Category Archives: OMDE601

Tensions and tipping points in higher and distance education

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

The use of a particular set of metaphors or expressions during the First Unisa International ODL conference hosted 5-7 September 2012, prompted me to think about organisational change in higher and distance education. Though it is possible that other metaphors … Continue reading →

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Learning analytics and epistemic arrogance in higher and distance education

Posted on September 3, 2012 by

It is not a good time in higher and distance education to say: “I don’t know.” The use of technology is increasingly changing the higher education landscape; we face unprecedented changes in funding regimes; the private for-profit higher education sector … Continue reading →

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Inequality kills – the future of online learning in distance education

Posted on August 27, 2012 by

On Friday, 24 August 2012, Tanya Gold posted a piece in The Guardian relating to the denial of class in British society starting with the words “Inequality kills.” In the article, Gold (2012) reflects on the increasing inequality in British … Continue reading →

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Romanticizing the past in higher and distance education

Posted on August 20, 2012 by

How we miss the time when academics were ‘real’ professors, students could read and write, academics had academic freedom, Faculty had more staff than the administrative sections of the university, academics could teach what they wanted, higher education was a … Continue reading →

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The myth of the ‘average learner’ in distance education (#OMDE)

Posted on August 13, 2012 by

What does the ‘average learner’ look like in distance education? Considering that distance education has always been known for providing access to students who would have been excluded from higher education opportunities – the demographic profiles, competencies, educational and life-history … Continue reading →

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A Kodak moment for Distance Education (DE)? #OMDE

Posted on August 6, 2012 by

There are many experts in higher education (see e.g. Davidson & Goldberg, 2009) and in particular, distance education (DE) (see e.g. Anderson, Boyles, & Rainie, 2010; Peters, 2010), who claim that we are on the brink of, or even in … Continue reading →

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“Killer courses” in distance education (#OMDE)

Posted on July 30, 2012 by

Studying through distance education (DE) is, for many students, like entering a minefield. Whether it is studying on their own, or encountering unexpected difficulties in courses or balancing work, studies and personal lives, DE remains a challenge for most students. … Continue reading →

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