Time: This activity should take you about 25-30 minutes to complete
On the basis of your responses in Table 5, do you consider your institution open or closed? Post your response in the discussion forum for other peers to read. Also read the results of your peers posted in the forum.
It is a closed institution because when you withdraw even when you have one course remaining you have to re- enrol at another time to complete all the courses to get a qualification.Curricula and the exam is set by the institution and there is no choice of support.
My institution isnāt entirely closed or open. Since we have some online classes as well as physical classes.
I think it is open. Course materials often focus on specific aspects of a topic. Table 5 might be designed to teach a concept unrelated to openness, like how AI models are evaluated.
Why mainstream ODL- Activity 3: Certainly, there are policies in my country (Solomon Islands) to mainstream young people with disabilities. And it plays a huge role in guiding decisions and implementing activities to ensure that Solomon Islanders living with various forms of disabilities can access services, participate meaningfully to the countryās development and lead normal lives. The programs are -setting up vocational centers which provide short- and long-term trainings for youth with disabilities, so is providing healthcare services, inclusive education, community-based rehabilitation, accessible infrastructure, providing awareness and campaigns. These have shown positive achievements over the years and people started to recognize the importance of people with disabilities and how they can contribute to the economy of the country.
I think your institution should consider allowing returning students to keep credits for courses already passed and only do outstanding ones.
How are the entry requirements and pace of study?
There are many dimensions of openness that institutions should consider. These include, for example, entry requirements; study location; time and pace of learning; curricular flexibility; pedagogical approach; technology use; learning resources; assessment approach; recognition of credentials and cost of education. Depending on its readiness, an institution can implement a range of these dimensions of openness.
Week two activity
Activity one
What challenges are they likely to face when they learn by distance?
Week Two Unit 2: Understanding ODL
Activity 1: The challenges faced by learners in distance learning are: lack of sufficient time for study, difficulties in access and use of ICT, ineffective feedback and lack of study materials.
Activity 2
Activity 3
|1 |Do students have choice on when to register over an academic year? NO
|2| Do students have a choice regarding the form of assessment e.g. multiple choice, portfolio, essay? YES
|3| Are there set assignment and examination dates or can students choose dates when they are ready?NO
|4| There a wide range of student support options from which students can choose?YES
|5| Is student support accessible and affordable?YES
|6| Can students access learning environments and resources from a range of devices?NO
|7| Do students have choice on curricula to follow? YES
|8| Do students receive nationally and internationally recognized qualifications?YES
|9| Do students get anything if they exit before they finish a ācompleteā qualification?YES
|10| Do the programs open up the future for students? YES
Activity 4
Describe the type of curriculum that is most attractive to out of school youths between the ages of 16 ā 24 years.
From my experience, most youth prefer a flexible learning curriculum which they get to involve so much of their time on part-time job. Most young youth also go for vocational trade institution which also help them very much with their educational interest. They also enjoy searching for information and wonderful aspect of independent learning. These help them to foster their social flexible learning on whatever curricular they prefer to learn.
We should strive to open all education, including education that uses distance methods for delivery.
Unit 2: Understanding ODL_Activity 2
Of the two Institutions, institution B is more open than institution A as enrolment age entry is open and entry qualifications are also relaxed. Institution B also enrolls students regionally. It also offers much easier ways sitting of examinations not like traditional schooling you have to do and write at the same time.
If I were to prefer open and flexible learning I would choose institution B ā as it is not strict on entry requirements, writing examinations when you are ready, most of study time is from home, and more reliable when it comes to accessibility.
But if were to prefer a more inflexible system, then choosing institution A ā as you physically go to campus to learn and most times you use hard copy materials and you more likely communicate in person or through post.
Some of the aspects of distance education I might consider making open are: age entry should be open, entry for qualifications should be flexible that is go for both vocational and academic, and how many subjects to enroll with and the access to resources and learning materials, along with proper orientations of the courses offered.
Unit 2: Understanding ODL-Activity 3
Question 1 Table 5
Do students have choice on when to register over an academic year? -yes
Do students have a choice regarding the form of assessment e.g. multiple choice, portfolio, essay? No
Are there set assignment and examination dates or can students choose dates when they are ready? yes
Is there a wide range of student support options from which students can choose? yes
Is student support accessible and affordable? No
Can students access learning environments and resources from a range of devices? No
Do students have choice on curricula to follow? No
Do students receive nationally and internationally recognised qualifications? Yes
Do students get anything if they exit before they finish a ācompleteā qualification? yes
10.Do the programmes open up the future for students? Yes
Question 2: 6/10*100= 60 percent- which it shows the ODL in my country is not open.
Question 3: I think some education institutions in the Pacific Island countries are open unlike for some no because still not reaching the flexibility stage. As still with the traditional schooling system and facing problem on accessibility to ICT and so forth. Also, students not meeting the same level of accessing information that all should acquire at the same time.
Unit 2: Understanding ODL: activity 4
Based on your experience or knowledge of your context, describe the type of curriculum that is most attractive to out of school youths between the ages of 16 ā 24 years.
Usually, out of school youths prefer a curriculum that is much more flexible where they can learn at their pace and place of time. As they have different things to get involved in and they especially the youths also will find curricula that is vocational more interesting and skillful based on hands on training and so forth unlike based on theory right through. So, youths are livelier and keener to learn more on that type of learning. As they interact with technology, they would like to experience more into it. So, the flexibility of open education is very important in the context here especially in the Solomon Islands where most youths would like to build up their traditional skills into the vocational skills they have experienced.
