The creation of an environment conducive to adult distance learning at Technikon Southern Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Distance education is increasingly being regarded as a possible solution forsome of South Africa's educational problems. The Literature, however,illustrates no concrete research that has been conducted in terms of the creationof an environment conducive to adult distance learning institutions likeTechnikon Southern Africa. There are perhaps numerous reasons for this,however being a 'distance learning setting' is probably one the most prominentreasons for not seriously considering the learning environment as both anessential and vital determinant governing the learning process.In this research an interpretative study has been done of the programme groupPolice Practice of Technikon Southern Africa. The purpose of this study was toestablish whether an environment conducive to adult learning does in fact existin Police Practice and to develop a set of recommendations/criteria which couldbe used by this programme group of TSA.Various critical questions stimulated this study. These questions were in tumused to generate interview questions, which were used during the interviewprocess. A qualitative approach was followed and data was obtained by meansof interviews. The subjects of the study were educators of the programme groupPolice Practice of Technikon Southern Africa. There were a number .of conclusions drawn from this study. Some of the mostprominent of them were as follows:• This is a lack of meaning given to the open / flexible approach.• Considering adult learning principles in distance learning IS of vitalimportance.• A more personalized approach to distance learning is necessary.• There is a crucial need for in-service training and staff development.• Technological advancements should be adopted with caution.• There exists a need to create a much more challenging environment forlearners.Various recommendations were generated from both the conclusions and the literaturestudy of this research. Some of the most important of them were as follows:• An open learning approach should be used.• The implications of adult learning principles should be carefully considered.• Personalising learning through the use of the text should be implemented.• Appropriate in-service training for educators should be made available.• A challenging environment should be created.In addition to this a possible checklist was proposed for the creation of an environmentmore conducive to adult learning (distance education).

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University