Assessment of challenges in developing self-instructional course materials at the National Open University of Nigeria
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is Nigeria’s only university dedicated to providing education through the use of distance instructional methods. So far, however, the lack of availability and poor distribution of course materials, which underpin instructional delivery at NOUN, continue to be hindrances to achieving the university’s vision and mission. There are delays and difficulties in developing and distributing materials to students and Study Centres. Many pioneer students cannot graduate because of this challenge. This paper examines the process of developing self-instructional course materials at NOUN. It reflects on the challenges associated with the quantity, quality, and timely production of course materials, labelled “the hills, the wills, and the skills” obstacles. The paper concludes that there is a need for better professional development in order to provide efficient ODL delivery.
Developing Course Materials for Open and Distance Learning: BOU Perspective
Developing course materials for Open and distance learning is a continuous process. A variety of staffs with a wide range of expertise are involved in producing a distance education course. That means a team of academics involved in distance education will be responsible to develop each program. The material development strategies for each subject is centered on the team approach to compare teaching techniques for traditional and distance learning and emphasize the need for planning and the role of each team member. Coordinator, authors, referee, instructional designers, editors (structural and style editor), graphic artists, and media specialists are included in the team. Sometimes times they meet together and to discuss and finalize the ultimate layout of a course book. This paper discusses how to design and develop distance learning course materials and how Bangladesh Open University (BOU) adopted a team approach in developing its formal programs.
Selected Ethical Issues in Research and Publication: Perceptions of Health Education Faculty
A national random sample of 195 university health education faculty at graduate degree–granting programs completed a 31-item survey with regard to their perceptions of ethical issues in research and publishing. Most respondents were male (57%), tenured (75%), had graduate faculty status (92%), had presented original research at conferences (85%), and had published articles in health education journals (89%). Faculty members were requested to assess whether 21 scenarios dealing with ethical issues in research and publishing were ethical, unethical, questionable, or not an ethical issue. Of the scenarios, 3 were considered ethical and 7 unethical by the majority of respondents. The perceptions of how ethical the remaining 11 scenarios were varied considerably. Perceptions of the ethical scenarios did not differ among respondents by sex, academic rank, years taught as a faculty member, whether the department taught units/classes on research ethics, or whether the respondents were from doctoral-level versus master’s-level programs.