Policy and Practice in Asian Distance Education
- Tian Belawati - Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia
- Jon Baggaley - Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada
International Higher Education
This book has been designed for the orientation and training of specialists in open and distance learning methods in Asia. It is the outcome of the collaborative PANdora research and development initiative (2005–08) between 24 open and distance learning (ODL) institutions, government departments and non-governmental organizations in 13 Asian countries.
The need for thrift and ingenuity in Distance Education (DE) methods in Asia has made Asian DE researchers and practitioners contemplate novel technological methods in DE—open-source software, cell-phone SMS, etc.—from which information and communication technology professionals in all parts of the world can learn.
The guidelines in the book have been designed in modular form so that selected sections can be combined according to users' needs and translated into local languages in keeping with the PANdora network's open resources philosophy. Individual modules and combinations of them can be used in specific training contexts. Although the focus of the book is the educational sector in Asia, the guidelines proposed have worldwide application.
Informative and interestingly presented…The book is in five sections or modules comprised of 23 chapters. Its modular design allows for individual chapters to be modified or updated or used as stand-alone content according to the need of the reader. It is perhaps one of the first comprehensive books on distance education in Asia. It would be a valuable addition to any institutional library or research center for its policy makers and researchers...simple and readable style, the articles are practical and down-to-earth in locating their debate in Asian contexts.