马尔代夫泛在化教育的演变：实践、挑战和问题.pdf

IntroductionLearning and teaching have undergone profound changes over the past 100 years,each of whichpromises a richer and more meaningful relationship between students and teachers.Beginning fromthelimitationsofcorrespondencecoursesanddistanceeducation,remotelearninghastrendedthroughcomputer-assistedinstruction(CAI),e-learning,m-learning,andnowubiquitousoru-learning.Learning everywhere and at any time is referred to as ubiquitous(u)learning(Cope and Kalantzis,2009).Ubiquitous learning can also be defined as an everyday learning environment that issupported by mobile and embedded computers and wireless networks in our everyday lives(Twidale,2009).U-learning is aimed to provide learners with content and interaction anytime and anywhere.In u-learning,the learning process includes the real-life experience augmented with virtual information and is adapted to the learner and the learners environment.The content objects,activities,and the interaction with the system and with other humans(including instructors and peers)are customized according to the learners current goals of learning,interests and preferences,cognitivecharacteristics,history,and current state of competency in the subject matter in hand,the characteristics and demands of the location,the technology being used as the medium and facilitator forlearning,and the context of the situation in which the learning is taking place.Moreover,with ubiquitous learning,the student is at the center of the knowledge they manage,as opposed to traditionalrote learning,which sees the learner as a passive subject who receives information.This paper examines the practices of u-learning in the Maldives,u-learning and its promise(what is u-learning,characteristics of u-learning,advantages of u-learning,disadvantages of u-learning),challenges of u-learning in the Maldives,and the conclusion.Throughout the history of education in the Maldives,there have been numerous educationalfads.Programmatic learning was hailed in the 1960s in some of the developing countries as havingthe power to dramatically improve student achievement.Programmed education that uses specificallyThe evolution of ubiquitous learning in theMaldives:Practices,challenges and issuesAsim Abdul Sattar,Dean（Faculty of Arts,The Maldives National University）ABSTRACT：Learning and teaching have been undergoing transformational changes in the past 100 years,each change promising a richer and more meaningful interaction of learners and instructors.Beginning from thelimitations of correspondence courses and distance education,remote learning has trended through computer-assisted instruction(CAI),e-learning,m-learning,and now ubiquitous or u-learning.Some forms of this typeof education have been renamed or repackaged in multiple forms of instruction including hybrid and flexiblelearning.More recently,u-learning or ubiquitous learning has been gaining currency and approbation.This article outlines the development of education other than face-to-face learning and teaching in thecontext of the Maldives to disentangle its practices,challenges,and issues.Some of these issues are likely toimpact u-learning and its descendent and off-shoot modes.中图分类号：G720文献标识码：A文章编号：2095-6266（2024）01-005-05收稿日期：2023-11-16.2024年3月第26卷 第1期云 南 开 放 大 学 学 报Journal of Yunnan Open UniversityMar.，2024Vol.26，No.1澜湄开放教育合作与交流论坛会议论文 5第1期第26卷云 南 开 放 大 学 学 报created books with carefully timed and delivered content has come and gone.Few people nowadayscan recall these complex texts with their information broken down by topics and then drills.In the1970s,computer-based learningalso known as computer-assisted instructionwas hailed as a revolutionary development that would revolutionize education and schooling.Some of the changes itbrought about are still in effect today even in the Maldives.Few would contest,however,that it fundamentally altered teaching or education.It most certainly did not in the Maldives!The ultimateinstructional tool includes audio and moving images.Practices of U-learning in the MaldivesU-learning is still in its infancy stage of development in the Maldives.From what little we doknow and see;we have come to recognize that the very nature of u-learning presents a number ofchallenges in some of the learning situations.The most distinctive quality of u-learning,accordingto Ornager(2001),is that there is no face-to-face interaction involved in participating in it.Without this interaction during training,the learner feels alone and powerless,especially whenthe course materials are hazy and challenging to comprehend.In the Maldives,student motivation,planning,and the capacity to evaluate and put into practice the instructional material being taught are necessary regardless of the educational context inwhich the learning process takes place.Additional difficulties arise when education is provided online since students learn alone and have no one with a comparable experience with whom to shareand debate the issues(Onager,2001).In