Introduction

According to Milton (2000), learning is never a distance event. It is intimate and personal, but this is not what students studying at the University of South Africa (Unisa) usually experience. They may feel intimidated and alienated by the process and often feel that they are not part of the learning institution; they may feel like outsiders ‘looking in’ on a curriculum planned and developed by others. In this chapter, I will discuss why it is necessary to seek active participation among all participants, namely the traditional academic, the education consultant (EC) and the diverse student population in the varying contexts in which open and distance learning (ODL) occurs.

In the past, a fragmented process was often used to develop study materials. This is because study materials were developed in silos: a lecturer at a university would usually develop content for a specific module, write the study units for this module, and then pass the draft to ECs, who would then design and develop the study guide as a whole. In other words, ECs only entered the process after the manuscript had been written by a specialist in the discipline. This led to the designing of study materials with little or no input from the student or other stakeholders (eg industry) that would either use the materials or employ the students when they qualified.

ECs who previously functioned as instructional designers at Unisa are now actively involved in the whole process of curricula and study material design and development. Previously, the instructional designer instructed participants on how to go about the process of developing a study guide, but now they try to be inclusive by involving all the parties in the development phase so that the learning experience is shared. As Milton (2000) says, learning is not a passive activity. The ECs provide input into the curricula and reach consensus with the lecturer and all the stakeholders in the course planning process. Attention is given to the development timeline and the target audience is taken into consideration using the existing student profile. Industry and governing bodies are also invited to participate in order to develop a curriculum that is relevant to what is needed from graduates. Students are also consulted about what should be learnt and on how the study package should be assembled.