WATANI International
25 July 2010
Our grandparents would not recognise the schooling that our children are receiving today. Many of the long-held practices in our educational system changed dramatically in the second half of the twentieth century. One of the methods that has been proving its efficiency is distance learning, where academic courses are delivered to one or multiple sites outside campus. Gone, however, are the days when students had to rise at 5:00am to catch lectures via live audio or video broadcasts: they are now delivered by computer technology.
Limited contact
Until the 1950s, distance learning featured one-way transmissions from teachers to students, which offered limited communication between teachers and students and failed to implement inter-student communication. The first generation used time-dependent technology, with programmes only being broadcast at scheduled times and always outside of mainstream viewing hours.
The second generation of distance learning technology came into being in the 1970s, which significantly alleviated the time-dependent feature of the technology. The emergence of video recorders and cable TV partially eliminated time dependence, delivering recorded contents to students for reviewing at their will.
Internet technology
In the 1990s, home computers began to take a hand in distance Learning, followed by two-way video conferencing technology, enabling inter-student and teacher-student communications via e-mail and an electronic bulletin board which aimed at increasing the quantity and types of information communicable. It also shortened the communication cycle, alleviating time/space-dependence and making it possible to implement virtual universities. The Internet began to play an important role since students could now communicate with teachers and conduct research on a wider scale. Satellite educational channels serve as well in eliminating illiteracy and educating both teachers and school students. However, there was some controversy regarding its high cost, its content and time schedules.
With the evolution of advanced distance learning, educational concepts, contents, modes and structures changed significantly. Developing distance learning has enabled more people from different social backgrounds and different levels of intelligence to have their share in education. The external student system in Egypt allows students to be self-educated in their spare time. More than 100,000 people take advantage of learning through video tapes or CDs.
A distance learning project was set up in Egypt in 1999 by a Chinese fund amounting to 30 Million Yuan. The project began in 2003 with the opening of 33 educational multimedia centres in Cairo, where 4,000 teachers have been trained so far on its use for students via internet channels.
Chosen model
But distance learning in Egypt actually goes back to a much earlier date, even though it was very different than the contemporary model. Dr Nader Fergani of Cairo University says that radio was not only of great use in the 1960s, but was also used for the training of teachers of English. Dr Fergani said the external student system was applied in education departments in Egyptian universities for teaching graduates and was the only comprehensive programme to enable teachers to obtain higher degrees. Trainee teachers were allowed to conduct classes only during the school summer holiday in order to acquire practical experience.
The Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) has described the Egyptian experience in training and distance learning, and the use of advanced methods of education, as groundbreaking.
More than 2,070,065 trainees in various specialisations have been trained through the distance learning network without having to travel to school or college. This training served to cut training costs while introducing 1,905 different programmes to serve students and cover the shortage of teachers.
