Support and promotion of distance learning

Distance Education may be perceived as a new concept, yet its roots can be traced back to our patron saint, St Paul, who wrote to the early Christian Churches, teaching them from a distance. The delivery of distance learning in an organised manner originated in the 19th century with Pennsylvania State University. Later in the 1960s the UK government set up the 'University of the Air', later known as The Open University.

Following a course by distance learning has a number of implications on the learners. Students take responsibility for their own learning, keeping themselves motivated and effectively managing their own time. Distance learning offers the possibility of studying at the learners' pace, according to their learning style, when and where is most convenient.

It enables the learners to fit education with their lifestyle. This learning medium puts students at the centre of the process, rather than having the teachers lecturing and the students listening.

The challenge students face, more so Maltese students, due to our close-knit culture, is the lack of social interaction. Students may therefore feel isolated, frustrated, and may start to lose motivation.

However, the Foundation for Human Resources Development, local agent for the Centre for Labour Market Studies, University of Leicester, UK, has catered for this necessity by organising bi-monthly support meetings.

The aim of these meetings is to provide students with the opportunity to share learning experiences, difficulties, and networking with other students in the same intake as well as with students in other intakes. This is not an academic meeting, but a support meeting, and its agenda is set by the students.

Students are also highly encouraged by both the FHRD and the CLMS to organise study groups specific to their intake. These informal groups serve to address problems with a specific part of the course material, to try out a concept for tackling an assignment before putting pen to paper, exchanging ideas, etc. It has also been shown that students, who do have a study group, perform better in their course.

The University of Leicester is committed to using the latest information technology resources to overcome any geographical problems associated with distance learning. It is technological innovations that ensure that distance learning continues to evolve and grow as a valid and potent force in education.

To this end CLMS students have online access to the Distance Learning Library, an academic database which includes journal articles and Blackboard, a technology which facilitates asynchronous and synchronous chats with fellow students and teaching staff, and provides further reading material for download, among others. The University of Leicester and the CLMS Website also offer a number of useful facilities, including a dissertation database.

CLMS students can contact the Centre for academic support, how and whenever they wish. Students on the Certificate and Diploma courses are assigned a personal tutor for the whole course.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the course, queries from Masters students are dealt with individually. They are, however, assigned a supervisor when they reach the dissertation stage. Masters students can also attend the UK Teaching Days, held twice a year, which consists of a number of group tutorials to provide advice and guidance both on the assignments and the dissertation.

All students following the distance learning courses offered by the CLMS from certificate to doctorate, had the same opportunity at the recent teaching visit held in Malta between November 7 and last Tuesday. Dr Valerie Owen-Pugh and Professor Alan Felstead from the CLMS facilitated this event.

It consisted of 34 hours of group and individual tutorials covering the modules that the students are following, sessions on the dissertation and on assignment writing. These events are made possible where there is a large concentration of students.

Fortunately, Malta is one of those countries where this is possible twice a year. These events prove not only valuable for the students' progression on the courses, but also help to heighten a sense of belonging to the University of Leicester.