the Maldives,there are obstacles for u-learning or e-learning providers as well,making itdifficult to offer the product that best fits the target market in question.In a conventional classroomcontext,the instructors duties include compiling the course materials,organizing them,and presenting them in a way that facilitates the students understanding.Again,distance educators confrontunique difficulties while instructing online.They must consider the peculiarities of individual learners,their varied requirements,expectations,and histories in addition to carrying out the responsibilities of an effective teacher(Onager,2001).When it comes to the practice of U-learning in the Maldives,Maldives is a geographically scattered country,u-learning fills and compensates for geographical fragmentation(Abdulla,2014).It isan undeniable fact that one of the biggest challenges to the development of the Maldives is its geographical fragmentation and socioeconomic status.Hence,people living in the scattered islands inthe Maldives face many challenges in pursuing higher education.For this reason,one of the mostconvenient forms of education in the Maldives is u-learning.It has reserved a special place inhigher education and its rapidly growing across the country for various reasons.People living in different corners of the Maldives no longer have to fly down or flock to thecapital city,Male or urban centres for higher education opportunities.It has made the lives ofbusy managers,fathers,and mothers in outer islands easier as they can earn their degrees being intheir offices or while spending time with their families.This is one of the best aspects of u-learning and is why it is so popular for people living in remote areas.Another important aspect is that it came to the lives of poor people in the dispersed islands asa ray of light that revived their diminishing hope of higher education(Abdulla,2014).To earn a degree,they no longer have to hire rooms or apartments.Ultimately,this helps them save a lot ofmoney for their tuition fee and use it for other purposes.Finally,unlike block mode programs,u-learning in the Maldives provides a platform for the students,which gives them a sense of doing a regular course.In block mode programs,once the blockis over,students do not even remember that they are doing a course and the interest in studyfades.However,u-learning provides students with various tools that help to maintain interactivity.For example,course books supplementary resources,and Moodle-based Learning Management System(LMS)platforms.Therefore,u-learning leaves no place for the outer islanders to worry about the geographical barriers,their socioeconomic status,and hectic schedules.6U-learning and its promiseAccording to Scott and Hargreaves(2015),u-learning has seven distinct characteristics.In hyperconnected post-industrial societies where knowledge and information are developed,ubiquitouslearning occurs.As a result,it differs from traditional educational models in several ways,some ofwhich are covered below.Unlimited Accessibility:If you have an Internet connection,ubiquitous learning is available toyou,but it also provides nearly limitless materials,highlighting the importance of lifelong learningand the democratization of knowledge.The information is provided based on their requests.Therefore,the education involved is self-directed.Mobility:Ubiquity and mobility go hand in hand.The possibility of accessing information fromanywhere,both in the professional and personal sphere,makes it inclusive,as it eliminates any typeof architectural or geographic barrier in any or most situations.Adaptability:Regardless of the traits of the knowledge community to which they belong,ubiquitous learning adapts to all learner profiles and makes it easier to personalize the information.Interactivity:One of the key motivating factors for both the teacher and the learner is interaction.One reason is to open up new avenues for education,and another is because their connectionis built on reciprocal communication.Through this technique,education can become much morepractical,reactive,and proactive,allowing for the detection and correction of flaws.Immediacy:Immediate and quick access to solutions and supporting materials shortens theamount of time spent researching a subject and enhances the assimilation of information.Whereverlearners are,they can get any information immediately.Thus,learners can solve problems quickly.Informality:Without having to adhere to fixed contexts or follow specific social rules,learningtakes place in the settings that the individual chooses.Collaboration:ICTs have encouraged the creation of collaborative learning environments where individuals may communicate easily and constantly while exchanging ideas and fostering social interaction through chats,social networks,blogs,messaging,etc.Additionally,this results in a beneficialskill transfer.As a global phenomenon,u-learning has distinctive advantages.The new twist on