Part 1

Perspectives on Learner Support

 Background and rationale of research 

Various policies converge on the centrality of learner support and it is broadly agreed that it is necessary to provide learner support in distance learning. It has consistently been argued that ensuring learners have access to educational opportunities will not promote equality of educational opportunity unless learner support is also offered. Learner support must aim to counteract a variety of disadvantages and create optimum conditions for learner success. Such thinking is contextualised in South Africa by the broader drive to address imbalances and inequities created by apartheid and current socio-economic disparities. 

It is well documented that one of the key challenges facing South Africa in this period of social change is the need to transform an education and training system which has been ravaged by many years of apartheid educational policy. Distance education, based on open learning principles, has been hailed as the solution to the educational backlog facing South Africa. It is seen as an economical alternative to face-to-face education and a way of providing education to groups that have previously been excluded from quality provision. 

While it may be valid to claim that distance education has provided more access to groups who for a number of reasons cannot, or choose not to, enroll in traditional educational institutions, it is important to dispel the myth that access into educational institutions is synonymous with equal opportunities (King, 1994): it is not adequate to simply enroll learners in courses and then not to offer them the support which could change access into success.

In the South African context, a high percentage of learners are unlikely to succeed if they are admitted to distance education institutions but are not provided with adequate support. This is because of the poor quality of basic education for the majority of the population, which has been well documented. An open admission policy without learner support is insufficient to respond to the needs of disadvantaged learners (Paul, 1991). 

Although politically and legally the scenario in South Africa has changed, a large number of South Africans are still under-prepared and disadvantaged in relation to educational attainment, and the throughput rate for learners in distance education institutions has been very low, particularly for African students. Glennie (in Tait & Mills, 1996) sums up the reasons for the high failure and attrition rates by noting that:                                        

Many learners undertaking distance education programmes at secondary and tertiary level do so on the basis of very negative experiences of education. Their schools have operated sporadically, their teachers have often been alienated, unmotivated, and authoritarian, and rote learning will have been the norm. The prospective learners are likely to lack many essential learning skills, and, in general, are underprepared.

The policy context

In light of the above, it becomes clear why learner support should be seen as an integral part of any well functioning distance education programme. Learner support has been perceived as one way of creating optimum conditions for success and enhancing the quality of educational provision. It is seen as a critical factor in the transformation of the education system and the notion of learner support is located within a clear commitment to equality of opportunity and the paramount importance of the needs of the learner.

Both in South Africa, and internationally, learner support is increasingly being seen as integral to effective distance education courses. Tait (1995) observed that despite the financial limitations faced by distance education providers, institutions have demonstrated an increased awareness and commitment to the importance of providing learner support. Indeed, learner support is seen as a critical factor in the transformation of the education system. Haasbroek (1995) reported that based on his extensive study of the literature, most successful distance education institutions throughout the world offer an element of support, usually involving interactive tuition and counseling.

Within South Africa, a number of policy documents have emphasized the need for learner support in distance education. The Green Paper on Higher Education Transformation (1996) acknowledges the positive role of distance education and resource based-learning in relation to providing access and promoting the quality of education but cautions that despite these positive aspects, there is “inadequate learner support”. A Policy Framework for Education and Training (1994) is unequivocal in its statement that learner support is a necessary criterion for distance education to function effectively: “For Distance Education to function effectively, there are a number of criteria to be met, including well-designed courses, learner support, efficient administrative processes and appropriate organisational structures and evaluation procedures” (our emphasis).

A Distance Education Quality Standards Framework for South Africa (1996) is also firm in its assertion that learner support needs to be an integral part of well functioning Distance Education. 

Although there is a policy commitment to learner support, very little has been documented in South Africa about the degree to which learner support has been implemented. Furthermore, while policy offers an environment for planning, effective learner support needs to be planned and implemented at the level of pedagogy and practice. Current policy documents do not venture into this domain, which we believe needs to be informed by on-going empirical research that can serve to sharpen legislation and policy.