Towards Matching Access with Success: Using Technology to Create an Effective Learning Environment for Postgraduate Distance Learning Students

Distance learning has been identified as a key enabler in providing greater access to education. Yet, in order to provide meaningful access and constitute a productive application of both the student and country’s resources, such access must include a reasonable chance of success (Department of Higher Education and Training – DHET, 2014). In the South African higher education environment, success – if measured by dropout and throughput rates– has been considerably lower on undergraduate distance learning programmes than on contact learning programmes (DHET, 2018b). On a postgraduate level, the graduation benchmark rate set by government similarly shows a significant disparity between contact and distance learning. For postgraduate qualifications (up to honours level), it is earmarked at 60% for contact learning; but for distance learning, the target is halved, and set at only 30% (Ministry of Education – MOE, 2001). These low rates indicate that for many distance learning students, they may have gained access to education, but have a small chance of converting such access into success.