Open and Distance Learning for Sustainable Development

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background, they still find it difficult to reason ‘the ODL way.’ So, constant
retraining is necessary to unlearn the old conventional ideas for the new.
Monitoring and supporting staff at a distance
Conclusion
The National Open University of Nigeria has Study Centres located in Thirty – four State
capitals in Nigeria out or a total of the existing thirty six.
• It has its Headquarters in Lagos, with an ODL Planning Office in Abuja and a large
campus in Kaduna.
• With this background, the university is faced with the task of monitoring and
supporting its staff who are at a distance from the Headquarters.
• These are the Managers, Counsellors, Facilitators, Non Academic and Support Staff
at the centres, Course Material Producers.
• It is an understatement to say that in an Open and Distance Learning programme,
learners need continuing contact with the programmes and support from Programme
personnel, as they undertake the work through their studies.
Personnel Management of ODL at a distance, as it is with NOUN, needs the same kind of
support and contact. This is so because they work under the following conditions;
• They are part time and are mostly affiliated and committed to some other
Institution,
• They are on short-term or annual contracts;
• They usually have no regular face to face contact with colleagues; and
• Their roles are usually ill-defined and diffused.
The concept of Effective Staff Relations (ESR), a panacea in ODL for distance staff, is
employed by the Management of NOUN which has made the practice of ODL effective,
easy and successful in Nigeria. This is achieved through the following;
• Clear role description through schedule of duties for staff;
• Frequent and effective two-way communication e.g. e-mails, telephone and even
video conferencing; between the Headquarters and Study Centres, the Planning
Office and sometimes between one Study Centre and another.
• A thorough induction programme on the mission, vision, and policy of the
university;
• Opportunities for face to face meetings;
• Monitoring and reviewing of performance on a frequent basis;
• Keeping of accurate and efficient record system;
• Opportunities to make input into decisions that affect staff work;
• The continuous updating on changes in policies and procedure, through memos
and Newsletters.
(i) With the establishment of NOUN, it has become imperative that in order to
operate successfully, open and distance learning requires more systems than the
conventional education. Such systems are also more integrated and necessitate
additional planning and routine administration.
(ii) The establishment of open and distance Learning system is capital intensive. The
ODL system of NOUN makes use of a large number of part time staff called
Facilitators. These give the students learning tutorials at the various study centres
and other locations.
(iii) Nonetheless, personnel needed to run an open and distance education system are
often very skilled, and specialised in many areas.