The responsiveness of instructional design in open distance and e-learning to the 4th industrial revolution

Abstract

The rapid advancement of technology has necessitated a review of the approaches to teaching and learning in both face-to-face and distance education settings. These changes, premised within the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution(4IR), include the use of technology for instructional design, teaching, student support and assessment. Open distance education institutions, by their very nature, should be pioneers in the use of technology for education. This study set out to investigate the responsiveness of instructional design in an open distance learning (ODL) institution to the 4IR environment. University of South Africa (Unisa), being an Open Distance and E-learning (ODeL) institution, was selected as the site of the study. Chaos theory was chosen to frame the researcher’s thinking about the impact of a small change in a system on the broader environment. The system, in this case, is the instructional design system. Chaos theory was used together with constructivism because of its (constructivism) emphasis on social interaction in teaching and learning and its positioning in a technologically charged environment. The study targeted instructional designers, electronic originators, academic staff and students. Therefore, individual interviews were conducted with seven instructional designers, five electronic originators, ten academic staff, and four students who were selected to participate in the study. Atlas.ti was used as the selected Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis System (CAQDAS) to analyse the data which yielded four broad themes, namely: Unisa’s instructional design processes, response of Unisa through migration to fully online delivery, the FTA and responsiveness to the 4IR. The data revealed that the process of migrating to online delivery was necessary but quick and unorganised. It resulted in increased workloads for staff, particularly the academics. Students did not receive adequate technical support to tide them over the transition to online delivery. Recommendations were made for the review of the Framework for a Team Approach (FTA) by the Directorate for Curriculum Development and Transformation (DCDT). In addition, it was recommended for the institution to address workload issues and to implement a change management process that recognises the impact of change on both staff and students. The study was successful in achieving its intended goal of determining the responsiveness of instructional design in ODeL to the 4IR demands.

Tswelelopele e e akofileng ya thekenoloji e dirile tlhokego ya gore go sekasekwe melebo ya go ruta le go ithuta mo seemong sa namana le sa o le kwa gae. Diphetogo tseno tse di theilweng mo pakeng ya Diphetogo tsa Bone tsa Thekenoloji (4IR), di akaretsa tiriso ya thekenoloji go thadisa dithuto, go ruta, go tshegetsa baithuti le go ba tlhatlhoba. Ditheo tsa thuto ya go ithuta o le kwa gae ka tlholego e tshwanetse go nna baeteledipele mo tirisong ya thekenoloji mo thutong. Thutopatlisiso eno e ne e tlhotlhomisa go tsibogela seemo sa 4IR ga thadiso ya dithuto mo setheong se go ithutiwang o le kwa gae (ODL). Yunibesithi ya Aforikaborwa (Unisa), jaaka setheo sa Thuto e go Ithutiwang o le kwa Gae le ka E (ODeL), e tlhophilwe go nna lefelo la thutopatlisiso. Go tlhophilwe tiori e e lebeletseng dintlha tse di sa bonelweng pele tse di bakang ditiragalo go rulaganya dikakanyo tsa mmatlisisi malebana le kami ya diphetogo tse dinnye mo tsamaisong mo tikologong ka bophara. Tsamaiso mo mabakeng ano ke tsamaiso ya thadiso ya thuto. Go dirisitswe tiori e e lebeletseng dintlha tse di sa bonelweng pele tse di bakang tiragalo gammogo le tiori ya kago ka ntlha ya fa e (tiori ya kago) gatelela dikamano tsa loago mo go ruteng le go ithuta le maemo a yona mo seemong se se dirisang thekenoloji. Thutopatlisiso e ne e totile bathadisi ba dithuto, baitshimololedi ba eleketoroniki, batlhatlheledi le baithuti. Ka jalo, go dirilwe dikopanotherisano tsa bongwe ka bongwe le bathadisi ba dithuto ba le supa, baitshimololedi ba eleketoroniki ba le batlhano, batlhatlheledi ba le lesome le baithuti ba le bane ba ba tlhophilweng go nna le seabe mo thutopatlisisong. Go dirisitswe Atlas.ti jaaka Tsamaiso ya Tokololo ya Data ya Khwalitatifi ka Thuso ya Khomphiutha (CAQDAS) go lokolola data e e tlhagisitseng merero e le mene ka bophara, e leng: Ditirego tsa thadiso ya dithuto tsa Unisa, tsibogo ya Unisa ka go fudugela mo tlamelong ya dithuto ka botlalo mo maranyaneng, FTA le go tsibogela 4IR. Data e senotse gore tirego ya go fudugela mo tlamelong ya mo maranyaneng e ne e tlhokega fela e nnile bonako e bile e sa rulagana. E ne ya okeletsa badiri mokgweleo wa tiro, bogolo segolo batlhatlheledi. Baithuti ga ba a bona tshegetso e e lekaneng ya setegeniki go ba tataisa mo go kgabaganyetseng kwa tlamelong ya mo maranyaneng. Go ne ga dirwa dikatlenegiso tsa tshekatsheko ya Letlhomeso la Molebo wa Setlhopha (FTA) ke Lefapha la Tlhabololo ya Kharikhulamo le Diphetogo (DCDT). Go tlaleletsa foo, go ne ga atlenegisiwa gore setheo se samagane le merero ya mokgweleo wa tiro le go tsenya tirisong tirego ya tsamaiso ya diphetogo e e lemogang kami ya diphetogo mo badiring le mo baithuting. Thutopatlisiso e atlegile go fitlhelela maikemisetso a yona a go swetsa ka go tsibogela ditopo tsa 4IR ga thadiso ya dithuto mo ODeL.

