Unit 2: Approaches to Education

Open Learning/Education

a. Concept of Open Learning / education

- Open education is the product of broad and innovative thinking in education. The concept of open education has been promoted on the basis of the idea of ​​education for all by establishing education as a birth right. No one in this world should be deprived of the opportunity of education as he has the right to education after birth. The concept of open education has been developed in line with the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills and ideas independently.

- The main objective of open education is to provide a proper environment to the people who have been deprived of a formal education due to social, economic, political, geographical difficulties, shortage of teacher or time, accident. etc.

- In the general sense, open education/ learning is the pursuit or acquisition of education up to higher level outside the confines of a school or university. In other words, open learning is the process by which students acquire education through self-study without attending school.

- According to Chirag, 1995 “Open learning is defined as a self instructional process by which students can study at a time and in a place of there on choosing as a result of having access to specially prepared materials, it is learning teaching strategies, and the removal of restrictions of learning especially those inherent to the conventional education/training system.”

- The basic principle of open education are “learning opportunities should be provided without delay” and “provide education when it is needed and take examination when the students are ready”. It is the learning in which people can learn with their need, interest, time, conditions and pace. The students need not to attend the class as it is needed in general schools and University. Such education is based on social justice.

- The open learning can be of both formal and non formal nature. Some of the examples of different bodies and programs to provide open education are open schools, Open University, education based on mass media, correspondence education, radio education, television education, distant education, self studies etc.

- Open education was first started from England in 1840 AD by a private institution through correspondence course. The program became very popular and spread from UK to USA (1891), Sweden (1898), Australia (1910) and in Delhi University in 1920. In Nepal, open schools were started since 2064-1-1 BS. Under this, many Nepalese people are being privileged to get involved in the SLC exam.

The concept of an open university was first introduced in the UK in the 1950s. It was Harold Wilson who developed the concept of ‘University Of Air' and ‘home study university’ in 1962. Accordingly, a report by the Robin Commission in 1964 called for the establishment of an open university to improve the educational situation in the United Kingdom. As a result, the first open university was formally established in the United Kingdom in 1969 in the name of United Kingdom Open University (UKOU). The program became very popular and spread from UK to other different countries. In 1970, it was appeared with the concept of “Everyone's University” in Israel. Alma Iqbal University of Pakistan is the first Open University of SAARC region.


It is a new concept for Nepal. In 2049 BS, National Education Commission (NEC) recommended Open University. After this, the report of the High-Level National Education Commission of 2055 BS also emphasized on the need to establish an open university. As a result, an open university preparation committee was set up in 2055 BS. It finally got approval from the parliament in 2072-03-30 BS and the dream could materialise only in 2016 AD (2073 BS) in the name of Nepal Open University (NOU). Similarly, Tribhuvan University and Purvanchal University are also providing courses in open education and National Centre for Education Development (NECD) has established open school centres in different parts of Nepal.

The educational programs of the open university are found to be prevalent as follows:

• Undergraduate program: This is an BA or equivalent education program.
• Post graduate program: Under this program, B. Phil, M. Phil and PhD level education is provided.
• Associate program: This program includes short term trainings.
• Bridge course program: This is a new program and it provides basic skills in subjects like English, Mathematics for example: TOEFL, IELTS, GMAT etc.

Characteristics of open learning

• Open access: anyone can learn without discrimination
• Duration, time and place are flexible
• Provides the opportunity to receive education at home or anywhere
• Uses scientific techniques of teaching
• Offers wide range of option on learning
• Has two-way benefits: learning and earning
• One can learn according to his or her need, interest and pace
• Provides equal opportunity in education
• Emphasis on student-centered learning
• Opportunity for continuous and lifelong learning
• Provide opportunities to make good use of part time and leisure time etc.

b. Process of Open Learning

The process of open learning is slightly different from other school or University education. Anyone who wants to further their education through open learning needs to understand the process which is as follows:

