lifelong learning and distance higher education - Asia Pacific Region

the current capacity of the education and training market, public and private, probablyneeds to be at least doubled in most knowledge-based economies (Open LearningAgency, 1992).Online learning and knowledge-based economiesIn knowledge-based economies, there is a need for skills such as seeking, analyzingand applying information, independent and lifelong learning, problem-solving, creativethinking and teamwork. The education of knowledge-based workers requires an approachthat enables them to learn both inside and outside conventional higher educationinstitutions. Such learners must be encouraged to analyze and criticise, to offer alternativesolutions and approaches and to take risks. This kind of learning cannot be easily donein large lecture classes or through mass communications such as broadcasting (see Batesand Poole, 2003, for more discussion of this issue).Governments see two quite distinct roles for online learning (or e-learning), deliveredthrough the Internet. They see online learning as a new knowledge-based industry, ableto lever the advantage of advanced educational systems to create educational productsand services that can be marketed internationally and indeed, many new companies havebeen created to provide online learning for both the corporate and to a lesser extent, thepublic sector. Governments also see online learning as an important tool for improvingthe quality of education and for producing technology-savvy graduates, able to use newtechnologies in the new economy.Business also sees a value in online learning as a way of increasing competitivenessthrough ensuring that the workforce is continually learning and improving.In particular, online learning is seen as an essential component of knowledgemanagement, allowing companies to become “learning organisations” (see Senge,1990, and Rosenberg, 2001). Because training is costly, efforts are being made to findmore cost-effective ways to train. Consequently, in the last few years, online learninghas been applied on a large scale in corporate training. Some major companies havedemonstrated substantial financial and operating benefits as a result of switching toonline training (Strother, 2002).Most importantly, individuals see distance learning providing the flexibility they need tocontinue their education or training while still working or with family responsibilities.The rapid growth of knowledge in areas such as health, technology and managementrequire people working in these areas to continue to study and learn, just to keep up withthe knowledge base of the job. Distance education, and in particular online learning, areideal methods for lifelong learners.Irrespective of the country, it is likely that agricultural, industrial and knowledge-basedeconomies will exist side by side, but the proportion of the workforce in each sector willvary. However, it should be noted that the skills required in knowledge-based industriesand the teaching methods needed to develop them, may not be so relevant for industrialor agricultural economies. Thus teaching methods and the choice of technology will needto vary depending on the dominant economic sector for which workforce preparation andtraining is needed. The implication for less economically advanced countries is that printandbroadcast-based open universities may be the priority for public funding, but someform of online learning will also be needed for professional elites, possibly privatelyfunded (Bates, 2001).137