Reaching out : supporting black learners in distance education

Abstract

Learners, like everybody else, need support as they go through life, especially when going through the big challenge of attending a university. The main purpose of supporting learners is to provide an environment that improves students' commitment and motivation to learn. This is particularly relevant in South Africa, given the 2001 National Plan for Higher Education which states that higher education institutions must increase access to previously disadvantaged people in order to redress past inequalities. With increased demand for access to higher education, especially on the part of black students, institutions of higher learning are now increasingly challenged to improve their understanding of how people learn radically if they are to develop learning programmes that are supportive and responsive to learners' needs. For many years, learner support has been placed alongside the educational process. It has been regarded by higher education providers as a facility that provides safety nets for those who fall, rather than the process that enhances the quality of the learner's experience. This can only be improved if institutions such as the University of South Africa (Unisa) could critically assess students' needs. Information about potential learners is important to inform the policy and planning of development programmes, course design and materials development. This article focuses on socio-cultural and historical effects of institutions of socialisation on black learners, and how these factors influence learning; it then suggests ways in which black learners can be supported.