Supervising masters students within the ODL context, in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

The internationalisation of higher education is a global imperative that impact on students and supervision practises. Cultural and language diversity as well as the dynamic characteristics of the learners in an Open Distant Learning environment has been given little concern (Lee, Driscoll, & Nelson, 2004) and the impact is not always taken into account. When implementing a scholarship development programme across language, cultural and socioeconomic borders these factors should be taken into consideration as it may affect supervisory practices and thus the success of such a programme. Implementing a masters’ programme to enhance scholarship development in a resource poor African context through Open Distant Learning therefore is challenging. Effective supervision was essential in supervising masters’ students in the Democratic Republic of Congo in an ODL context. Supervision in a language not mutually understood by me, the supervisor, and students challenged the traditional western methodology and paradigms. A qualitative narrative reflection was done to critically reflect on the challenges faced and to initiate the innovative ideas that emerged from this experience. The Western body of knowledge and dominant logic were challenged in my supervisory practice. New research methodology and paradigms to enhance distant education research were initiated and implemented.