Cyberspace, Distance Learning, and Higher Education in Developing Countries: Old and Emergent Issues of Access, Pedagogy, and Knowledge Production. International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology, 94

Overview & Synopsis

Amidst the euphoria about the new frontiers of technology sometimes perceived as a panacea for expansion of higher education in developing countries, there is a need to analyze persistent and new grounds of unequal opportunity for access, learning, and the production of knowledge. This volume addresses fundamental questions about the educational process such as: (1) The use of technology in higher education for a holistic educational system for social development; (2) The actual technological capacity in Africa and possibilities for virtual higher education; (3) Cultural relevance of the curriculum and pedagogy; (4) Pedagogy and gender in cyberspace education; (5) Perils of externally-driven distance education programs in Africa and the quest for ownership towards development; (6) Challenges and opportunities in the making of knowledge society in an Asian context; and (7) Strategies to promote constructive virtual higher education in Africa and Asia. Following a preface; and introduction (N'Dri T. Assie-Lumumba), contents include: (1) ICT[subscript 4]D: A Frontier for Higher Education in Developing Nations (Royal D. Colle and Raul Roman); (2) Partnership in Higher Education in Africa: Communications Implications beyond the 2000s (Jacques Habib Sy); (3) Implementing the Online Learning Communities in Africa: A Unisa Case Study (J. F. Heydenrych, P. Higgs, and L. J. van Niekerk); (4) Pedagogical Issues and Gender in Cyberspace Education: Distance Education in South Africa (Chika Trevor Sehoole and Teboho Moja); (5) Distance Learning and Virtual Education for Higher Education in Africa: Evaluation of Options and Strategies (Stanley Moyo); (6) The Chances for Success of the Francophone Centers for Distance Education of the GDLN Network: The Case of the Centre d'Education a Distance de Cote d'Ivoire (Kouassi Yao); (7) Higher Education Reform: Challenges towards a Knowledge Society in Malaysia (Akiko Kamogawa); (8) Strategies for Promoting Virtual Higher Education: General Considerations on Africa and Asia (Kazuo Kuroda and Hossain Md. Shanawez). An index is included.