|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 1 September 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Seventeenth General Convocation of the Open University: Significant expansion in educational frontiers offering a wider choice to clients by K. H. Wanigasundera Over 1,000 postgraduate degrees and diplomas and first degrees were awarded by the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) when it held its seventeenth General Convocation on August 26 at the BMICH. The Convocation was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Uma Coomaraswamy and the Convocation Address was delivered by Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan and the Vice-Chancellor's Report was presented by Professor Uma Coomaraswamy. The first Ph.D. degree of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the first two Ph.D. degrees of the Faculty of Education were awarded at this Convocation. Opening The Open University established in 1980 as a national university under the provisions of the Universities Act, No. 16 of 1978 and the Open University Ordinance, No. 3 of 1980 in acknowledgement of the right of every citizen to acquire, improve and enhance their career opportunities through access to higher education was a turning point in the annals of our education and a positive response of the government in democratising education at tertiary level. The Open University is mandated to provide opportunities for lifelong education of everyone through open and distance learning. It is also expected to engage in research in this direction to fulfil this objective fully and efficiently. From the inception the OUSL has been progressively opening educational opportunities for all across the country including the disadvantaged, disabled and the rural communities over 18 years of age without any formal qualifications. Our over 23,000 student enrolment includes adults and employed who failed to benefit from the formal system or those who could not afford the formal system due to various socio-economic constraints and also qualified youth who could not gain entry in to conventional universities due to lack of space in these universities. Distance Education is the best mode to respond positively to the tremendous demand for education today. Many conventional educational institutions including the postgraduate institutes are considering the dual mode provision. Recognition of the significance of distance education as an effective means of eradication of illiteracy and democratisation of educational opportunities by the developing nations in the SAARC region is a testimony to its potential. Today the setting up of open universities and distance education institutes in the developing and developed world is a remarkable phenomenon that demonstrates the unequivocal acknowledgement of the significance of this mode in widening educational opportunities to all. Our university which is acclaimed as the forerunner in distance education in Sri Lanka is often called upon to train the staff of the local institutes desiring to adopt this mode of instruction in effectively using it. OUSL besides discipline-based research to update its academics in their respective fields of knowledge is also assiduously engaged in distance education research as an essential component in a distance education institution to ensure and bestow its learners with the most up to date learning strategies and educational technologies that are appropriate. The University has a separate division called Educational Technology Division which is unique to the Open University and also a Committee on Research Advising on Distance Education (CRADE) pioneering into research studies in learning strategies and educational technologies. OUSL receives both local and foreign funds for research. Our instructional systems uses a multimedia approach which includes print media, audio visuals, internet, tutor-clinics, workshops, field visits, discussion classes, laboratory practicals and peer learning. Our course books are up to date and well received by our students, schoolchildren in advanced level classes, conventional university students, teachers in schools and universities and public at large. These books are a sort of 'Teach yourself text books'. The university has a Media House with state-of-the-art audio and video studios together with postproduction facilities which helps us to produce necessary A/V material to complement print material. Still print material and some face to face interaction together with A/V material dominate our instructional system. We now need to apply ICT (Information Communication Technologies) in enhancing distance education. It has the capability to improve quality of learning, extend and expand access to education and also to uplift administrative processes. We are attempting to use on-line learning with the Internet and this needs to be expanded initially to enhance our face to face instruction and progressively to replace it. We need to capitalise the present day global trend of e-society through ICT and to harness its potential in our distance education mission by upgrading the required infrastructure, training teachers and the staff in using this technology and creating necessary institutional transformation. The OUSL has significantly expanded its educational frontiers offering a wider choice to its clients. The four (4) faculties: Education, Engineering Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences and Natural Sciences offers over 40 programmes with over 600 courses. Most of these courses provides a progressive ladder of education from certificate courses up to research degrees. Some of its main fields of study are Education, Early Childhood Education, English and other modern languages, Law, Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Natural Sciences, Health Science, Environmental Studies, Wildlife Conservation and Management, Laboratory Technology, Engineering Technology and Industrial Studies, etc. OUSL is unique as the only tertiary and higher education institution in the world offering Engineering Technology courses through distance and as one of the few of such institutions offering courses in Natural Sciences through distance. Covers The outreach of the University covers the whole island through Regional Centres, Study Centres and Teaching Centres. The University provides a robust mechanism of student assessment, continuous assessment and examinations are the two forms of assessment used. Each course has a fixed credit value and number of assignments. Assignments are evaluated by the tutors who provide a feedback to students through their comments. This form of distance education enhances student learning. The OUSL also has been able to achieve development of infrastructure, instructional design and course development, delivery of programmes, staff development and resources sharing through partnerships and collaborations. The University has taken serious interest in quality assurance both at subject level and institutional level. To date the University has awarded its qualifications to over 36,000 students. It has enrolled over 100,000 students during its two decades of life. It has earned a niche in a world of rapid obsolescence of knowledge. Employers have recognised the professional competency of our graduates. However, we have several challenges to face. We need to develop our capabilities in ICT and to use it in improving quality of teaching and learning and institutional management. We also should conduct regular market surveys to ensure marketability of our courses. Existing courses need to be overhauled to give a new lease of life. More and more community based programmes have to be launched to respond to community educational needs. We need to expand our educational opportunities to attract students from the rural sectors and from the disadvantaged sections. Reaching the unreached should be our priority. Effective means have to be developed to support students who are less confident and unable to cope up with distance learning. Our research and development initiatives should be directed to achieve national and institutional development. Today we are faced with competition from on-line courses offered by overseas educational institutions and also by conventional universities endeavouring to develop dual mode delivery. We should strive to retain our due place and to sustain our growth. Funding is also a big constraint and we need to develop our resources and increase our income generation capability. The writer is Senior Consultant / Public Relations |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
