**11. ODL student support system at Makerere University**

Student Support refers to the culture of care accorded to an ODL student with the aim of ensuring that he/she accomplishes his/her study programme within the stipulated time. This care can be seen as a range of services to the student; for example, study materials provision, extending services nearer to the student, provision of up-to-date feedback to student's problems, synchronous and asynchronous interactions, tutorials, self-help study groups, counseling services, personal tutorship, and so on. Student support begins with preenrolment support to on-programme support.

At Makerere University, pre-enrolment support stops at calling upon prospective candidates to apply for admission into the external programmes. No further support is given at that level. Ideally, the university should be providing prospective applicants with information about the ODL mode of study and timely responses to all inquiries from interested parties. It should be following up the applicants that are not admitted and advising them on the way forward and having an enrolment advisor or persons performing the role of an enrolment advisor to track inquiries and applications and be in contact with the applicant and the administrators.

On-programme support and care at Makerere University is done by holding regular briefing session, educating learners and staff about the ODL mode of study, providing appropriate and regular information to learners, ensuring that regular contact is made with all learners and obliging tutors of ODL students to provide clear and useful feedback to learners in their assignment/coursework scripts. Further, tutors of ODL students are obliged to return assignment/coursework scripts to students in time to allow them internalize the feedback provided therein before undertaking examinations. Other on-programme support extended include: creating a friendly contact environment which ensures that learner needs and concerns are dealt with in a timely and effective manner, conducting and co-ordinating faceto-face sessions at the main campus, conducting examination sessions at the main campus and providing regular communications to students through the SMS broadcast systems and voice telephone calls. Makerere University is not doing the following on-programme student support services:

a. Providing special care for students with special needs, e.g. mothers, those with disabilities, etc.

Open and Distance Learning in Dual Mode Universities: A Treasure Unexploited 47

infrastructure, lack of recognition of the unique nature of the DODL and lack of dynamism in offering of ODL programmes. Amidst all these challenges however, the Department can

a. Considerable deposit of staff with ODeL pedagogy training: Through a series of short courses, the Department's staff have received ODL pedagogy training. Two (2) members of staff have PhDs in the field of ODeL while four (4) are at various stages of

d. Collaborations: The Department has established numerous networks and collaborations

e. Study materials: The Department has now published nearly 20% of its study materials locally. The rest have been procured internationally from other academic institutions. f. Existence of regional centers: The Department has regional centers all over Uganda in Arua, Lira, Jinja, Gulu, Mbale, Kabale, Fort-Portal, Kabale, Hoima and Kampala to provide services nearer the learners, especially in the provision of study materials. g. ICT facilities: The Department has a computer Laboratory with 30 computers and 17 other computers in different offices. All these are networked and connected to the

h. Huge budget: ODL breaks even when critical mass of student numbers is realized. The ODL programme at Makerere University has reached this critical mass. Great student numbers mean great income. ODL programmes are generating enormous amounts of

These strengths can be harnessed to tap into the unexploited treasures of running ODL

The social, economic and political environment in Uganda is increasingly encouraging fresh 'A' level leavers and lifelong learners to prefer the ODL mode of study. Presently, over 20% of Makerere University's student population is made up of distance learners. This population is contained in only 4 programmes (less than 1% of the entire programmes) of the university. At the current admission quotas, it is projected that 6,571 students shall be enrolled in the existing four external programmes over the next five years as is seen in *Table* 

In its strategic plan for 2008/09 – 2018/19, Makerere University intends to initiate 6 more ODeL programmes "in at least six faculties" (Makerere University, 2008, p.15). In each of these six programmes, an annual recruitment of 1,000 students per programme is anticipated. This shall give a total of 6,000 students per annum in the new ODeL programmes. When this is done, ODeL shall on average have an enrollment of 12,571 students per annum (6,571 (on existing programmes) plus 6,000 (on the proposed six programmes). This student number presents a golden opportunity for Makerere University in-terms of increasing access to higher education and providing the much needed financial muscle for running the University's activities. The revenue projections from the above

**13. The unexploited treasures of running ODL programmes** 

b. Ability to manage large students numbers (20% of the entire students' body).

with other institutions and organizations in running its programmes.

positively identify itself with the following strengths.

c. Ability to continually grow the student numbers.

revenue for Makerere University.

enrolment scenarios are shown in *Table 6* below.

Internet.

programmes.

