ICT - Supported Distance Education in Indonesia: International Development Research Centre

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Added: 2002-09-13 10:48

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ICT - Supported Distance Education in Indonesia

Project Leader: Tian Belawati

Institution: Universitas Terbuka

Region: Indonesia

Start Date: 03/2005

Project Details
WSIS Action Lines: 2, 3, 4, 7

Participants enthusiastically use UTOnline during follow-up training in Makassar, South Sulawesi

“I was very proud to be UT students knowing that this university was always trying to better serve its students using the most advanced technology.”
- Universitas Terbuka student

Context: Why is this project important?

At the beginning of this project, Universitas Terbuka (UT), the Open University of Indonesia, had an enrolment of 350,000 students, many of whom lived in the country’s poor rural areas. It is the only university in the country that relies entirely on distance delivery and focuses on serving those who do not have the opportunity to attend conventional higher education institutions due to lack of funding, isolation in rural areas, or full time work. Previously, most of the information and learning materials provided to students by the university were in print form, with some tutorials through the radio or television. However, an increase in Internet access in rural areas suggests that provision of materials and tutorials over the internet may be successful in increasing student satisfaction and completion rates, which were quite low (only 15%) at the time.

The Project: How does this initiative address the development problem?

To address the low level of student satisfaction with Universitas Terbuka’s (UT) existing distance learning system, this project developed web-based learning materials and 7 web-based courses. In addition, training programs for tutors and counsellors on online tutoring and counselling, materials for web-based tutorials, and access to exam grades and academic records online were provided. Questionnaire responses of students who used the online services were compared with those of a random selection of students who did not, in order to determine the impact of the Internet services on completion rates and student satisfaction. The information gathered on if and how ICTs impact student learning satisfaction and course completion rates enabled UT to improve its services, make education more accessible, and achieve higher completion rates for traditionally disadvantaged groups of society.

Objectives:

To enhance student learning satisfaction and course completion by determining (i) whether the use of ICTs within the UT system will address problems of student learning satisfaction and course completion rates and (ii) what institutional policies need to be put in place for the project results to be effectively implemented on a system-wide basis for UT. Specifically, the project aimed to:

Determine the effects of Internet-based learning materials, tutorials, student counselling, and academic information on student satisfaction and course completion rates
Investigate implications of the research findings for institutional policy changes in the areas of organizational structure, human resource development and motivation, academic system, and finance and budgeting
Analyse gender related differences with respect to the two previous objectives, particularly in issues related to equitable access and learner response (acceptance of ICT as a learning tool)

Development Impact

The results of the research show that students who participated in online courses and online tutorials had higher completion rates and higher levels of satisfaction than non-participants. Specifically, many students expressed that the provision of web-based services enhanced independent learning. The positive feedback from students has convinced UT decision-makers to continue providing online services, integrating them with existing services such as face-to-face, radio, and televised tutorials.

The project also had a positive impact on capacity building in the areas of human resource development, communication infrastructure and facilities, networking and partnerships. Nine UT staff members benefited from training in web-based course development, 212 in online tutoring, and 88 in online counselling. Technological capabilities of the university, such as bandwidth, were also improved.

In addition, the project leader was promoted to Vice Rector of the University due partly to her involvement in this project and its success. This is an outstanding achievement for a female in Indonesia.

Unfortunately, many UT students, as well as many of the resources IDRC helped to establish, including all learning materials and Internet access points, were destroyed in the tsunami of December 2004. IDRC has begun a follow-up project in the region, helping UT to rebuild and recover from the disaster, entitled “Post-Tsunami Reconstruction Aid to Distance Learning in Aceh”

Outputs

Baggaley, J.P. (2004). Distance learning technologies: deploying Canadian and Southern technology engines to build an Asian research network.

Belawati, Tian, A.P. Hardhono and Mohamad Toha Anggoro. (2004). Final Technical Report. ICT-supported distance education in Indonesia: An effort to enhance student learning satisfaction and course completion rates. Universitas Terbuka

Belawati, T. & Sigit, A. (2004). The impact of online tutorials on course completion rates. Presented at the 21st ICDE World Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong, 18-21 February 2004.

Padmo, D. & Belawati, T. (2004). Quality of online tutorial: A case of Universitas Terbuka. Presented at the 21st ICDE World Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong, 18-21 February 2004.

Hardhono, A.P., Belawati, T., & Anggoro, T. (2004). Preparing Indonesian distance learners for cyber learning. Presented at the 21st ICDE World Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong, 18-21 February 2004.

Belawati, T., Hardhono, A.P., & Anggoro, T. (2004). Web-based learning support system at Universitas Terbuka. Presented at the SEAMOLEC-UT International Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education for Sustainable Development, Jakarta, 1-3 September 2004.

Belawati, T., Sigit, A., Hardhono, A.P., & Anggoro, T. (2004). The impact of online tutorials on student achievement. Presented at the 18th AAOU Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Shanghai, 28-30 November 2004.

Anggoro, T., T. Belawati, & A.P. Hardhono, (2004). Pattern of Student Participation in Online Courses. Presented at the 18th AAOU Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Shanghai, 28-30 November 2004.

Hardhono, A.P., T. Anggoro, & T. Belawati, (2004). The dynamic of e-learning networks: An analysis of two e-learning cases at Universitas Terbuka . Presented at the 18th AAOU Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Shanghai, 28-30 November 2004.

Belawati, T. (2004). Akses dan pemanfaatan e-learning di Universitas Terbuka [Access and usage of e-learning at Universitas Terbuka]. Will be published in national journal of Buletin Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.

Belawati, T. (2004). Pengaruh tutorial online pada hasil belajar mahasiswa [Impact of online tutorials on student achievement – Indonesian Version]. Will be published in national journal of Forum Pendidikan.

Key Words*

* All terms are drawn from the OECD Macrothesaurus 1998.