A private historical past: 22. Innovating in distance training on the Open College of Portugal within the 2000s

Summer season is getting extra harmful in Canada as forest fires destroy the stunning city of Jasper, Alberta, and the encompassing nationwide park. Let’s hope there’s rain – and many it – within the coming days.

I’m writing an autobiography, primarily for my household, however it does cowl some key moments within the improvement of open and on-line studying. I believed I’d share these as there appears to be a rising curiosity within the historical past of instructional expertise.

Observe that these posts are NOT meant to be deeply researched historic accounts, however how I noticed and encountered developments in my private life. In the event you have been round on the time of those developments and wish to provide feedback or a unique view, please use the remark field on the finish of every publish. (There may be already a dialog monitor on my LinkedIn website and on X). A full listing of the posts so far might be discovered towards the top of this publish.

A burst of honorary levels

The 12 months 1995 was the start of a stunning ten 12 months interval during which I used to be awarded a complete of six honorary levels from 5 completely different international locations (I used to be aged 56-66 on this interval).

I’ll write in regards to the different honorary levels in later posts, however the first honorary diploma (Physician Honoris Causa) was from the Open College of Portugal (Universidade Aberta), awarded in 1995. The provide got here as a whole shock to me. Aside from a workshop I gave in Lisbon in 1988, once I was nonetheless on the UK Open College, I had as much as that time had little to do with the college, though I had met their founding Rector, Armando Rocha-Trindade, at each the UK Open College and several other worldwide conferences. Nonetheless, the award of the Honorary Diploma on the Universidade Aberta’s headquarters in Lisbon was, as they are saying, the beginning of a good looking friendship.

Innovation and alter on the Open College of Portugal

In 2007, I used to be invited to chair Universidade Aberta’s Worldwide Educational Advisory Committee. For 2 years I labored with Ullie Bernath of the College of Oldenberg, Germany, Robin Mason of the UK Open College, Linda Harasim of Simon Fraser College, Canada, and Albert Sangrà Morer, of the Open College of Catalonia, Spain, all world leaders in on-line and distance training.

Beneath the management of its Rector, Carlos Reis, and Professional-rector for Innovation in Distance Studying, Antonio Moreira Texeira, Universidade Aberta was planning a serious change in its operations, not solely shifting from largely print-based to completely on-line programs, but additionally altering its pedagogy from largely didactic or lecture-type instructing to a extra learner-centred, constructivist method, and in addition utilizing steady slightly than summative evaluation strategies. These have been instructions determined by the college, however the function of the Worldwide Advisory Committee was to watch and advise on these adjustments, which meant assembly with professors, different employees and college students impacted by the adjustments. Over this two 12 months interval, I and my committee colleagues travelled a number of occasions to Lisbon.

The innovation was largely profitable. It was based mostly on intensive consultations with professors, employees and college students. Some complete packages on the graduate stage have been moved absolutely on-line, in addition to a lot of undergraduate programs, and many of the professors have been ultimately supportive of the adjustments. The primary opposition got here from the arithmetic professors, who have been involved that the constructivist instructing method and steady evaluation methodology wouldn’t be seen as legitimate by arithmetic professors within the extra conventional universities in Portugal and elsewhere.

The most important downside although was resistance from the college’s administrative areas. Though the improvements have been pushed by the tutorial aspect, these adjustments additionally required main adjustments on the executive aspect, particularly in linking the training administration system to scholar data, and offering on-line entry to administrative companies. Sadly there was a major lack of enthusiasm for change on the executive aspect, primarily on price grounds, but additionally due to direct opposition from among the senior administrative employees. Nonetheless, the implementation was total very profitable.

One other risk to Universidade Aberta was that in 2008, the Portuguese Minister for Increased Training visited the college and knowledgeable the college’s Meeting (Board of Governors) that the Minister was making ready a brand new legislation to control all distance teaching programs in Portugal. All different universities might be mandated shortly to supply distance teaching programs. He needed to know what Universidade Aberta was providing that may add worth to the system. The Minister (who was a physicist) criticised the college for not providing related packages in science and expertise. (He identified that Universidade Aberta had 3,000 college students out of 12,000 learning philosophy, and one other 3,000 learning legislation). Nonetheless, the college efficiently navigated this risk, partly as a result of it was attracting many college students from Portugal’s former colonies, similar to Angola and Mozambique, and partly as a result of it was serving Portuguese college students, similar to those that have been working, who couldn’t entry the common universities. It’s now nonetheless sturdy and an important a part of the Portuguese increased training system.

Working in paradise

Lisbon is one in all my most favorite cities on the planet. The college’s headquarters is on the Rua da Escola Politécnica, simply north of the Bairro Alto, the previous central a part of the town, and near the Botanical Gardens. At any time when we might when visiting Lisbon, my spouse and I stayed at a small, previous lodge, the Casa de São Mamede, reverse the church of the identical title, and close to to the college’s headquarters. From the lodge, you may stroll right down to the Alto Barrio or take a tram right down to the waterfront.

I beloved using the the previous trams (remodelados) in Lisbon. Casa de São Mamede is on the E25 route that goes previous the college and thru the Bairro Alto, however my favorite routes have been the E12 or E28. The streets are so slender on these routes that the trams simply miss the corners of buildings as they flip. day journey is to take the practice from Cais de Sodre fundamental station on the downtown Lisbon waterfront to Estoril (avoiding the on line casino), then to stroll alongside the seaside boardwalk, lined with eating places going through the Tagus River and the ocean, to Cascais, a picturesque former fishing village, then take the practice again from Cascais to Lisbon. In some unspecified time in the future a cease in Belem to style the pasteis, scrumptious small muffins,and maybe see the monastery, could be important.

An instance of the azuelos (ceramic tiles) of Lisbon. Picture: Tony Bates

Within the 2000s, you may get a superb lunch of three programs, together with a carafe of wine, for a hard and fast value of eight euros in Lisbon. The meals was to die for, notably the fish soups. Antonio Texeira and his spouse Carmo grew to become nice pals. Working with Antonio and the Univeridade Aberta in Lisbon was probably the greatest experiences in my life. Muito obrigado a todos!