UPN Reports

bv Dr. Francisco NemenzoExecutive oir'{ctor

D i stanc e Ed u c ati o n P roo ram

What Is Distance Education?The essence of distance education is simply

this: a program for self-study. Is this the noveltythat some excessively enthusiastic proponentsclaim? Perhaps the essential idea is as old as theprinting press. Johannes Gutenberg's inventionmade it possible for people to educate themsel-ves without having to sit at the feet of somevenerable professors. What is new about dis-tance education is the method of designingtexts specially for self-study, the use of moderncommunication media, and the network of stu-dent support services.

Neither is distance education an esotericpedagogy. All of us may have undergone dis-tance education in one form or another. Forexample, when we study the manual of a newlyacquired gadget; or when we explore thecapabilities of a pirated software with the helpof pirated handbooks; or when we use teach-yourself tapes to gain a smattering of the lan-guage of tbe country we are about to visit.

University-based distance education cour-ses employ essential ly the same techniques asthe operating manuals, computer handbooksand teach-yourself tapes, but they are struc-tured to cover a wider range of subjects cor-respond ing to the cur r i cu lum. Moreover ,u n i v e r s i t y - b a s e d p r o g r a m s s u p p o r t t h estudents' individual efforts with tutorial andcounsell ing services. What dist inguishes dis-tance education from conventional education isthe absence or infrequenry of face-to-face con-tacts between mentors and learners.

Some people t l t ink of distance education aslearning tbrough radio or TV. Indeed, in SouthKorea and the People's Republic of China theyhave special universities which transmit lessons

Distance Education: An Adventure in Pedagogythrough the electronic media. Based on theirown reports, however, their performzrnce havenot been terribly impressive. Britain alsostarted with a "University of the Air." Its trans-formation into the Open University (OU) in1969 was accompanied by a shift in medium.Whi le OU cont inues i ts dai ly educat ionalbroadcasts through BBC-tv2, i ts regularacademic courses now rely mainly on printedtexts.

I n t he Ph i l i pp ines where rad io andte lev is ion are tota l ly commercia l ized andPLDT leaves much to be desired. reliance onbroadcasting, electronic mail and telecon-ferencing are out of the question. But this is nota serious disability. Experience has shown thataudio-tapes, video-casettes and computersoftware are more effective supplements to theprint medium because they allow students tostudy at their most convenient hours and playback the lessons as many times as they need.

Distance education suffers from the un-seenrly reputation of the correspondenceschools. These diploma merchandizing firmsinvest too much on advertising and too little onthe development of qual i ty inst ruct ionalmaterials. They make extravagant promises ofquick and easy entry to the job market. Theirshoddy texts are distributed without the benefitof academic evaluation. They seldom providetutorial services and their examinations, reck-lessly administered, leave ample room forproxles.

It is far from UP's intention to run that typeof distance education. Our model is neither theInternational Correspondence School nor thedefunct "International University," but theOpen University of the United Kngdom, Suk-hothai Thammathirat University in Bangkokand Indira Gandhi National Open University inNew Delhi.

Because we are determined to produce in-struct ional materials that can withstancl themost rigorous academic assessment, we involvesome of the finest UP faculty members andprofessors emeritii in the course teams. Oncethese materials are ready, we shall set up anetwork of regional study centers where stu-dents may have access to tutors and guidancecounsellors. To afford a modicum of face-to-face contacts, the regional study centers willo r g a n i z e o c c a s i o n a l d i s c u s s i o n m e e t i n g sfacilitated by facutty members from our fourconstituent universities. Examinations will exactUP standards and every precaution will be takento prevent cheating.

Wlry Distnnce Education?I would be the last to suggest that UP aban-

dons famil iar ground. Of course, UP nustpreserve its stature as a conventional university;but if it is to stay relevant in a changing world,we must dare to explore uncharted territory.

Recently Senator Edgardo Angara chal-lenged UP to "re-invent" itself. Its elitist imagemust be reversed by reaching out to more of ourdisadvantaged compatriots. We should heedthis advice from our former president, or elsethe other state universities and college will suc-ceed in paring down our share in the nationalbudget for higher education.

ln 1992,44,00Q took the UP College Admis.sions Test (UPCAT) but only 5,000 freshmencan be accommodated. The number of rejectedapplicants is bound to increase everyyear. If thistrend persists, I foresee a time when Congreswill demand that we take in more students andestablish branches all over the place. As a stateuniversity that relies on the national budget, wecannot ignore such denrand from our mainfunding source.

But how do we expand enrollment withoutcompromising academic standards? It is dif.f i cu l t to do th is w i th in the convent iona lframework. The absorptive capacity of a univer.sity trapped in this framework is constrained byphysical factors like space and equipment, notto mention the availability of competent staff.Increasing class sizes and the ratio of studentsto laboratory facilities will inevitably have anegative impact on the quality of instruction.

Faced with a similar challenge, universitiesabroad (including the ancient citadels of intel.lectual snobbery like the British universitie$have found d is tance educat ion a v iab leresponse. This is why, as Professor James WHall of the State University of New York noted,distance education has become the faste$.growing instructional pattern in the world today.

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