Students' perceptions of the quality of learner support in ODL

Abstract

After the merger between the University of South Africa, Technikon South Africa and the distance education campus of Vista University, the College of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of South Africa initiated a research project to determine whether the college complies with the quality criteria set for higher education in general, and for distance learning in particular. The purpose of the research was to determine the status quo in the CEMS with regard to the minimum targets formulated by NADEOSA on learner support, and to identify shortcomings. The project had three focus areas, namely the evaluation of study material; opinion surveys amongst students, tutors and academic staff; and the gathering of statistics and other necessary data required in terms of the minimum targets. For the opinion survey amongst students, which is the focus of this article, questionnaires were used to determine students' perceptions regarding their satisfaction with and the importance of certain features of learner support in open and distance learning. The results indicate a difference between age groups, geographical regions, gender, and even between academic departments.