1. Program selection: Anyone can choose the subject or program according to their level, ability, demand and needs which can be viewed through the information branch of the concerned University and through the media or websites. It can also be chosen through being participated in various orientation classes.
2. Learning materials: Specialist or experts in related subjects or program produce and edit printed materials, textbooks, reference materials, correspondence lessons, self learning materials, support books, cassettes, tapes or radio, TV etc. as per the syllabus from the central level. Students can get them by themselves or through any medium.
3. Inter relationship process: Although the teacher and students are far apart, the teacher-students relation is established through various media. An environment is established in which the student interacts with the teacher when needed.
4. Counselling process: The concerned University establishes counselling Centre to provide counselling services to the students in different fields in which counsellors are arranged. In some cases, short term counselling is also provided by the teachers. There are no classrooms like schools and campuses. Students are given proper advice, guidance and counselling. Counselling is also provided to solve students’ special problems.
5. Self study / learning process: After selecting the program, the students should advance the learning process through self study at home. They can develop knowledge, skills and attitude by compiling materials, consulting with the teachers as needed. They should proceed with the process of preparing the notes and taking notes in case of any problem. If necessary, a short-term study center or school can be established and classes can be conducted by gathering students for 1-2 weeks through expert representatives. There, they are taught by engaging in discourses, discussions, workshops, field work, laboratory work, visits, etc.
6. Evaluation process: The concerned University has a fixed duration of program depending on the nature of subjects. The long-term )program is usually 10 months and the short term program is of 7 days. According to the assessment system of the University, students should participate in examination at different intervals. When participating in the examination, the student has to go through the internet or to the related counselling Centre or to the Central University as per the rules. Assessment is also done through self-assessment and practical work according to the nature of the subject.
7. Certifying process: As per the rules of universities, for the students appearing in the examination, the university will issue a nationally and internationally recognised certificate. Those who fail the exam might continue their studies for the next exam.

Distance learning

- Distance learning as its name suggest is the education for the people of remote areas having no access to education. In other word, distance learning is an alternative form of education or learning that is targeted at places where is geographical complexity, settlement is sparse, formal education facilities are not available, schools are too expensive to manage and there is a shortage of physical resources and skilled subject teachers.

- According to Chirag, 1995 “Distance education is defined as a system of education using an instructional process in which a significant proportion of the teaching is conducted by someone removed in space and /or time from the learner. Its emphasis is on overcoming restrictions resulting from geographical isolation and remoteness from the larger cultural life of the country.

- Lewis and Levin defined distance education as "Education or training courses delivered to remote (off campus) location(s) via audio, video (live or prerecorded), or computer technologies.”

- This education is provided through using various means of communication such as newspapers, Radio, TV, tape recorder, fax, mail, video, cassette. etc. Specialist or experts prepare necessary materials which is broadcast or publicized by various means of communication. The interested person can get education by joining the program.

- Distance education can be obtained both formally and non-formally. If one participates in distance education in a regular and systematic way with the purpose of passing a certain level, it is formal but if it is obtained just for enhancing efficiency, knowledge and skills, not for passing certain level, it is non-formal.

- This education allows student to study in their free times. They don't need to be present in school, college and university regularly. Even the institution does not need to take too much economic burden. Everyone can have equal opportunities in education and education can be made more behavioural. It is very useful to provide various timely information, to conduct business or employment related program and make the group participate in national development. Therefore, distance education is an effective alternative way of education that holds a great place in area of education system.

- In Nepal too, the distance education program was conducted by Tribhuvan University, Institute of Education with the support of UNICEF with the objective of preparing trained teachers. An example of this is the radio education teacher training program, first conducted in 1980. Similarly, Tribhuvan University since 2058 BS and even Purvanchal University are running one year BEd program through this mode (way) formally.

Objectives

• To provide basic education
• To provide education to deprived
• To expand access to education
• To provide education according to need and interest of a person
• To help in efficiency development
• To make education universally accessible and lifelong
• To provide opportunity to renew one’s knowledge. skill and attitude
• To help in career enhancement
• To make education available according to personal freedom etc.

Continuing Education

a. Concept of Continuing Education/Learning

Continuing education is the practice of continuing to learn throughout one's entire life, especially outside of or after the completion of formal schooling. Continue Education means “lasting or continuing through all or much of one's life.”

Continuing education refers to the process of keeping oneself updated with new knowledge and skills throughout the life, especially after finishing formal schooling. It is about making a lifetime commitment to learning and personal development. Continuing education is when individual keeps learning and growing on his own, outside of a traditional school setting. It's about taking charge of own education and improving the self, whether it's for personal or professional reasons. It's not limited to a specific type of learning or institution and can happen through various means, such as online courses, workshops, or attending events. Continuing education is an ongoing process of personal growth and development, achieved through voluntary learning. This can be through either formal or informal methods, and the aim is to fulfill one's personal potential.

- Continuing Education/learning is a form of self-initiated education that is focused on personal development. While there is no standardized definition of Continue Education learning, it has generally been taken to refer to the learning that occurs outside of a formal educational institute, such as a school, university or corporate training.

- Continuing Education/ learning does not necessarily have to restrict itself to informal learning, however. It is best described as being voluntary with the purpose of achieving personal fulfillment. The means to achieve this could result in informal or formal education.

- Continuing education contains all life processes from birth to death. It is based on the personal and occupational needs, interests and learning requirement of individuals. It contributes to the development of skills and talents of individuals.