ubiquitouslearning offers strategic advantages in developing the relationship between teacher and learner,leading to a change in the learning mindset.According to Scott and Hargreaves(2015),some of the distinctive advantages of u-learning provide the following benefits:Increases social skills.Boosts continuous and active learning.Creates accessible and inclusive learning communities.Encourages critical thinking.Promotes collaborative work.Develop research skills.Trains in the application of acquired knowledge.Encourages learner autonomy.Focusing on specific advantages of u-learning in the Maldives,it is believed that u-learningwill help schools,institutions,and organizations handle a variety of significant educational challenges.u-learning,for instance,will deal with difficulties like soaring enrollment,a teacher shortage,and overcrowding in school buildings.It will be simpler for colleges to manage the enormous influxof part-time,adult students who are driven by a lifetime of learning.U-learning will help organizations staff members receive continual training and education as well as help reskill workers.It willmake education available to children at all times rather than introducing them to knowledge andlearning.It makes lifelong learning a possibility and puts the skills and requirements of individuallearners front and center(Abdulla,2014).In developing nations like the Maldives,u-learning has also made it possible to scale up sigAsim Abdul Sattar,Dean:The evolution of ubiquitous learning in theMaldivesPractices,challenges and issues 7第1期第26卷云 南 开 放 大 学 学 报nificant portions of the educational process.As a result,u-learning makes it possible to providehigh-quality,reasonably priced education to a vast population(Daniel,2001).Economies of scalemake it more feasible for U-learning providers to invest heavily in streamlining the core componentsof the system,such as the curriculum or technical infrastructure.As a result,if the economies ofscale that are being attained are greater than the additional investments that are being made to improve the quality,the cost of the entire educational process will be reduced without sacrificing thequality of the final output.Another real power of U-learning is that it allows and encourages the division of labor in educational institutes(Daniel,2001;Baer,1999).If technology is to be used effectively it is necessaryto unbundle different instructional elements such as content development,course delivery,testing andevaluation,and administrative functions such as registration,payment,and student recordkeeping.Every academic institution has traditionally offered all these services to every subject area that it givesteaching in.With the use of U-learning,the entire educational process may be broken down into anumber of component steps,allowing an institution to focus on the ones where it excels and outsource the rest.As a result,there is more rivalry among providers of education and training.As aresult,students with various needs and preferences will have access to a wider variety of high-quality instructional options than they did in the past.Another key advantage of U-learning is an evolution and not a replacement of former educationmedia(Baer,1999,Daniel,2001).U-Learning will not substitute other distance learning mediumslike TV,audio,video,or bundled software.This presents developing nations like the Maldives withyet another fantastic opportunity to educate more people who have not been able to reap the rewards of an appropriate education.U-learning can be used as an addition to existing conventionalteaching and learning techniques rather than as a replacement for them.For instance,traditionalteaching and learning that is focused on teacher-oriented methods can be combined with modern interactive teaching and learning.Like the advantages,u-learning hasdisadvantagestoo.According to Scottand Hargreaves(2015),some of the key disadvantages of U-learning areUnauthentic Sources:Sometimes it is difficult to identify the true source of information because so many websites are now providing comparable content.Additionally,manuscripts and theses change over time,which is the biggest problem.Nobody is aware of its veracity because they have no notion of how specific information came to be.Unless a piece of information is handwritten or published by a reputable body with legitimatestudies and evidence,we cannot draw any conclusions regarding its reliability.Lack of Information:One can suppose that,even if the internet were the worlds largest library,it would not include all available material on every subject.You could feel a little discouraged because the web doesnt always provide all the information there is to know about a given topic or issue.However,if you want to learn enough,libraries are where you should focus your attention.Non-existence of Practical Knowledge:Practical experience not only sharpens your talents butalso increases your employment prospects.The reason why lab practice is required