to the success of a distance learning programme. A system for mentoring would be a relatively inexpensive step in the right direction.
· Distance education by electronic means should ultimately be an extremely cost-effective way of training or educating considerable numbers of students. It does, however, require significant investment in hardware and courseware. There needs to be a strong belief in the system and the will to make it work: applying it by half-measures will not achieve cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, the use of modern technologies such as computer-based learning, videoconferencing and satellite broadcasting as a medium of delivery could very effectively allow large numbers of students to be instructed in practical techniques.
· If distance learning materials are exported they may need to be tailored to suit local requirements and the local culture: judgement, experience and local opinion should be used with regard to the tailoring process. There will of course be trade-offs between the developmental costs, the quality of materials, the extent of modification and the shelf life of a course.
· Investment in market research is likely to ensure a programme is more applicable to the needs of potential clients and therefore ultimately more successful and effective. There has to be evidence of a large market to justify developing a new course. Modification of existing material is a much cheaper solution.
· Potentially promising areas for delivery of engineering training by distance learning would appear to be Eastern Europe, China (in the longer term), countries from amongst former British colonies, including the Indian sub-continent, the Caribbean and some African countries.
The Czech Republic, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are three very distinct countries in different parts of the world and affected by very different local, regional and international trends and developments. Evidently each country has its own priorities, goals and objectives. On the face of it there are few if any links between the three, yet there are several notable and striking similarities between them. Some of the similarities are broad, others are more specific and directly relevant to the project.
Broad similarities
· The people of all three countries share a respect for education and place high value upon it.· This is borne out by the huge over subscription for places in tertiary education: each year, thousands of qualified Czechs, Sri Lankans and Zimbabweans are refused places in higher education. There are huge demands on the existing systems.
· In all three cases the proportion of students in higher education in relation to the total population is much lower than for example in most European countries.
· The students in each country appear generally to be more interested in the arts and humanities than in technical subjects such as engineering.
· Accredited, recognised qualifications are important in all three countries. Foreign degrees from acceptable and well-known institutions often have more cachet than an in-country qualification.
· Privatisation, the private sector and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have an extremely important role to play in all three economies. It is acknowledged in all three cases that training in these areas would be beneficial.
Requirements specific to engineering training
· There is a universal need for updating in engineering although the extent, level, subjects and immediacy of the need varies depending on the country. In most cases however there is little support from industry with regard to updating as there are often more pressing needs such as survival at the top of the agenda.· At the professional engineering level, numbers in individual countries requiring updating in any specific subject are smaller, so that the economies of scale brought about by distance education are less advantageous. In these cases and where the training requirement is common, specialist courses should be produced or adapted to serve more than one country.
· At post experience/professional engineering levels, there is a need for technical updating, although less so in the Czech Republic.
· The greatest need lies at the technician level where the numbers of people requiring training allows for significant economies of scale compared with the smaller numbers of engineers at a higher level. Zimbabwe in particular needs to focus on the application of skills. Management skills are less important for the technician group.
· At the level of craft and apprentices, the practical skill aspects of the job are dominant and distance education becomes less appropriate.
· In any case, students on craft courses or apprenticeships tend to be younger than engineers at higher level and for this reason, and also their limited previous educational experience, are not as well suited to the style of being an independent learner.
· In all three countries, priority is given to export competitiveness which implies a market-led approach, increased productivity and continuity of supply and efficient management. Yet there is a universal need and great demand for the management skills required to bring about the competitiveness: entrepreneurship, quality and quality assurance, communications, engineering management training, project management etc.
· Each country expressed an interest in management, information technology, environmental issues (especially the Czech Republic) and improving production.
Distance learning
· There is an awareness of distance learning in all three countries, more so in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe than in the Czech Republic where the concept is often erroneously equated with the old Communist correspondence courses. In each case however there would need to be a programme to raise awareness of modern distance learning focusing on the philosophy, its participatory nature and benefits, and the use of modern educational technology.· In all three countries, open universities/institutions are high on the agenda. In Sri Lanka the Open University has been established for 14 years, in the Czech Republic a national Centre for Distance Learning is to be established in January 1995, in Zimbabwe a Presidential Commission is currently producing a report on how and when an Open University should be established.
· In all three countries, students would require training and briefing in distance learning methods and study skills.
· In view of the traditional conservatism of most established universities, it is likely that they would not welcome the introduction of distance learning (as happened in the UK when the Open University was established) and it would be some time before they would lend their support. This would be particularly true in the case of the Czech Republic.
· In all three countries there is a need to train both the producers and developers of distance education materials as well as the tutors and administrators who support the delivery of the programmes.
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness
· In the three cases, it would almost certainly be more cost-effective to buy in existing distance learning courses rather than to develop new courses ab initio. These would need to be modified and tailored to suit local demand with the external organisation, working closely with an in-country partner. Translation might be required in the case of Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic.· In all three countries, there are networks which could profitably and cost-effectively be used to help support the infrastructure necessary for any successful distance learning course. Student support would be fundamental and where possible there should be a local tutor to help the students and to discourage drop-out.
· Moreover, the networks often provide existing facilities which could be used for the practical instruction.
· The establishment of a programme of distance learning in a country for the first time would need to take account of the availability, reliability and useability of the appropriate media of transmission.
