Developing Online Distance Education - Hopeless for Magic Solutions

14th AAOU Conference in Manila on Ideology, Pedagogy &Technology in ODL

Ulrich Bernath, Carl von Ossietzky University of OldenburgCentre for Distance Education

Carl von Ossietzky became the name sake of Oldenburg University in 1991.Carl von Ossietzky (1888 - 1938) was an outstanding journalists and pacifists in Germany at the time of the Weimarer Republic. In 1933, when the Nazis seized power in Germany, Ossietzky was arrested because of his courageous stand for peace and democracy. He was interned in various concentration camps, among them Esterwegen (near Oldenburg). After he was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 1935, international pressure led to his release. Never fully recoverring from his internment at Esterwegen, he died two years later in Berlin. In 1979, Carl von Ossietzky's daughter, Rosalinde von Ossietzky-Palm, donated his works to the University. An interdisciplinary research team edited a prize-winning complete edition of his works.

Germany and its 15 “Länder“

ICT on our campus

• is seen as an enrichment

• in most cases increases the cost per student

• is not seen as „distance education“ in D

• it has a potential to be further developed for distance education

Distance Education in Germany

Our practice of face-to-face tutorials

• regular evening classes (reg)

• day schools on saturdays (sat)

• weekend seminars (wes)

• educational leaves (edl)

reg

sat

edl

wes

The problem of distance between the tutor and the student

Problem ofdistancein space

Problem ofdistance in time

Tackle the distance

Problem ofdistancein space

Problem ofdistance in time

reg

Tackle the distance

Problem ofdistancein space

Problem ofdistance in time

reg

edl

Tackle the distance

Problem ofdistancein space

Problem ofdistance in time

reg

sat

wes

edl

Tackle the distance

Problem ofdistancein space

Problem ofdistance in time

reg

sat

wes

edlvt

The Virtual Seminar in Distance Education

…… A cross-cultural global learning experience

The Virtual Seminar in Distance Education

AustraliaAustriaCanadaEstoniaFinlandGermanyHungaryJapanLatviaMexicoPeruPhilippines

PolandPortugalRumaniaSlovakiaSloveniaSouth African RepublicSpainSwedenSwitzerlandThe NetherlandsUnited KingdomUnited States

The Virtual Seminar in Distance Education

Participation

• During 10 weeks of the seminar with 43 particpants:

• 192 comments were posted, - “only” 5 comments per particpant - created a total of 66 324 words.

• Faculty commented with another 61178 words.

•Each comment averaged 187 words

The Virtual Seminar in Distance Education

…...The “Ripple Effect” in asynchronous communcication

Tutor

Student

Student

Student

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Face-to-Face Tutorials

Tutor

StudentStudent

Student Student

StudentStudent

Student

Online tutorials and online seminars

StudentStudent

Student

Student

Student

Student

Student

Tutor

StudentStudent

Student Student

StudentStudent

Student

Online tutorials and online seminars

StudentStudent

Student

Student

Student

Student

Student

Our conceptual considerations

• Low cost and easy access for students

• Preferably asynchronous communication

• Password protected study groups

• Serving all academic disciplines

Strategic reconsiderations

• Online and face-to-face tutorials

• Reallocation of resources

• Increasing devision of labour

• New models of cooperation

• Urgent need for professional training

The student must come first

...in face-to-face as well as in online tutorials...