Minggu, Februari 10, 2013

The Implementation of Distance Learning in Indonesian Higher Education




ONE of the educational models that has attracted the attention of Indonesian students currently is distance learning. Distance learning in Indonesia is a competitive alternative that can influence the growth of prospective human resources in Indonesia. It is not only useful for students who have geographical constraints but also for all socio-economical levels. Therefore, it is no longer limitedly offered in Open University (called Universitas Terbuka or UT) which is the university that totally practices distance learning models but in many conventional universities as well. UT, however, dominates the highest amount of students. Pannen noted that in 1996 the UT was named as one of the mega universities in the world for having an enrollment rate of about 400.000 students. According to her calculations in 2003, the majority (95%) of UT students was working students and only 20% of the student population lived in remote areas.
The large number of students who involved in distance learning indicates that distance learning has been used as an alternative method for receiving education in UT. Therefore, a recent national law concerning the Indonesian educational system mentioned that distance learning speci- fically as one of many choices available for Indonesians to obtain education. Distance learning has been  approved at  any level from elementary to tertiary; from formal degree granting to continuing education. In another words, distance learning will be treated as being equal to other forms of education. In specific circumstances such as in the field of business, distance learning is considered as an elite educational model because of having sophisticated and high technology for transferring knowledge between instructors and students.


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