A PARADIGMATIC SHIFT IN DEVELOPING COGNITIVE STRATEGY IN HIGHER/DISTANCE EDUCATION

Περίληψη

ICTs in higher/distance education are becoming increasingly important due to the transactional distance that they are able to bridge. However, conventional and traditional pedagogical tools are also useful and relevant. The aim of this paper is to discuss the importance of embracing multimodal pedagogies in higher/distance education institutions’ towards creating a self-directed learning environment. In order to realise the objectives, a theoretical examination of e-learning, pedagogy and heutagogy was carried out in the form of a review of the literature. Additionally, a qualitative empirical study was conducted which involved focus-group interviews with students at the University of South Africa, an ODL institution. The study used Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development as the theoretical framework which refers to the space in which learning takes place. It is the educational institution, with the assistance of appropriate pedagogical tools that are responsible in facilitating the student’s cognitive readiness to enter the respective field of expertise. The data collected was analysed through thematic categorisation. The study found that there is a need for distance education students to engage with lecturers or tutors in order to bridge psychological gaps which e-learning on its own is unable to achieve.