Not surprisingly, the number of online universities continues to expand--especially in COVID-19 times. These institutions all offer "online education" with diverse institutional, technological, and pedagogical processes. However, a fundamental element has to do with the experience of the students, and how they adapt to the educational…

Library and information support services (LISS) to distance learners (DLs) and tutors are mandatory for qualitative learning and teaching. From the literature, LISS needs of Open and Distance Learners (ODLs) and their tutors (such as user education and information literacy instruction) were not adequately researched in Nigeria. This study,…

Quality aims at meeting customer satisfaction through its various attributes in a product, process or system. Quality has to meet the requirements of a competitive environment, offer good price for cost and meet customer satisfaction. In the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system, quality means the special attributes of ODL, such as being…

This paper reports on the findings of a study which sought to investigate the impact and efficacy of technology-based counseling offered by the University of South Africa (Unisa), an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institution. The study focused specifically on student perceptions of the services they had received from professionals based in the…

This paper focuses on the experiences of out-of-school girls in Zimbabwe. It draws on a research strand of SAGE (Supporting Adolescent Girls' Education), a UKAid programme funded through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Girls' Education Challenge (GEC) initiative. Using a digital storytelling approach the research…

The perceived flexibility of distance education, whereby students can juggle their multiple life roles, is often cited as the predominant reason for enrolling in this mode of study. Nonetheless, for distance learners their multiple roles often have a significant impact on their study experience. This study had three objectives: (1) to explore…

First published in 1980 "The Door Stood Open" deals with an early demand upon open university policy. It deals with important themes like context of the younger students pilot scheme; demand for open university places among the younger age group; motivational factors and potential study problems; the impact of open university study on…

This paper investigates the relevance of electronic resources and improved access for effective distance learning and continuing education. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The total population of the study comprises 7,125 registered students of the National Open University of Nigeria. A convenience sampling technique was…

At community colleges and open-enrollment universities, most first-year students take placement exams in English and mathematics to determine whether they are ready for college-level courses. But large-scale studies have indicated that these test scores misplace substantial numbers of students--in other words, for many students, the test score…

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is considered an important strategy for increasing educational access. However, students learning in ODL environments face many challenges. Studies have indicated that students with self-regulated learning (SRL) skills are more likely to succeed in ODL environments. Studies have demonstrated that through…

Today's society is highly visual, imposing the use of respective practices in Higher Education; under this scope the importance of images and multimedia alters the way 21st digital literacy is perceived. As technology advances, it is important for education professionals to learn how to read visuals through practicing and analyzing techniques, but…

This pilot study aims to assess the acceptability of Open University's training platform called Gamified Intelligent Cyber Aptitude and Skills Training course (GICAST), as a means of improving cybersecurity knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours in undergraduate students using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A mixed-methods, pre-post…

The areas of research and methodological dimensions in the distance education are expanding rapidly due to technological advances (Wong et al., 2016). This research intends to investigate the imbalances in domains of research topics and methodological dimensions in the doctoral level dissertations at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) between…

Massive open online courses (MOOC) constitute an emerging technology for distance and open education while interest in incorporating them in higher education is constantly growing. Due to the free and open access learning opportunities that they offer, they attract an immense number of learners from all over the world. Additionally, because of…

As part of a wider study into perceptions that different university stakeholders have of tutorials, we investigated the UK Open University model for tuition through a process of semi-structured interviews with a self-selecting set of STEM tutors. The aim of the study was to elucidate perceptions that tutors have of the role and purpose of…