- CE is lifelong learning beyond a degree or certificate program. This ensures that professionals have the latest knowledge in their fields. For example, in the field of medicine, new advances are added all the time, so healthcare professionals need to stay up to date. The same applies to lawyers as they must stay up-to-date on changes in the law and legal practice.

- Continuing education is an approach which includes comprehensive components. It has become a compulsory aspect of individuals’ lives as a result of changing world conditions and developing technology. It provides equal opportunities to individuals and removes restrictions such as learning, age, socio-economic status and educational level.

- It is regarded as a guide for educational and instructional information resources. It is an approach based on learning through “doing and experiencing”. It supports learning of individuals from each in groups and takes a guiding role for evaluation and learning strategies and contributes to the discovery of the learning methods in further processes.

- It contributes to the development of educational and individualized learning plans. It states that learning is a continually ongoing process. It supports the view that people have access to opportunities to learning facilities.

To get acquainted with Continue Education, we need to understand the four pillars of education that help support this concept:

• Learning to know: This pillar is about learning to think and not just reproduce thoughts and finding the best way to understand, build and rebuild knowledge.
• Learning to do: Learning is to build social and emotional capacity to face the challenges of the day to day life where ever we are.
• Learning to live together: Education should develop the ability to understand others and establish social bonds to manage conflicts. Participation in common projects, cooperation and sum of individual knowledge in the benefit of the collectivity allows the exchange of experiences.
• Learning to be: The learning process should develop potentials in people, such as sensitivity, memory, logic, ethics, creativity, initiative and aptitude for communication to form self identity.

Examples of Continue Education learning

• Developing a new skill (eg. sewing, cooking, programming, public speaking, etc)
• Self-taught study (eg. learning a new language, researching a topic of interest, subscribing to a podcast, etc)
• Learning a new sport or activity (eg. Joining martial arts, learning to ski, learning to exercise, etc)
• Learning to use a new technology (smart devices, new software applications, etc)
• Acquiring new knowledge (taking a self-interest course via online education or classroom-based course)

b. Need and Importance of Continuing Education

• Continue education can help us to achieve personal fulfilment and satisfaction.
• It encourages us to improve our own quality of life and sense of self-worth.
• It improvs personal and professional skills
• It enhances interpersonal skills, creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, leadership, reflection, adaptability and much more.
• It improves self-confidence
• It increases our ability to make a career transition
• It enhances our personal development
• It helps to increase access to individual learning
• It helps the person to adjust to the new environment and knowledge. Etc.

Skill- based Approach to Education

a. Concept of skill based approach to education

Present world is the age of science and technology which has brought huge changes in the society. It’s time to free children from the narrow confines of classrooms. Rote learning and vomiting the year long syllabus on the answer papers in the final exam doesn’t help the student grow and in the current times. Keeping the youngsters stuck in the old ways is pure injustice. They deserve to acquire the education which in its real sense prepares them for the outside world. Because unlike us, their future is probably going to be dominated by AI, the new era of computing and 5G network connections. So, there is an increasing demand for a skills-based education, where students will be equipped with the skills they need to navigate a changing world.

A skills-based education is one where the focus is skills development rather than knowledge acquisition. This type of curriculum is structured in a way which prioritises student-led learning and helps students to develop the type of transversal skills which they can apply across subjects and use in every area of their lives.

Skill-based learning is about planning, implementing and analysing skills gained through knowledge-based learning methods. The students are motivated to think logically, analyse concepts and apply their insights. The idea behind this innovative and most in-demand learning method is to develop learners into independent thinkers and prepare them for the challenges in the future.

Let’s look at an example of a skills-based lesson plan:

• Introduction: a warm up activity to engage students in the topic
• Activities: get students researching and collaborating on the topic
• Presentation: students present what they’ve learned in the session

Skills-Based Approach is a methodology centered on the development of a skill set over a career. A skill set represents functional capabilities that essentially includes a list of skills with the level of expertise. Skill sets are searchable, standardized, interactive, and portable. The schools should equip them with skill sets and boost their critical and creative thinking to create a framework for them to learn and grow. Instead of making the young crowd write down notes, draw diagrams and by heart maps, creating an opportunity for the students to understand concepts, by breaking them down and nurturing an environment to develop,

• Leadership skills
• Communication skills
• Adaptability skills
• Time management skills
• problem solving skills
• Creative skills

and several other life skills are referred to as skill based learning. Such skills enable the student to build a strong foundation at an early stage and perform well in the personal and professional front in the future. Skill based learning primarily focuses on planning, implementing and evaluating the skills which are acquired through the knowledge based learning occurring in classrooms.

