Online Learning in the Pacific Regional Context
Fiji comprises
over 300 islands and islets, around 100 of which are inhabited, with a total
land area of 18,270 km2. Most of the country is volcanic in origin, whilst the
smaller islands are coral and limestone. The majority of the country is
mountainous, with several peaks exceeding 1,000 m. Barrier reefs ring most
islands. The two largest islands, Vanua Levu in the north and Viti Levu in the
south make up over 80 percent of Fiji’s total landmass. The Republic of Fiji
gained independence in 1970 after nearly a century of British control.
Education sectors
across the Pacific are changing rapidly. The region is witnessing significant
growth in postsecondary participation rates and an overall shift in the focus
of sector development efforts from access to quality. At the same time, Pacific
countries are undertaking major reforms to their telecommunication sectors, and
many have begun developing their national information and communication
technology (ICT) policies. By 2021, all major Pacific island countries are
expected to get their submarine cable connections installed and operational,
signaling a rapid increase in connectivity rates across the region (2020).
These developments imply a huge shift both in terms of demand for human
capacity, and the need for cross-sector collaboration to capture the full range
of benefits that ICT can produce in the education sector. If managed
effectively, sector developments in the areas of ICT and education can
strengthen the region’s most valuable resource its human capital. The central
reason for implementing any information and communication technology for
education intervention is, ultimately, to provide better learning opportunities
for students. To this end, ICT for education supports stakeholders ranging from
teachers and students to policymakers in planning, developing, managing, and
delivering improved education programs and resources. ICT for education
interventions include
(i) establishing
and leveraging ICT networks, to share information and support collaboration
(ii) using
software, hardware, and connectivity to collect and analyze data, to manage the education sector and its institutions more efficiently; and\
(iii) developing
and using educational materials, such as digital learning (e-learning) programs
and digital knowledge repositories, to improve teaching and learning outcomes,
and support research activities.
The University of
the South Pacific (USP) was the first higher education institution in the
region to establish its own satellite communication network (USPNet) (2020).
The network connects USP’s campuses across its 12 member countries and benefits
from exclusive access to Australia’s Academic and Research Network. USPNet
started as a regional network to support USP in delivering education services
to its member countries and campuses. In its first iteration, it supported
USP’s governance, administration, human resource management, financial
services, teaching and learning, and research. However, in recent years, USPNet
has expanded to serve more than its original educational services mandate.
USPNet now provides network services to support regional agencies in addressing
issues pertaining to cybersecurity, climate change, and disaster management.
Although USPNet provides access to regional organizations to support these
functions, currently, it only shares access with a select few educational
institutions. Pacific education leaders frequently cite the goal of
establishing a Pacific knowledge hub, and it is now technically feasible to do
so. USP is seeking to create and host a knowledge hub for the Pacific; one
possible method for accelerating this process is to review the structure of
USPNet to open access for other post-secondary education providers. Doing so
may prevent costly and unsustainable duplication of efforts to establish a parallel
ICT networks, and increase the number and quality of learning opportunities for
students in the region.
Elements of Successful Online Learning in the Pacific
Context
An
online course is like walking into a foreign land with an entire map laid out but having no sense of the land’s origin or how to navigate the terrain. How
the instructor formats and interacts with the class will ultimately determine
the student’s travel experience. A study was done by (Raturi, Hogan and Thaman,
2011) on the Pacific context mentions that “students nowadays definitely have a far
more comfortable than in the pre- Internet era. The Internet then gave rise to
the possibility of a whole new range of online resources. The use of email has
been maximized in the online education system.” This study states that the learners taken in the sample were keen and enthusiastic about the use of technology and
where eLearning ready.
Moving
on, Teacher presence is vital to create in an online course, because without
it, the class becomes an impersonal experience guided only by text and the
other electronic medium. Just as in a seated class, the presence of an
instructor provides a sense of leadership and security for the students, a
central point person that guides them in the learning experience. In an online
class, one has to be conscious to create this presence, as it is not patently
evident as it is in a seated class (Essential Elements of an Effective Online
Learning Experience, 2020).
