Editorial

Abstract

A hallmark of open and distance education is its divergence from the centralised model towards a more decentralised and flexible model. The flexible model offers education and training in terms of what, where, when and how distance learners learn. The concern of open and distance learning is to make learning opportunities available to individuals in different life roles and contexts, and to find ways of being responsive to the circumstances and needs of individual learners. There is now a tremendous range of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources available to facilitate a distance learner’s individual study in relation to skill and knowledge acquisition. The ICT resources such as iTunes, YouTube, Podcasting, blogs and Wikis, as well as various social networking technologies emerged as a form of providing customised learning and individualisation. The two papers of this issue present on this aspect of open and distance education which has touched every facet of an educational organisation and brings with it new pedagogical demands by adopting research and development and more technological approaches to learning. It has changed the social dynamics of an institution by bringing the institution to students who are at a distance.