Need of Skill Based Approach

• Enhances creativity: In skill-based learning, students are pushed to think out of the box and innovate to find new ways to approach matters.
• Promotes independence: In an environment that merges knowledge and skill-based learning beautifully, students tend to become independent thinkers. They're encouraged to think higher and deeper, and solve problems on their own. When skill based learning is introduced at a young age, it fine tunes students' minds, and they grow up to be a lot more self-assured.
• Encourages teamwork: Collaboration is key to good output. And through skill-based learning, children are taught to think and work together as much as they're taught to be independent. This way, they can play on each other's strengths.
• Makes students fast learners: When students have multiple avenues to learn through, their speed of learning and grasping automatically shoots up. Using a skill-based approach can help students grasp concepts faster and also strengthen what they already know.
• Develops social skills: Social skill development is imperative for any child, and through skill-based learning, children learn the basics of how to be in different social environments and react appropriately.
• Makes them better at communication: Through skill-based learning, children are taught to push the boundaries and develop their vocabulary, which in turn also makes them better orators and communicators.

Competency-based approach to education

a. Concept and Meaning

Competency-based learning is generally seen as an alternative to traditional educational approaches in which students may or may not acquire proficiency in a given course or academic subject before they earn course credit, get promoted to the next grade level, or graduate.

Competency-based education (CBE) is an educational approach for teaching, learning, and assessment which focuses on outcomes and skills gained by the students. It puts the main focus on the learner and engages them in learning activities.

It is a self-directed and self-paced student's centred approach. CBE/CBL mainly determines achievement of required knowledge, skills and abilities. Content is more important than time taken in completion.

It includes those systems of instruction, assessment, grading, and academic reporting that are based on students demonstrating that they have learned the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn as they progress through their education. It is the education driving from the specification, learning and demonstration of the knowledge, skills, behavior and attitudes required for a given role, profession or career.

It is sometimes synonymous as proficiency based, mastery-based, outcome based, performance-based, and standards-based education.

A key characteristic of competency-based learning is its focus on mastery. In this system, students are not allowed to continue until they have demonstrated mastery of the identified competencies (i.e., the desired learning outcomes demonstrated).

At the Competency-Based Learning Summit, leaders in this field developed a working definition based on five principles:

• Students advance upon achieving mastery.
• Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students.
• Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning experience for students.
• Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.
• Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge, along with the development of important skills and dispositions.
• Research indicates that students are more active, engaged, and motivated when working with coursework that is challenging but within their capacity to master. CBE accomplishes this by linking progress to mastery, avoiding boredom for those moving quickly and frustration for students who need more time. CBE challenges the notion that learning only takes place within the time and space of the classroom.
• Teachers should also be competent for competency based education. Competency is a part and art of capable teachers that makes success like artists in the field of teaching. Teacher should manage and conduct in appropriates of teaching learning process on regard to use their special competency or capacities in class room that not only control the unexpected behaviours of learners but also being made active students to use available materials and resources whatever they need.

Competency of teachers' according to Educational Manpower Development centre 2071 of our country are:

1. Keen knowledge of content
2. Knowledge of teaching activity
3. Knowledge of child psychology
4. Knowledge of learning environment management and classroom
5. Communication and collaboration
6. Continuous learning and professional development
7. Legal based and professional code and conduct
8. Knowledge of ICT.

Need of competency-based Education/learning:

Competency-based education is the need of 21st century. Following are the reasons why we need competency-based education/ learning:

• To allow students to work at own pace
• To allow teacher to define clear goals, attainment and completion
• To allow teacher to sketch visible learning map
• To allow teachers to use several modalities
• To allow to use learning resources anytime, anywhere
• To allow better use of technologies
• To allow students to demonstrate competency
• To allow space for student's engagement and success.

Classroom Implication of skill-based and competency based approaches to education

Skillful teaching is guided learning. Child must be guided to learn the right things, in the right manner and at the right time. They also need to master over the skills what they have learned. It is kindly and sympathetic and also is planned carefully. The following are the implications of Skill and competency based approach that are needed to make classroom teaching effective as well as fruitful for all students:

1. Make instruction well planned and systematic.
2. Reduce the distance between what is taught and what is performed.
3. Be both the students and teachers co-operative and suggestive to each other.
4. Take account of the previous experiences of children. Yet it is progressive.
5. Emphasize both diagnostic and remedial measures in teaching
6. As these approaches are dynamic, don’t be tied to any one method.
7. Let them master their skills through enough practice.
8. Follow democratic norms in classroom.
9. Consider social and internal background of the learners.
10. Teaching should be purpose driven, stimulating and motivating
11. Teaching should cause facilitate and promote learning.
12. Teaching-learning should liberate the child and mind etc.