U tavhanya u khwinisa thekhinolodzhi zwo kombetshedza u sedzwa hafhu ha maitele a u funza na u guda kha u funza ho livhanywa zwifhatuwo na kha vhupo ha u funza u kule. Tshanduko hedzi, dzo disendeka nga kha tshifhinga tsha Mumono wa Vhuna wa Ndowetshumo ya zwa makwevho (4IR), hu tshi katelwa u shumiswa ha thekhinolodzhi kha u bveledza na u netshedza pfunzo na matheriala a vhugudisi, u funza, thikhedzo ya mutshudeni na u linga. Zwiimiswa zwa nnyi na nnyi zwa u funza u kule, nga mvumbo yazwo, zwi dovha mazhakandila kha u shumisa thekhinolodzhi ya pfunzo. Ngudo yo bvisela khagala u todisisa kufhindulele kwa vhugudisi kha tshiimiswa tsha u guda u kule tsha nnyi na nnyi (ODL) kha vhupo ha 4IR. Yunivesithi ya Afrika Tshipembe (Unisa), u vha tshiimiswa tsha Nnyi na nnyi tsha u Guda u kule na U Guda nga kha Lubuvhisia (ODeL), tsho nangwa sa fhethu ha ngudo. Thiori ine vhudziki ha shandukela kha u sa vha na vhudziki yo nangwa u fhata kuhumbulele kwa mutodisisi nga ha masiandaitwa a tshanduko thukhu kha sisiteme ya vhupo vhuhulwane. Sisiteme, kha nyimele heyi, ndi sisiteme ya vhugudisi. Thiori ine vhudziki ha shandukela kha u sa vha na vhudziki yo shumiswa yo tanganelana na u fhata ndivho ngauri u ombedzela u (fhata ndivho hayo) kha u tanganelana ha matshilisano kha u funza na u guda na vhuimo hayo kha vhupo vhune ha shumisa thekhinolodzhi. Ngudo yo vha yo sedza kha vhabveledzi na vhanetshedzi vha pfunzo na matheriala a vhugudisi, vhabveledzi vha elekithironiki, vhashumi vha akademi na matshudeni. Nga zwenezwo, ho farwa inthaviwu dza muthu nga muthu na kha vhabveledzi na vhanetshedzi vha pfunzo na matheriala a vhugudisi vha sumbe, vhabveledzi vha elekithironikisi vhatanu, vha vhashumi vha akademi vha fumi na matshudeni mana vhe vha nangwa u dzhenela ngudo. Ho shumiswa Atlas.ti sa Sisiteme ya u Saukanya Data ya Khwalithethivi ya u Thusedza kha Khomphyutha (CAQDAS) yo nangwaho u saukanya data ye ya bveledza thero nna dzo tandavhuwaho, dzine dza vha: maitele a Unisa a mubveledzi na munetshedzi wa pfunzo na matheriala a vhugudisi, u fhindula ha Unisa nga kha u sudzulutshela kha ndisedzo yo fhelelaho ya kha lubuvhisia, FTA na u fhindula kha 4IR. Data yo dzumbulula uri kuitele kwa u sudzulutshela ndisedzo ya kha lubuvhisia yo vha yo tea fhedzi yo tavhanya na u sa dzudzana. Yo bveledza u engedzea ha mushumo kha vhashumi, nga maanda vha akademi. Matshudeni a vho ngo wana thikhedzo ya thekhiniki yo teaho u vha thusa kha tshanduko u ya kha ndisedzo ya kha lubuvhisia. Themendelo dzo itwa u sedza hafhu Furemiweke ya Kuitele kwa Thimu (FTA) nga Khethekanyo ya Mveledziso na Tshandukiso ya Kharikhulamu (DCDT). U dadzisa kha zwenezwo, ho themendelwa kha tshiimiswa u amba nga ha mafhungo a u dalesa ha mushumo na u shumisa kuitele kwa u langula tshanduko kune kwa dzhiela ntha masiandaitwa a tshanduko kha vhuvhili havho vhashumi na matshudeni. Ngudo yo bvelela kha u swikelela tshipikwa tshayo tsho lavhelelwaho u ta kufhindulele kwa mubveledzi na munetshedzi wa pfunzo na matheriala a vhugudisi, kha ODeL kha thodea dza 4IR.