An evaluation of the effectiveness of the integrated tutor model in open and distance learning: a case of Unisa

Abstract

The provision of education through an open and distance learning (ODL) mode calls for institutions of higher learning to provide support services that can respond to students’ needs and expectations, and impact positively on their learning experiences. Tutorial support is one of the pillars of student support services which contribute to the academic success of students in this academic context. The use of technology has led institutions of higher learning to change the way support is provided to students by integrating online learning to reach students who cannot attend traditional face-to-face (F2F) tutorials at a specified time and venue. The University of South Africa (Unisa) responds to these global changes by integrating F2F and online services to support its students through the integrated tutor model (ITM) which seeks to address the learning needs and expectations of students. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this ITM. The study was guided by a social constructivist theory of learning supported by connectivism, empathy theory and Salmon’s five stage model of e-learning. The fundamental theory of social constructivism is based on the assumption that learning is constructed in a social setting before individuals engage with knowledge. The experiences of individuals play a big role in the construction of knowledge hence it is crucial to acknowledge their prior knowledge. Students who are supported through the ITM in the six Unisa regional service centres and the Unisa staff involved in the implementation of the ITM participated in the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select these participants. A random sampling technique was also used to sample students to complete a questionnaire. Qualitative data were collected through individual and focus group interviews and documents analysis. The findings of this study reveal that the ITM is not quite ffective as it partly meets the students’ needs and does not meet students’ expectations. This is because Unisa offers students’ needs such as F2F and online tutor support for some modules. However, students’ expectations in terms of receiving teaching by tutors, provision of assignment aswers to students, fully fledged resource provision in the learning centres and receiving technical support from tutors are not met. In light of the findings, the study contributes to the ITM by identifying and filling its gaps using the Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) model of evaluation. The improvements will assist Unisa to relook at the ITM to intensify its support for students to fully meet their needs and expectations.

Uhlelo lokuhlinzeka ngemfundo olusebenzisa uhlelo oluvulekile nohlelo lokufunda ukude (ODL) linxusa amaziko emfundo aphakeme ukuthi anikeze anikeze izinsiza ezixhasayo ezingabhekana nezidingo nezinhloso ezilindelwe kubafundi kanti futhi zinomthelela omuhle ohlelweni lwabo lokufunda. Uxhaso lweThuthoriyali ngolunye lwezinsika zemisebenzi yokuxhasa abafundi olunegalelo kwimpumelelo yabafundi kwezemfundo kulesi sizinda sezemfundo. Ukusetshenziswa kobuchepheshe sekuholele amaziko emfundo ephakeme ukuba aguqule indlela abafundi abaxhaswa ngayo – ngokuhlanganisa uhlelo lokufunda nge-inthanedi ukufinyelela abafundi abangeke bakwazi ukuya kumathuthoriyali okuhlangana nabafundi ngobuso nobuso (F2F) ngesikhathi kanye nendaweni enqunyiwe.. INyuvesi yaseNingizimu Afrika (Unisa) ibhekene nalezi zinguquko zomhlaba ngokuhlanganisa uhlelo lwe-F2F kanye nezinsiza zohlelo lwe-inthanedi ukuxhasa abafundi bayo ngokusebenzisa imodeli ehlanganisiwe yamatjhutha (ITM) efuna ukwanelisa izidingo zokufunda kanye nezinhloso ezilindwe abafundi. Ucwaningo beluqonde ukuhlola ukusebenza kahle kohlelo lwa le ITM. Ucwaningo belulandela ithoyori ebizwa nge-social constructivist theory of learning ngokuxhaswa ukuxhumana (connectivism), i-empathy theory kanye nemodeli yokufunda kaSalmon yezigaba ezinhlanu. Ithiyori yokuqala yokwakhiwa komphakathi isuselwa phezu komqondo wokuthi ukufunda kwakheka ngaphansi kwesizinda sabantu ngaphambi kokuthi abantu bahlangane nolwazi. Ulwazi abantu abahlangabezana nalo ezimpilweni zabo ludlala indima esemqoka ekwakhiweni kolwazi, kanti-ke kubalulekile ukwamukela ulwazi lwabo lwangaphambilini. Abafundi abaxhaswa ngohlelo lwe-ITM ezikhungweni ezisebenzayo eziyisithupha zezifunda kanye nabasebenzi ababandakanyeka ekusetshenzisweni kwe-ITM bazibandakaye kulolu cwaningo. Indlela yesampuli enezinhloso isetshenziselwe ukukhetha labadlalindima, kanti ngakwenye ingxenye indlela yokuksampula yinoma ngubani isetshenzisiwe ukusampula abafundi ukuba baqede umbhalo wemibuzo. Idatha eyencike kwingxoxo iqoqwe ngokusebenzisa izinhlolovo zabantu kanye namaqembu aqondiwe kanye nokuhlaziywa kwemibhalo. Ulwazi olutholakele lwalolu cwaningo luveza ukuthi i-ITM ayisebenzi kahle njengoba yanelisa izidingo zabantu ngokwesigamu, kodwa lolu hlelo lwe-ITM alufinyeleli izinhloso zabo ezilindelwe. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi i-Unisa ifeza izidingo ngokuhlinzeka, isibonelo, ngohlelo lokufundisa lwe-F2F kanye nohlelo lwe-inthanedi lwamatshutha uma kunesidingo sabanye omojuli. Yize-kunjalo, izimpokophelo ezilindelwe ngabafundi mayelana nokuhlinzekwa ngemfundo eyethulwa ngamatshutha, ngokunikezwa izimpendulo zama-asayimenti kubafundi, ngokusebenzisa imithombo eqotho ezikhungweni zokufunda kanye nokuthola uxhaso lwesithekinikhali oluvela kumatshutha akuyona imisebenzi efeza lokhu. Ngokolwazi olutholakele, ucwaningo lufaka igalelo kwi-ITM ngokwehlukanisa kanye nokuvala izikhala zalo ngokusebenzisa i-Context. I-Input, uHlelo kanye noMkhiqizo (CIPP) okuyimodeli yokuhlola. Izintuthuko zizonceda i-Unisa ukuba ibuyekeze i-ITM ukuqinisa uxhaso lwayo kubafundi ukuze kufezwe izidingo kanye nezinhloso zabo ezilindelwe.

