EXPERIENCES OF ONLINE AND DISTANCE LEARNERS OF NEPALI UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

Online and distance education has emerged as an alternative way of providing accessibility to learners irrespective of time and space. Its implementation in Nepali universities started within this decade amidst the inadequate institutional preparation and less oriented learners. My work experience within the ODL unit and field visit outside Kathmandu Valley during the initial phase of its implementation made me feel that learners’ experiences were overlooked in this new mode of learning. This study is therefore an inquiry into the experiences of online and distance education learners in Nepali universities. My research questions are a) How do the learners get motivated towards and throughout the online and distance education program? b) How do online and distance learners experience power relations in their learning context? c) How do online and distance learners construct their identity? I have applied the social constructivist theoretical lens and the narrative inquiry methodological approach for the study. I have used the inductive approach and interpretive paradigm to make meanings from the stories my research participants have lived with. The research participants of the study are the online and distant learners of the MEd program in two II universities in Nepal. Though I approached 11 participants, six participants were finally able to participate in the series of interviews and allowed me to visit their houses and workplaces. There are three male and three female participants from different MEd programs such as English Language Teaching, Mathematics Education, and Master in Sustainable Development. The intrinsic motivation of an online and distance learner helps in their degree completion. The motivation is influenced by various positive perceptions, family support, tutor’s feedback, and appreciation. Intrinsic motivation becomes sustainable if the learner can relate and use it in their professional and personal life. While exploring the discourse of the digital divide, the power relations of online and distance learners with ICT were visible. I got inference that learners gain digital skills and can transform their lives by being confident and technology-friendly. Access to the materials and skills enables the learners to experience the powerful position while those who do not have access, strive for it and make them feel powerless. I argue that in online and distance education programs, all learners do not necessarily transform or have positive learning experiences. The learners are controlled by disciplinary power where they try to maintain their image or align to the normalization as expected by society. However, the learners, irrespective of their gender, benefit from the advantages of ODL. While transitioning from conventional to alternative learning, learners have unique experiences with negative and positive emotions. In such a condition, adult online learners always strive to keep the highest hierarchy of their self-believed identity standard. During the process, they seek social interaction similar to face-to-face mode but they experience very minimal interaction between peers and with teachers. Learners face conflicting conditions in the new role, but they always try to create a conducive environment to retrieve their better image. The university has a III vital role in valuing their experience and provide support to learners to create a distinctive learning environment in online and distance education. The complete paradigm shift from conventional to online mode has brought many challenges to Nepali learners due to the stereotypical society, social norms and individual as well as institutional unpreparedness. In this regard, the blended mode of learning can be effective to prepare the students gradually for the completely different alternative mode of learning. The teaching-learning practices in ODL in the Nepali context should equally consider the importance of the social and affective presence as of cognitive presence. The study has opened up possibilities for wide-ranging connections, questions and insights for further studies and strategies to enhance teaching-learning in ODL, institutional role and policy considerations to reshape ODL in a new paradigm. This study has drawn attention towards the gap between the new practices of the modern world and the conventional society of Nepal which is yet not ready to incorporate the alternative mode of learning completely. ODL demands better planning, more investment, training, learner centered designing of the curriculum and so on.