Distance Education as a Possibility for Cooperation between Universities and Regions Sirje Virkus, TUES

Topics of Discussion F Problem areas in higher education F Solutions F Definition F Distance Education in Estonia

Problem areas in higher education F students drop out (different learning styles, etc.) F population growth and overcrowding (increasing demand for higher education) F adult and non-credit education (change in job functions, impact of technology) F low college-enrollment rates for certain minorities (the educational gap between rich and poor) F shortage of teachers F increased financial pressure (John Daniel, Mega- Universities and Knowledge Media, 1996)

Solutions F Distance education is one among the many possible solutions that have been proposed to deal with these problems

Citation F Forbes magazine recently interviewed Peter Drucker for an article entitled ”Seeing Things as They Really Are.” Drucker predicts that our residential institutions will be replaced by alternative methodologies – distance education initiatives F University of Michigan’s recent President, James Duderstadt, also predicts that 80 % of education will be delivered with alternative methods in the near future

Distance Education F Distance education is planned learning that normally occurs in a different place from teaching and as a result requires special techniques of course design, special instructional techniques, special methods of communication by electronic and other technology, as well as special organizational and administrative arrangements. (Moore; Kearsley, 1996).

Distance Education F teacher and learners are separated during at least a majority of the instructional process; F an educational organization influences the process, including some form of student evaluation; F educational media [technologies] are used to unite teacher and learner and to carry course content; F two-way communication is provided between teacher, tutor, or educational agency and learner (Verduin & Clark)

Distance Education in Estonia F ideas of modern DE in 1993 F Feasibility Study in the Baltic Countries 1993 F establishment of the necessary infrastructure for DE 1994

Establishment of the necessary infrastructure F The Estonian National Contact Point F regional centres in TUES, TTU and TTU F the training of the necessary staff for DE F training on distance education in different subject fields F establishment of Study Centres F establishment of Open Universities F establishment of DE centres in institutions

Training of the staff for DE F the FEUCODE - Finnish-Estonian University level Co-operation in Distance Education ( ) F Estonian-Swedish Project “Distance Education Methodology with Applications” organized by Linköping University and the Tallinn Technical University (April - November 1994)

Training of the staff for DE F PHARE Technical Assistance Program (TAP) for the Implementation of the Trans-Regional Component of the PHARE Pilot Project for Multi- Country Co-operation in Distance Education (June February 1996); F FEUCODE II - Finnish-Estonian University level Co-operation on Distance Education (November June 1996) F project for tutor training arranged by Jyväskylä University Center for Continuing Education

Training on distance education in different subject fields F environmental sciences F library and information science F teacher training F training of tutors and teachers without pedagogical education

Establishment of DE centres in institutions F Center of Educational Technology (1996) F Telemedia Laboratory with ISDN facilities for teleconferencing (1996) F DE centre of the Department of the Information Studies (1997)

Conditions fulfilled for DE F a lot of good experts who are familiar with basic educational concepts; F a good contacts with high quality DE and research centers in the world; F cooperation among universities in Estonia has been established; F people who are able to manage a system and subsystem of distance education in Estonia (Henderikx 1997)

Educational market has developed F there exist private schools, universities and training companies along with public schools and universities F a new round of educational legislation development was started in April 1996; F new curricula are under development at all levels of education;

Educational market has developed F structural changes in the universities have been started; F and finally there is at least partial awareness of new concepts (Vilu 1997). F the most important thing is that distance education in Estonia has developed from the individual initiatives to the institutional level.

Factors inhibiting the implementation of DE F awareness raising, staff development, presentation and understanding of existing models and mechanism of distance education F an inadequate understanding of educational needs of individuals and of the society as a whole F insufficient co-ordination of distance education at the institutional level

Factors inhibiting the implementation of DE F a lack of knowledge and skills of modern distance education and limited understanding of the possibilities of the new information and communication technology F subject-oriented teaching and the teacher-centered attitudes, which represent behaviorist view of learning and thus insufficient knowledge of constructivism F the lack of resources within institutions

Factors inhibiting the implementation of DE F only few active learners F weakness in the learner support systems F a lack of teamwork skills F a lack of the right balance between theory and practice in distance education

Opportunities F the rapid development of the national telecommunication network F the motivation and readiness of the potential target groups to participate in distance education courses F the dynamics of the educational needs emerging from national development plans, etc. (Normak 1997).

Opportunities F At the institutional level universities have to commit them to distance education and to adult education, and they must define their strategic management in the field of distance education and define an institutional framework to make structural progress

Opportunities F At the national level the financial support from the Ministry of Education is needed for integrating basic educational concepts into the practice of DE in Estonia, for stimulating co-operation between universities and co-operation in developing courses. The Ministry of Education should encourage DE, and DE structures should be promoted and supported by the government. Partnership in the region, with companies, with public agencies and with so called conventional institutes of higher learning will be important.

Opportunities F At the European level there is a need to exchange good experiences between countries and to develop materials jointly, to exchange and adapt each other’s materials, and to exchange students and teaching staff (Henderikx 1997).

Threats F the question of the quality of distance education courses F a new competitors in the market F major changes in the process of teaching and learning are too slow

Conclusions F After all this there remains one simple question: what is possible with the resources available in Estonia and what kind of co-operation is needed from the partners outside. This is a crucial question for the Estonian distance education and also at the same time for the development of education in general.