· Practically based subjects such as engineering can be taught effectively by distance learning if the practical issues are taught locally in suitable facilities. To that end, the curriculum should be carefully analysed and the medium of delivery utilised accordingly. This will reduce the time spent on the practical aspects of an engineering course with consequent cost-advantages and more effective utilisation of plant and facilities, thus allowing greater numbers of students to be trained.
· The use of modern technologies such as video and satellite broadcasting as a medium of delivery could very effectively allow large numbers of students to be instructed in practical techniques.
· Any distance learning programme should be priced realistically in accordance with the means of the local population.
In economic terms there are some striking similarities between these two countries: the GDP per capita is virtually the same, and a good growth rate is predicted for both economies. Unemployment is high in both countries, especially in Zimbabwe.
As a result of the urgent unemployment problems in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, there is the fundamental question of whether people will be educated for the sake of being educated or whether they will be educated with a view to employment. Neither government seems to have successfully addressed this question.
· Both countries need to establish links between industry and academia and to provide courses tailored to the needs of potential employers, targeting the training and making it more relevant to industry and of higher quality. A degree or training in industrial engineering by distance learning might well initiate productive links.· In both instances, the problem of high unemployment amongst women needs to be addressed. Distance education may well be a way of reaching this group.
· Both countries need to focus on manufacturing and maintenance engineering and there is a need for more mechanical engineers. There is an acknowledged lack of skilled manpower including managerial skills in this sector in both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
· Technical education has been neglected in both countries.
· The need for training in both countries lies primarily at the technician level.
· There is a severe shortage of competent teachers at many levels; the teacher training colleges are not producing sufficient numbers of effective teachers. In Zimbabwe, the situation is exacerbated by the poor conditions of employment which cause teachers to seek work elsewhere. As the ZINTEC programme in Zimbabwe has shown however, distance learning can be used effectively in the training of teachers.
· The distances and poorer infrastructures in these two countries imply a greater need for distance education than in the Czech Republic. This form of learning would enable those living in rural areas to receive some form of further education.
· The current system of distance education appears to be more formalised in Sri Lanka than in Zimbabwe, but there is scope for improvement and Sri Lanka, like Zimbabwe, needs stronger regional centres.
· Distance learning is well known as a concept in both countries and is acknowledged as a potentially useful form of training. There is much less need to raise the image of distance learning than in the Czech Republic, but there would have to be efficient and maintained networks in both countries, and training would have to be adapted to suit local conditions and to meet community needs.
· In both countries there is a need for training in engineering at a postgraduate level.
· There is a need for training in electronics in both countries.
The Czech Republic is very different from the other two nations in that it is not a developing country and economically and educationally has a very different background. It does not need any help with technical engineering matters except those to which it has had little if any exposure over the last 40 years: IT, software engineering, environmental engineering etc.
It does however have greater needs with regard to retraining and updating in order to bring its engineers up to date with modern technology.
Environmental issues are important for all three countries, but especially so in the Czech Republic as it is literally a question of the health of the nation - and its wealth, in view of the importance which these issues have acquired in the privatisation process. Training in environmental matters is therefore much higher up the agenda than in the other two countries.
The Republic is also different in that the whole of Czech society is undergoing an attitudinal change. The effects of the transition to a market economy and a consumer society are likely to be far-reaching in the Czech Republic, since for decades it has had no exposure to Western concepts such as customer service. Management skills are therefore crucial. It is likely that these would be applied quicker and more effectively than in the other two countries as the Czechs are keen to catch up quickly with their European neighbours and have set themselves the goal of entry into the KU.
It would not be easy to introduce distance learning into the country because of the inherent suspicion of anything that might vaguely resemble the Soviet correspondence system of education. Considerable work would be needed to raise the profile and image of modern distance learning. There is, however, a strong interest in modern educational technology which would help.
Whilst the interest in distance learning may not be very high at the moment, it may well increase dramatically in the Czech Republic in the relatively near future, implying that programmes should be set in train sooner rather than later. Other European nations (notably France and Germany) are presently working to develop distance learning in the Czech Republic.
It is beyond the scope of the current study to speculate upon the potential transferability and applicability of the training which the Republic seems to require most. However, there are strong indications that the conclusions of this report would apply to many other Central and Eastern European nations.
Sri Lanka is distinctive in that it has an existing Open University and therefore established distance learning systems. However, there is considerable scope for improvement in several areas, such as course production and presentation and student support, especially in ways to reduce the high level of drop-out. The system needs to be improved to attract and to keep the students if it is to maintain credibility. The country does suffer in particular from non-communication between its training institutions and this could prove to be a barrier to the establishment of an effective distance learning network.
Zimbabwe has a serious problem with AIDS. There is going to be a huge demand for training simply to replace those lost to the workforce with middle management suffering most. There will also probably be a need for more teachers to be trained as the disease is also affecting that group. Distance learning could well be a timely solution to this impending training problem. Zimbabwe may well turn to UNISA where possible for its needs in this area, but will probably have to look elsewhere for programmes in engineering.
Zimbabwe is also differentiated because of the recurrent droughts which affect it. Management of water in all forms therefore has a much higher profile than in the other two countries and specific training is required in that area and in agriculture. Horticulture is a promising area of development and also might result in a higher rate of employment for women.
The Zimbabwean Government is constrained by the tight monetary policy within which it is working as a result of ESAP. This has specific implications for educational policies.