UNDERSTANDING ODL - Activity One
The wide range of people that can be targeted in Fiji by distance education include but not limited to:
(i) out-of-school children, youths and elders;
(ii) out-of-school girls, girls with teenage pregnancies, nursing mothers or house wives;
(iii) working class males and females; and
(iv) people with disabilities.
The challenges the above categories of people can face when they learn by distance are:
(a) Epileptic power supply from National Grid and alternative power supplies because the devices are electricity dependent;
(b) Devices financing issues; and
(c) Unstable Connectivity with the Internet.
activity 6
Cognitivism
According to the reading Ausubel and Bruner clearly explain the the two promoters of cognitive. Cognitive builds on Behaviorism and highlights the role of rational processes in organizing information and also Cognitive theory, is a theory of thinking forms the core of learning. Cognitive enhances our understanding of how humans process and make sense of new information, how we access, interpret, integrate, process, organize and manage knowledge. It is an important theory which informs how we should structure learning in a virtual environment. In my context we try to relate our curriculum to the conducive environment that we have in Solomon Islands how best our learners will grasp and progress the information that we provide for learners.
Constructivism
Constructive is concerned with how knowledge is created. This theory highlights the importance of perception, free will and social influences on learning. According to the Constructive theory, understanding is achieved through assimilating new information, relating it to our existing knowledge, and cognitively processing it. This process of constructing oneās own understanding of reality is enhanced through interaction with others ā social constructive. From my context the only way that we used to construct the ideas to implement the knowledge and understanding is by interacting our learners in class with group work of presentation just to see if they (learners) can construct their own knowledge on the lesson given to them in the class.
Connectivisim
This theory takes into account the availability of an excess of information on the web, which can be shared around the world almost instantaneously. In this theory, the focus is on new learning chances that are offered by new technology and the theory learning is happening within networks of different socio-cultural backgrounds. In my context in my country his of kind learning is so distracted to many young people in Solomon Islands, they lazy to read their books, now a days library are empty and this young people mainly focused social media activities such as tik tok, twitter and Facebook. Only few managed to get over such new invention of learning in our environment. Hope this ODL will help my country to understand fully the use of internet technology.
Community of Inquiry theory
This theory mainly focuses on two-way interaction between learner and helper, a key feature of distance learning education. It highlights social presence, cognitive presence and teaching presence in a learning process. In my context, our learning environment also involves community for school securities and parents to help on studentās conducive learning environment. This help to build better learning environment for our learners that located distance from their community.
Activity 4- A systems view of ODFL
Challenges for rolling out ODFL in Pacific Island countries,:
All our senior high schools, junior and primary are entirely closed institutions. Higher education system are partly open and closed institutions.
Possible challenges faced by people learning through distance education in Fiji include:
Which institution is more open?
The institution that allows wider access without strict entry requirements, provides openly licensed materials, and supports flexible study options is more open.
Which institution would you prefer to study with and why?
I would prefer to study with the institution that offers flexible access, openly available learning resources, and strong learner support because this would make learning easier and more accessible regardless of my background or location.
Aspects I would make open in distance education in my context:
Aspect of openness in an institution Yes No
Total āYesā responses: 6/10
Score: (6/10) Ć 100 = 60%
Based on my responses in Table 5, my institution scored 60%, which suggests that it is partially open but not fully aligned with the ideals of Open and Distance Learning (ODL). While students do have flexibility in accessing learning resources and some forms of support, there is limited flexibility in assessment types, curriculum choices, and early exit options.
After reviewing other forum posts from peers across various Pacific Island countries, it seems that many institutions are still on the path toward full openness. The main challenges include rigid assessment systems, limited digital access in rural areas, and lack of curriculum flexibility.
Certainly! Hereās a rephrased version of your response from the perspective of a Home Economics teacher in Fiji, keeping the meaning intact while tailoring the language and context:
As a Home Economics teacher in Fiji, Iāve observed several challenges that students often face when learning through distance education:
Which institution is more open?
The institution that offers easy enrolment processes, open access to resources, and flexible study and assessment options is more open.
Which institution would I prefer to study with, and why?
I would choose the institution that supports flexible learning, provides affordable access to digital and printed resources, and offers practical support. This is particularly helpful in a subject like Home Economics where both theory and hands-on learning are important.
What I would open up in my context:
| Aspect of Openness in an Institution | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Do students have a choice on when to register over an academic year? | |
|
| Do students have a choice regarding the form of assessment? | |
|
| Can students choose assignment/exam dates? | |
|
| Is there a wide range of support options available? | |
|
| Is support accessible and affordable? | |
|
| Can students access resources from various devices? | |
|
| Do students have curriculum choices? | |
|
| Are qualifications nationally/internationally recognised? | |
|
| Do students receive something if they exit early? | |
|
| Do the programmes offer future opportunities? | |
Total āYesā responses: 6 out of 10
Score: 60%
Reflection:
Based on this, my institution is partially open. While we provide good access to resources and support, thereās still room for improvementāparticularly in areas like flexible curriculum choices and recognising partial qualifications. In Home Economics, learners need practical flexibility and resource access to succeed.
Regional Comparison:
From reading other educatorsā reflections across the Pacific, itās clear that most institutions are still transitioning toward fully open distance learning. Challenges like limited infrastructure, rigid assessment systems, and curriculum constraints are common.
I believe institutions in Pacific Island countries are not yet fully open, but there is encouraging progress. Investment in teacher training, better digital infrastructure, and inclusive policies will help.
Should anyone be allowed to enrol, regardless of previous education?
Yesāthis widens access and gives young people, especially out-of-school youth, a second chance at learning.
Possible problems with removing entry requirements:
What should be made open or closed?
As a Home Economics teacher, I recommend a curriculum that is:
Let me know if youād like this tailored further for a classroom handout, presentation, or forum post format.