UNISA, Vista, Technikon Announce Joint DL Project

Holy Ndebele haiku, Batman!

http://www.tsa.ac.za/plan1603.htm

A quick visit to UNISA's main page reveals a 982kb file that is slow-loading tonight; I'll give it another go tomorrow when I've got some time:

http://education.pwv.gov.za/DoE_Sites/Higher_Education/National%20Plan%20-%20Fin al%20Draft.htm


Peace,

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Tom Head
www.tomhead.net

 

Well Tom, I didn't read it word for word but the sense that I got (in regards to DE) is that they are concerned that there are too many cheap DE programs popping up, that they are oriented more towards making money than providing the educational services that the country needs, and that they (SA) have decided to step in and begin to regulate these programs more actively. It is interesting to note that their first step is going to be to end the moratorium on new DE programs. Also, as you indicated, they are going to set up a new "National" DE system that combines UNISA, Technikon of SA, and the DE center of Vista University. The piece that I'm uncertain about at this point is,
are the "research" postgrad programs at Potch or Pretoria, for example, considered to be "distance education" programs. I'm betting that they're not. What do you think? Jack

 

You can read a simplified version of this at: http://www.colisa.ac.za
(Confederation of Open Learning Institutions of South Africa)
Jack

 

This question has arisen on other newsgroups and the answer is somewhat ambiguous. Traditionally, the UK model of doctoral study, i.e., the research doctorate, is designed where one works under the mentorship of promoters (foreign equivalent of a doctoral committee).

Collaboration and guidance is provided by the promoters, while the student does research and writing in his/her own context. This may or may not mean periodic trips to meet with promoters, or it may be done via Internet, e-mail, fax, phone conferencing, etc. Many such programs are not viewed by the Commonwealth institutions as distance education per se.

Potch, for example, requires a residential master's for admission into the research Ph.D. program. The masters must be in the same field one is researching for the Ph.D., thus becoming a residential aspect of one's overall program.

Russell