数字时代远程开放教育:南非篇

Open and distance education in South Africa in a digital age

要了解南非在线远程教育的现状就不能不考虑殖民主义和种族隔离制度对南非社会,尤其是教育的延续代际后遗症。谁也不会质疑技术的能供性和技术有助于减少代际不平等的潜能,但是来自全球南方的证据表明在线教育可能加剧不平等,数字时代的红利分布不均。本文介绍南非在线远程教学从1873年创办南非大学到发布《中学后教育和培训白皮书》的发展历程。《白皮书》不但阐明后种族隔离制度时代教育在南非的作用,而且还提出扩大机会、提高质量和增加教育形式多样性(包括在线远程教育)的重要建议。就南非的背景而言,我们最感兴趣的是这个政策没有规定"在线"应该成为远程教育必不可少的成分,而是把它当作选项之一。本文指出在线技术目前仍然只是被用于提供学习支持和资源而已,不是公立和私立正式中学后教育的主流教学工具。

It is impossible to consider the current state of online distance education in South Africa without considering the continuing inter-generational legacy of colonialism and apartheid on South African society and in particular on education. While no one would question the affordances of technology and the potential of technology to assist in alleviating these inter-generational inequalities, evidence from the Global South suggests that online education could increase inequality and that the dividends of the digital era would be unevenly spread. This article maps the evolution of online distance teaching from the founding of the University of South Africa(Unisa) in 1873 to the acceptance of a White Paper mapping not only the role of education in a post-apartheid South Africa, but also presenting important considerations for expanded access, improved quality and increased diversity of provision, including online distance learning. Of paramount interest in the context of South Africa is that the policy does not refer to online as an essential part of distance education provision, but rather one of the options. The article illustrates that online technologies are still used to support learning and provide resources rather than being a mainstream mode of delivery for formal public and private post-school education.