lifelong learning and distance higher education - Asia Pacific Region

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in fields that provide degree education in a foreign language. In this, virtual education hasa major role to play.One strategic aim for the FVU is to develop the marketing of its strength areas andspearhead projects, purchase international materials and otherwise engage in activeinternational co-operation.CONCLUSIONIn the four years since it began operation, the Finnish Open University has achievedencouraging results and has proved to be a fruitful partnership between the universitiesas well as between the academic world, the government, business and other stakeholders.Careful planning in the preparatory stages has enabled the institution to develop asan organic entity and to function as an integral part of the whole educational systemincluding adult education and lifelong learning. The Consortium Assembly and theSteering Group have worked effectively, and the threefold network structure – comprisingacademic, regional and service networks – has functioned well. In particular the value ofa strong central Service Unit, to take care of technological backstopping, standardisationand other such matters, has been clearly demonstrated. While striving to make the bestuse of the latest technologies, the FVU has at the same time made the quality of itsprovision a high priority. There has been a steady growth in the number of courses andin the number of credits awarded. The experience of the FVU in the first few years ofits existence has yielded a number of policy lessons, which are set out below, and it ishoped that these will be useful to other countries and groups of universities that may becontemplating similar initiatives.POLICY CONSIDERATIONSThe Virtual University has raised many new policy issues for discussion in the Finnishuniversities. Some of them are summarised and discussed here.• Joint virtual education is a new departure for the universities. It requires extraresources and common policies.All the Finnish universities have signed the Consortium Agreement. Underthis agreement, the Consortium Assembly is the decision-making body. It iscomposed of one representative from each member university and one from theMinistry of Education. The agendas are drawn up by the FVU Steering Group,which also exercises authority between meetings. The Steering Group comprisesfive members nominated by the Consortium Assembly, one nominated by theMinistry of Education, and the director of the FVU Service Unit. The main itemon the agenda of the Consortium meetings is the FVU plan of action and budgetfor the next year. The Steering Group is also responsible for steering the work ofFVU Service Unit.• Virtual education entails new operational models and new services to succeed.When universities offer virtual courses for students enrolled in other universities,there must be a common portal for everything this entails. Both the teachers andthe students need different kinds of support services to cope with virtual education.The FVU portal offers various counselling services on studies and learning skills,such as OVI − a tool for designing a personal study plan; IQ Learn − tools for theassessment and improvement of learning skills; and IQ Team − information, supportand guidance for teamwork. For teachers, it offers an interactive guide for designing116
online courses; an educational technology selection tool; a usability evaluation tool;and a tool for evaluating the staff’s ICT skills level.• To enlarge study opportunities and to increase study options, universities need tosign an agreement enabling students to count studies offered by other universitiestowards their degrees.On the basis of the Flexible Study Rights Agreement a student who is an enrolleddegree student at one of the Finnish universities may apply for a temporary rightto pursue studies that are part of degree studies in another Finnish university. Theright to pursue studies becomes effective when the receiving university has grantedthe student the right to pursue the studies approved by the home university. Underthe agreement, the costs incurring from such student mobility are reimbursed to theuniversity providing the studies.• University lecturers need technical and pedagogical ICT skills and support to planand implement Web-based courses.One of the FVU projects called TieVie offers in-service training in the pedagogicaluse of ICT and in the planning of Web-based courses. In addition, nearly all Finnishuniversities have set up educational technology centres to promote the use of andresearch on educational technology and thereby enhance the quality of universityeducation and teaching. The development of educational technology is increasinglyseen as an integral part of the overall development of teaching.• The ongoing changes in the demographic and labour structures entail thatmeasures continue to be taken to further raise the level of education andknowledge.The development of adult education and training at all levels is one effectiveresponse to the educational needs of the adult population and the labour market.Regional development and the accessibility of education are supported by theproduction of virtual teaching services like the virtual university and virtualopen university services. They enable all learners, regardless of their educationalbackground, to study higher education courses. For the time being, there are notuition fees for either domestic or foreign students in Finland.117
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PERSPECTIVES ONDISTANCE EDUCATIONLi
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The Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn addition to the
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These are some of the issues that a
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What are the trends and issues in l
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of policy implications relating to
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evince important differences that c
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inequitable regulations governing t
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associations and groups of countrie
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THE CONTRIBUTORChristopher McIntosh
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INTRODUCTIONIn his 1996 report to U
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Lastly, our analysis of the situati
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diploma or similar certificates of
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force of the undertaking. Here agai
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RELEVANT INTERNET SITESUNESCO Task
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Notes1. This phrasing has been used
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goals (Daniel, 1996). Lifelong lear
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eported that group activity had red
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NEW AREAS FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION:WO
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targets systematically for the use
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Rausch, A.S. (2003). A case study o
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correspondence teaching systems tha
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significant differences between syn
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In distance flexible- and blended-e
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STATE-FUNDED DUAL-MODE SYSTEMS ATUN
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Table 4.2: Fundable elements in dis
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sciences in 21 countries of the reg
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How a system is funded depends in p
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Litto, Fredric M. (2004). Digital l
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CHAPTER 5LIFELONG LEARNING IN THE A
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education, which was initiated by C
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So the virtual classroom acted as a
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In June 2002, when the course came
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RELEVANT INTERNET SITESFORCIIR proj
Page 69 and 70: 11. The approximate rate for 1€ w
Page 71 and 72: The term modern distance education
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Page 75 and 76: important resource for undeveloped
Page 77 and 78: standards have been proposed for th
Page 79 and 80: The development of e-learning withi
Page 81 and 82: RELEVANT INTERNET SITESCCRTVU Onlin
Page 83 and 84: MoE (2004b) The Notice on Running N
Page 85 and 86: CHAPTER 7QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEYOF
Page 87 and 88: (Paris, France, 28-29 June 2004) in
Page 89 and 90: Examples of elaborated QA policies:
Page 91 and 92: plans and produces its conventional
Page 93 and 94: SHTVU (China)• Teaching• Teachi
Page 95 and 96: offers its programmes to Turkish ci
Page 97 and 98: mega universities apply a set of st
Page 99 and 100: RELEVANT INTERNET SITESThe Commonwe
Page 101 and 102: 2. QA initiatives or publications b
Page 103 and 104: assurance of ODL. This DST will be
Page 105 and 106: Educational Planning has been respo
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Page 109 and 110: RELEVANT INTERNET SITESHigher Educa
Page 111 and 112: CHAPTER 9THE FINNISH VIRTUAL UNIVER
Page 113 and 114: foreign providers. In Finland, the
Page 115 and 116: to make the best use of new educati
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Page 119: part of quality management. The aim
Page 123 and 124: polytechnics, research institutions
Page 125 and 126: CHAPTER 10PROMOTING CROSS-BORDERREC
Page 127 and 128: The Bologna Declaration was followe
Page 129 and 130: indicators currently being used for
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Page 133 and 134: Table 9.1: Outline of the portfolio
Page 135 and 136: • Make sure that incoming student
Page 137 and 138: CHAPTER 11CHARTING THE EVOLUTIONOF
Page 139 and 140: Another common characteristic was t
Page 141 and 142: the current capacity of the educati
Page 143 and 144: conditions for success. Conditions
Page 145 and 146: Cultural and ethical issues in inte
Page 147 and 148: the cost and maintenance of learnin
Page 149 and 150: Research can be a useful tool for c
Page 151 and 152: REFERENCESBates, A. (1995). Technol
Page 153 and 154: Twigg, C. (2001). Quality Assurance
Page 155 and 156: y, for example, entering into partn
Page 157 and 158: and even greater steps, and the dec
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