Expert highlights the need for new tools and designs in distance education

The EDULINK SideCAP Project partners
L-R: Professor Martin Weller (Open University, UK),
Ms. Ala Lesuma-Fatiaki (USP), Mr. Mohammad
Santally (University of Mauritius - UM),
Ms. Louise Vakamocea (USP), Dr. Monica Masino
(University of the West Indies - UWI), Ms. Dorothy
Cooshna-Naik (UM), Professor Frank Rennie
(University of Highlands & Islands, Scotland) and
Ms. Elia Grant-Fraser (UWI).

Dr. Tony Bates, internationally renowned expert in e-learning and distance education, highlighted the need to adopt new tools, learning outcomes, technology, models and designs in the contemporary distance education landscape, to leverage the affordances of new and changing technologies.

Speaking via video-conference from the University of British Columbia, Dr Bates highlighted that skills demanded for jobs today would include very good oral and written communication, independent learning, ethics and responsibility, team work, flexibility, thinking skills and knowledge navigation. These comments were made as part of his keynote address at the opening day of the EDULINK SideCAP Final Dissemination Event, hosted by the University of the South Pacific (USP) and coordinated by the Pro Vice Chancellor Learning & Teaching, Dr. Eci Nabalarua and CFDL, from the 8th - 12th of February. Dr. Bates also stated, that there was a REAL need for the greater use of new technologies which focus on more learner-centred teaching, new designs that includes more open content, and new models that both facilitate learning and focus on developing 21st century skills.

The SideCAP Project is a European Union (EU) funded project as part of its ACP-EU Cooperation Programme in Higher Education (EDULINK). There are 5 institutions involved in this project, the Open University, UK (OU), University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute (UHI), Scotland, University of Mauritius (UM), University of the West Indies (UWI) and The University of the South Pacific (USP). The project has been running for a duration of 32 months, concluding with the Final Dissemination Event currently being hosted at the USP.

Invited guests at the Opening who included Heads of Missions, members of the diplomatic corps, heads of other tertiary institutions, the commercial Banking sector , sponsorship agencies, USPSA, USP Senior management and staff, were welcomed by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Rajesh Chandra. The Event was opened by the European Union for the Pacific, Charge d’Affaires a.i., Mr. Robert De Raeve.       

USP-wide contributions to the Event by way of presentations, programmed event participants and facilitators were made by academics from the three Faculties: the Faculty of Arts and Law, the Faculty of Business & Economics and the Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment. Technological, administrative and organisational support services have also been an integral feature of the week-long event.