*5* below.

completing their PhD studies in ODeL related fields.


The last item in the list of things Makerere University is not doing for on-programme student support deserves more mention. On the B.Cox programme, only 2 out of 56 courses (3.6%) have materials written in distance education (self-study) mode. Distance education mode refers to materials that are self-regulated and are aimed at facilitating self (independent) study. Ironically, the B.Cox programme is one of the 'cash cows' of Makerere University. Lack of study materials on this programme has forced students admitted on it to relocate to Kampala so as to attend "evening coaching", a practice that is increasingly erasing the philosophy of ODL. An investigation into why materials for B.Cox programme have not been written reveals four main reasons: insufficient resources at the disposal of the Department to inject in materials development, study modules written for distance education programmes not being considered as full publication for promotion purposes, and until recently, there being few lecturers on ground hence huge teaching load that has left them with no time to write. On the B.Ed programme, 20% of the courses have study modules that have been reviewed, corrections done and are ready for editing and publishing. Those that are being written but are not complete cover 45% of the courses. About 35% of the courses on the B.Ed programme have no study modules written. The materials development outlook is different on the BSc. and CYP programmes. Sixty Percent and 100% of the courses on the BSc. and CYP programme respectively have fully written study modules. The study materials situation on the BSc. and CYP programmes is impressive because these two programmes received materials development funding support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and Common Wealth of Learning respectively.

#### **12. The strength of the DODL**

Many challenges have been alluded to in the foregoing exposition. These include, among others: highly centralized student support system, lack of or inadequate supply of ODL materials, inadequate and inappropriate staff establishment, inappropriate and inadequate infrastructure, lack of recognition of the unique nature of the DODL and lack of dynamism in offering of ODL programmes. Amidst all these challenges however, the Department can positively identify itself with the following strengths.


46 International Perspectives of Distance Learning in Higher Education

b. Decentralizing services such as admissions, registration and examinations at different

c. Obliging all academic staff in the University to serve on ODL programmes as part of

d. Ensuring that each ODL academic staff has a substantial part of his/her course material

e. Ensuring that all University service units provide all registered students on ODL programmes with access to libraries, computer laboratories, lecture rooms/theatres,

f. Ensuring that the University library provides flexible policies and services unique to

g. Equipping learning centers with all the necessary infrastructure and staff necessary for

j. Appointing tutors at learning centers to facilitate on ODL courses based on study

The last item in the list of things Makerere University is not doing for on-programme student support deserves more mention. On the B.Cox programme, only 2 out of 56 courses (3.6%) have materials written in distance education (self-study) mode. Distance education mode refers to materials that are self-regulated and are aimed at facilitating self (independent) study. Ironically, the B.Cox programme is one of the 'cash cows' of Makerere University. Lack of study materials on this programme has forced students admitted on it to relocate to Kampala so as to attend "evening coaching", a practice that is increasingly erasing the philosophy of ODL. An investigation into why materials for B.Cox programme have not been written reveals four main reasons: insufficient resources at the disposal of the Department to inject in materials development, study modules written for distance education programmes not being considered as full publication for promotion purposes, and until recently, there being few lecturers on ground hence huge teaching load that has left them with no time to write. On the B.Ed programme, 20% of the courses have study modules that have been reviewed, corrections done and are ready for editing and publishing. Those that are being written but are not complete cover 45% of the courses. About 35% of the courses on the B.Ed programme have no study modules written. The materials development outlook is different on the BSc. and CYP programmes. Sixty Percent and 100% of the courses on the BSc. and CYP programme respectively have fully written study modules. The study materials situation on the BSc. and CYP programmes is impressive because these two programmes received materials development funding support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and Common Wealth of Learning respectively.

Many challenges have been alluded to in the foregoing exposition. These include, among others: highly centralized student support system, lack of or inadequate supply of ODL materials, inadequate and inappropriate staff establishment, inappropriate and inadequate

ODL learners at all ODL centers, for example longer borrowing periods.

h. Regularly training university staff in ODL delivery methodologies.

k. Providing drop-in counseling services at each learning centre. l. Providing ODL based study materials on all programmes.

learning centers.

provided online.

their normal duties.

laboratories and other learning resources.

the smooth running of ODL programmes.

materials developed for those courses.

**12. The strength of the DODL** 

i. Allocating a personal tutor to each ODL student.


These strengths can be harnessed to tap into the unexploited treasures of running ODL programmes.