Furthermore, Feedback is one of the most
vital elements of an online course. It is interesting to note that instructor
feedback is also a vital part of the aforementioned instructor presence.
Feedback helps the students recognize that there is an instructor that is monitoring
their progress. You can have instructor presence without feedback, but the
presence would likely seem detached and impersonal. Feedback adds an
interactive component that brings warmth to the experience (Essential Elements
of an Effective Online Learning Experience, 2020).
Being Inclusive: Role of Culture, Gender and special
needs in Online Learning in Developing countries
When a child born
in society he becomes part of our society. Culture is the main aspect of any
society that teaches to live with a mutual corporation with each other. Culture
is the social behavior of any society which has its own trends and values.
Every society has its own way of living life and lifestyle. Culture focus on
the knowledge of ethics, norms, traditions, etc.
Various elements
of culture help the individual in adopting natural and social environment in a
positive way. Each person of the society has his or her own behavior attitude
qualities and mentality to perceive the world around. Education changes the
perspective of the individual toward different modes of community (Online Course: The Role of
Culture in the Education of Adult English Language Learners | LINCS Community,
2020).
Purpose of Culture
- Culture always being used at a
wide range in any society by the group of different people.
- Culture always tell about to
live life happily without any fear.
- Culture progress when the time
change and keep forward with the passage of the time.
- Culture always try to fulfill
the needs of all people.
- Culture give equal chance and
opportunities for all the member of the society
Pacific Island
students particularly the indigenous students should be based on their cultures
and their knowledge, their values and from there they can then use their
culture and their knowledge systems as a platform for jumping off to speak, to
be able to better understand the global culture, global knowledge from which we
choose the foundations for University education. Indigenous education, its
aims, its pedagogies, its view of students learning, its methods of
assessments, its content-are the complete opposite of Western education which
is the basis of schooling and university learning. For example, the aims of
western formal education are to change the behavior of students, and we as teachers
are responsible for that change. We must ensure that we add to their knowledge,
that we provide new skills and if possible change their attitudes. Indigenous
education aims at cultural survival and continuity. of course, there is change
but they are most interested in making sure their culture, their way of life
continues forever. If you look at the content, the content of schooling and the
university is sourced from the western knowledge systems, western epistemologies.
The content of indigenous education -the source is your culture. So it’s being
able to survive in the context of your own culture. So you can see in the
content of schooling at University there’s very little of Pacific cultures in
the curriculum itself. If you look at pedagogies, for indigenous education,
teachers are mainly your elders or your parents or your peers, the focus is on
practical matters - being able to practice something and demonstration. If you
want students to learn, you as a teacher must demonstrate what it is they need to
learn. The content must be relevant to the students, to their way of life. So
if you wanted to learn how to be a good fisherman or fisherwoman, you go and
learn from the person who has learned.
References
Itu.int. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regulatory-Market/Documents/Infrastructure_portal/Maximising-availability-of-int-connectivity-in-the-pacific.pdf>
[Accessed 9 June 2020].
Eportfolio.usp.ac.fj.
2020. [online] Available at:
<https://eportfolio.usp.ac.fj/artefact/file/download.php?file=411261&view=110214>
[Accessed 9 June 2020].
Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning. 2020. Essential Elements Of An
Effective Online Learning Experience. [online] Available at:
<https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/mapping-success-essential-elements-of-an-effective-online-learning-experience/>
[Accessed 9 June 2020].
Raturi, S., Hogan, R. and Thaman, K., 2011. Learners' access
to tools and experience with technology at the University of the South Pacific:
Readiness for e-learning. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 27(3).
Community.lincs.ed.gov. 2020. Online Course: The Role Of
Culture In The Education Of Adult English Language Learners | LINCS Community. [online]
Available at:
<https://community.lincs.ed.gov/discussion/online-course-role-culture-education-adult-english-language-learners>
[Accessed 9 June 2020].