Kabo ya thuto ka mokgwa wa go ithuta ga phatlalatša le ga kgole (ODL) o ipiletša go dihlongwa tša thuto ya godimo go fana ka ditirelo tša thekgo tšeo di ka kgonago go arabela dinyakwa le dikemelo tša baithuti le go ama gabotse maitemogelo a bona a go ithuta. Thekgo ya dithutišo ke ye nngwe ya dikokwane tša ditirelo tša thekgo ya baithuti tšeo di tsenyago letsogo go katlego ya baithuti ka mo seemong se sa thuto. Tšhomišo ya theknolotši e dirile gore dihlongwa tša thuto ya godingwana go fetoša ka fao thekgo e fiwago ka gona go baithuti – ka go kopanya go ithuta inthaneteng gore go fihlelele baithuti bao ba sa kgonego go tsenela dithutišo tša setlwaedi tšeo baithuti ba kopanago le bafahloši (F2F) ka phapošing ya bofahloši. Yunibesithi ya Afrika Borwa (Unisa) e arabela ditlhohlo tše tša lefase ka bophara ka go kopanya F2F le ditirelo tša inthaneteng go thekga baithuti ba yona ka go diriša mokgwa wa go ruta wo o kopantšwego (ITM) wo o nyakago go rarolla dinyakwa le dikemelo tša go ithuta tša baithuti. Dinyakišišo di ikemišeditše go sekaseka go šoma gabotse ga ITM ye. Dinyakišišo di hlahlilwe ke teori ya kago ya setšhaba mabapi le go ithuta yeo e thekgwago ke tirišo ya theknolotši thutong, teori ya go naganela ba bangwe le mokgwa wa Salmon wa dikgato tše hlano tša go ithuta. Teori ya motheo ya kago ya setšhaba e theilwe go kwešišo ya gore go ithuta go agwa ka seemong sa setšhaba pele ga ge batho ba ka hwetša tsebo. Maitemogelo a batho a raloka tema ye bohlokwa ka go kago ya tsebo, ke ka lebaka leo go le bohlokwa go lemoga tsebo ya bona ya peleng. Baithuti bao ba thekgwago ka ITM ka disenthareng tša Unisa tše tshela tša ka dileteng le baithuti bao ba kgathago tema ka phethagatšong ya ITM ba tšere karolo ka mo dinyakišišong. Mokgwa wa go dira sampole ka maikemišetšo o šomišitšwe go kgetha bakgathatema ba, mola mokgwa wa go dira sampole ka sewelo o šomišitšwe go dira sampole ya baithuti go tlatša dipotšišo tša dinyakišišo. Tshedimošo ya boleng e kgobokeditšwe ka go botšiša batho ba nnoši le dihlopha dipotšišo gomme gwa dirwa le tshekatsheko ya dingwalwa. Dikutollo tša dinyakišišo tše di utolla gore ITM ga e šome gabotse kudu go fihlelela dinyakwa tša baithuti ebile ga e fihlelele dikemelo tša bona. Se ke ka lebaka la gore Unisa e hlokometše dinyakwa tša baithuti ka go fana ka, go fa mohlala, F2F le thekgo ya baithuti ya inthaneteng go dimotšule tše dingwe. Le ge go lebjale, dikemelo tša baithuti mabapi le go amogela go rutwa ke bafahloši, go fa baithuti dikarabo tša diasaenemente ke bafahloši, kabo ya methopo ka botlalo ka disenthareng tša thuto le go amogela thekgo ya sethekniki go tšwa go bafahloši ga di fihlelelwe. Go lebeletšwe dikkutollo tše, dinyakišišo di tsenya letsogo go ITM ka go tseba le go tlatša dikgoba ka go diriša mokgwa wa tshekatsheko wa Seemo, Tšweletšo, Tshepedišo le Setšweletšwa (CIPP). Dikaonafatšo tše di tla thuša Unisa go lekodišiša ITM go maatlafatša thekgo ya yona go baithuti gore e fihlelele dinyakwa le dikemelo tša bona ka botlalo.