What are the main challenges for including more adults in distance education? What motivates students? What barriers do they perceive? How are we responding to these challenges?

1. Closing the gap
Strategic opportunities to attract more adult learners

2. We know who our students are.
1.

3. We know who our students are.
Potential students
• Older than traditional students
• Working (51.75%)
• Have a higher education degree
• 83.41% bachelor degree
• 31.66% master’s degree
Existing students
• Older than traditional students
• Working (70%)
• Have a higher education degree
• 30.65% bachelor degree
• 11.29% a master’s degree
Source: Social profile of potential distance education students
Survey – 427 potential students (DistanceLearningPortal.com visitors)
Source: Social profile of adults enrolled in distance education
Survey – 1,773 students enrolled in distance education programmes (survey
sent via HEIs and IDEAL mailing list)
1.

4. 2. We can predict the future of distance education growth.

5. We can predict the future of distance
education growth.2.

6. We can predict the future of distance
education growth.2.

7. 3.
We already have a diverse
portfolio of programmes.

8. We already have a diverse portfolio of
programmes.3.

9. 4. We know why our students chose a distance study.

10. We know why our students chose a
distance programme.
4.

11. 5. Our students are employed and can afford to study.

12. Our students are employed and can afford
to study.
5.

13. 6.
Our students are
grownups and don’t
need too much
counselling or
support.

14. Our students are grownups and don’t
need too much counselling or support.
• Self-directed learners (very competent)
• New groups of students: include more diverse group, then they will
have different needs
• Refugees
• International students
• Language barriers
• Different educational backgrounds
• Struggle with time management; understanding with understanding
academic requirements; struggle with technology
• How do you know what kind of support students need?
6.

15. 7.
Our teachers are
already experts in
distance education.

16. Our teachers are already experts in
distance education.
• Enabling a change to pedagogy is one of the hardest tasks within an institution.
• Strong focus on “personalized learning” which meets the specific needs,
interests, aspirations or cultural backgrounds of individual students.
• “Change must come from within the organisation, and, in particular from the
professors and instructors themselves. It is the faculty that must see the need for
change, and be willing to make those changes themselves.”(Tony Bates)
• Teachers can concentrate on their role as mentor, developing with students the
skills of information management, understanding and questioning, critical
thinking and knowledge application. Digital media can facilitate more active,
problem-based learning.
7.

17. It is easy to enroll at a
distance programme
at my HEI.
8.

18. It is easy to enroll at a distance programme at
my HEI.
• Flexibility of enrollment dates
• Deciding your own page
• Openness – programmes – open learning attitude
• “what does it mean to be “open””
• Case study: the only UK and Finland demonstrate full openness
8.

19. It is easy for students
to get their previous
degrees or experience
recognized at my HEI.
9.

20. 9. It is easy for students to get their previous
degrees or experience recognized at my HEI.
• Finland – status of degree student can be obtained
after pursuing courses in open university
• Germany – highest degree from the school system,
or degree from vocational sector; recognition of
degree from vocational training
• Greece – graduation from secondary education; no
systematic procedure for recognition of prior
learning or work experience
• Hungary – school leaving examination certificate
and enough entry points; no alternative admission;
no systematic procedure for recognition of prior
learning or work experience
• UK – “access diplomas” programmes; recognition
of credit transfer from equivalent level of study
elsewhere; accreditation of (prior) experiential
learning

21. My HEI is always
involved in DE
national policy
making.
10.

22. My HEI is always involved in DE national
policy making.
• Finland – no separate open or
distance teaching universities
• Greece –mentioned with
“Education and Lifelong
Learning” policy
• Hungary – no DE on Master
level; no laws mentioning e-
learning
• UK – laws that indirectly
influence DE (QA framework)
10.

23. Recap
1. We know who our students are.
2. We can predict the future of distance education growth.
3. We already have a diverse portfolio of programmes.
4. We know why our students chose a distance programme.
5. Our students are employed and can therefore afford to study.
6. Our students are grownups and don’t need too much counselling or support.
7. Our teachers are already experts in distance education.
8. It is easy to enroll at a distance programme at my HEI.
9. It is easy for students to get their previous degrees or experience recognized at
my HEI.
10. My HEI is always involved in DE national policy making.

24. GET IN TOUCH
Carmen Neghina – Education Intelligence Specialist (StudyPortals)
Carmen@studyportals.com
Carl Holmberg - Senior Adviser, International Council for Open and Distance Education – ICDE
holmberg@icde.org
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25. JOIN OUR WEBINAR
11 NOVEMBER at 3 PM
To register: http://idealproject.eu/news/
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