Will these developments serve the interests of developing countries? There is clearly much need for caution. We need to moderate the developments reported above with concerns for access to the education both in terms of the students’ own prior knowledge and cultural perspectives, and in terms of access to the technology through which to access the education. We also need to be concerned about the impact upon the local culture that may be matte by imported materials and the developed world’s culture that these embody.

National Distance Learning Programs

In developing countries there is a natural desire to extend educational provision to the whole population.

Online education at the schools’ level began in both countries during the colonial era in the 1950s and 1960s, partly through voluntary organizations and partly through government support as `a palliative for the colonial conscience’. The provision has taken various forms -correspondence schools, radio programs to supplement normal provision, radio and poster campaigns to promote literacy, health and other issues, as well as more formal online education programs. These programs have continued in the post-colonial era, with 70,000 students involved in Tanzania, and 42,000 in Zimbabwe. There has been a major focus on teacher training. Programs in both countries have suffered from inadequate funding (10% and less than 5% of the educational budget, respectively, in Tanzania and Zimbabwe). Neither country has established their own open university. One was advocated in 1989 for Tanzania, with use of radio and television broadcast, but not the full use of IT. In 1993 the University of Zimbabwe established its Online education Centre which now has some 1,500 students. We believe that this uses the conventional correspondence approach based on text.

Online education saves the need to build university campuses with teaching facilities, and for students to travel and to be accommodated centrally. IT and networking further helps this, but requires access to the technology – and as Zindi and Aucoin have pointed out for Tanzania, even something as basic as electricity may not be available within the community that you are wishing to serve. Such infrastructure problems are not faced by developed countries, though sometimes, as in Russia which is also seeking the use of online education to meet an educational need, there can be infrastructure difficulties: thus in Russia conventional postal delivery can be problematic while delivery electronically via satellite to the best of current equipment could be perfectly feasible.

Transnational Programs

We have seen that a large provider of education like the OU is already reaching out beyond its national borders, helped by IT and networking, to provide education globally. Geography is no longer a barrier.

This means that local students could subscribe to courses that may be supplied purely on the networks, and through this would obtain qualifications from the suppliers in the developed world. Presumably these qualifications would be recognized locally, and could indeed have some special standing.

It is worth noting that one motivation for Zimbabwe to establish its own national programs was to reduce the 163 million dollars flowing out of the country from the 40,000 students annually enrolled on online education courses. Developing countries may, just not be able to finance transnational educational programs.

The language of teaching is not the only concern. Teaching materials often draw upon case studies and examples, and these may not make any sense in other contexts. An example from the training materials for a database tool was the use of baseball, which was, of course, incomprehensible outside the US – a translation into football made the training much more widely acceptable.
The transnational and trans-cultural use of educational materials must be viewed with caution

Why the need? People are finally starting to realize that their high school education or even 4-year college degree is simply not sufficient anymore to prepare them for beneficial employment in the fast-changing world in which we live. Employers are looking for specific skills and the ability to quickly adapt to changes in the workplace. Those persons who can meet these employer needs are challenged with the opportunity to grow with their company through both existing and coming tumultuous times. Those who do not embrace change, new technology and employer needs will simply be left behind. The need for continuing education and learning faster has never been more relevant or important than it is right now.

Obviously, the workplace in our economy is the motivator for the realization of these facts, but exactly who is actually driving this? It appears that it is the college-educated professional who is realizing her need for updated, improved or new skills relevant to their workplace experiences and requirements. Change is accelerating around us, creating both exciting opportunity and dire dread for many people. Those who embrace change and seek to fortify or improve upon their skill-sets through webucation will certainly experience less stress and greater fulfillment than those who simply watch as all of this change happens around them. The less-educated generally miss the fact that it is their lack of currently relevant, specific skills in a changing market than is hindering them.

Accelerated learning, or learning for profit as I prefer to call it, is the skill most often lacking in both the college educated and lesser educated individuals. The books, programs, courses, CD’s and other educational materials are out there for the taking, or learning in this case. Those persons who have assessed their current position and future prospects for continued employability, will typically familiarize themselves with these learning resources and will often select one or more in an effort to improve their skills. What is missing from the equation is the speed at which they learn this new material. The faster you can learn a new skill and apply it to your profession, the quicker you will begin to improve your earnings and financial position. Learning faster then, is not an option, but mandatory in order to get ahead.

All is not lost for persons without a college education, for there are many examples of highly intelligent people without degrees who are extremely successful. Do not, however, make the mistake of equating the lack of a formal degree with a lack of education. Most entrepreneurs have a great deal of education, usually achieved through self-motivation, perseverance, tenacity and a sense of drive and ambition. They make it a point to become experts in their field of endeavor. These self-taught individuals have a real sense of urgency and insatiably seek out the knowledge needed for their success.

Whether or not you have a college degree, a high school diploma or a self-education, the need for learning faster, that is, learning for profit, will become more evident as you proceed in life. Embrace webucation as an exciting concept and available resource that is growing quickly around you. There are no excuses for not learning. There are however, abundant means to get ahead, but you must act quickly and persevere in your education first.