Exploring the globalization of Higher Education through Open and Distance Education - dos & don'ts

1. Global perspective
Dr. Pankaj Khare
IGNOU, New Delhi
pkhare@ignou.ac.in

2. The Parable of
the Hare & the Hedgehog
A story compiled by Prof. Anurag Saxena,
SOMS, IGNOU

3. The Challenge
 One
day the hedgehog challenged
the hare to have race with him.
 The
hare, being sure of his victory,
accepted the challenge without
hesitation.

4. The Race
 The
race started at the entrance to the
vineyard.
 After
they started, the hare ran fast, while
the hedgehog, snorting in the air, took his
time and loitered along the boundaries.

5. The Result
Surprise!
 When
the hare, totally
exhausted, appeared at the
end of the vineyard, the
hedgehog was already there
"I was waiting for
you. You have taken
lot of time."

6. Return Race

The hare, too proud to concede victory,
proposed a return match.

Again, when he crossed the finish line at
the end of the field, the hedgehog, not at
all breathless, waited.

The score never changed. The
hedgehog was always at the finish line
before the hare.

7. Mystery
 The
hare, exhausted by the races, couldn't
understand why his competitor did not seem
to be affected by the races.
 The solution to the mystery was obvious; the
hedgehog had a twin who waited at the other
end of the vineyard.

8. The hare, however, was not a
fool…
 He
Asked the Hedgehog, whether,
during the race, he had seen
–
–
–
–
the vine stocks heavy with fruits,
the shining dews on the leaves,
the rays of evening light across the rows,
the warm smell coming out of the
perspiring earth

9. The hedgehog, a little
The hare retorted,
embarrassed, replied,
"What really matters is
that I reached the
finish line before you.
Is that not true?"
"What matters to me is having made
a fine journey, full of discoveries
and benefiting from the experience.
You cheated, and you deprived
yourself of the scenery of nature.

10. Moral of the story
 It
Hare was not
convinced
whether, in the
end, Hedgehog
really won."
is not the question of
becoming first and knowing
everything in advance.
 It is also necessary to be
actually on the route.
 The theoretical knowledge is not
always the best; one should also
face the reality, pass through the
fire of the things.

11. The question of globalization






Why we need to think of
internationalization?
Who is getting benefit from?
Opportunities vs. options?
Delivery mechanisms and
coping with time-zones…
Quality assurance…
Global competition?

12. Present scenario
 In
Indian Sub-continent
 In Africa
 In Gulf
 In Australia
 In South-East Asia
 In America and Canada

13. Present scenario – Indian
sub-continent
 Nepal
 Bhutan
 Afghanistan
 Pakistan
 Bangladesh
 Sri
Lanka
 Maldives

14. Present scenario – Africa
 East
Africa
 South Africa
 West Africa
 North Africa
 Small States

15. Present scenario – Gulf
 United
Arab Emirates
 Saudi Arabia
 Iraq & Iran
 Small States
–
–
–
Kuwait
Bahrain
Oman

16. Present scenario – Others
 America
 Latin
America
 Australia
 Europe
 Pacific
 South Asia

17. Internationalization

Promoting the academic programmes
cross border

Establishing bilateral and multi-lateral
cooperation and exchanges

Sharing resources

Sharing experiences

Providing consultancies to newly
established/needy universities/
institutions

Creating avenues for joint
international programmes

18. Emerging scenario
 Teacher
to learner to learning centric
education
Learner
Teacher
Learning

19. Emerging scenario
 Web-based
delivery of
programmes

Core-faculty support

20. Emerging scenario
 Global
–
–
–
–
–
–
student
Have options
Independent
Highly motivated
Demanding
Knowledge seeker
Technology oriented

21. Emerging scenario
 Web-based
services
for efficient administrative support (tracking and MIS)
 Offer
of lab-based programmes
 Sharing of resources
materials, human resources, experiences
 Joint
ventures
Joint degree programmes, dual degrees, collaborative
materials development, faculty exchanges

22. Challenges and practices
 Finding
appropriate partners –
marrying the mandates and
visions
–
Business model vis-à-vis service
model in education
 Local
recognition and
accreditation
 Finding local academic support
–
Arranging practical/labs/viva-voce

23. Challenges and practices
 Meeting
local cultural and
contextual needs
 Quality assurance and
monitoring
 Professional expectations from
global learning community

24. "What
The hedgehog, a little matters to me is having made
a fine journey, full of discoveries
The hare retorted, and
embarrassed, replied, benefiting from the experience.
"What really matters is
that I reached the
finish line before you.
Is that not true?"
You cheated, and you deprived
yourself of the scenery of nature.

25. Moral of the story
from institutional point of view

It is not the question of becoming first and knowing everything in advance.
Institutions need not to imitate other institutions

It is also necessary to be actually on the route.
Identify the need of globalization and crossing
the border; are there takers? Need assessment…

The theoretical knowledge is not always the best; one should also face the
reality, pass through the fire of the things.
Introspection of strengths and weaknesses.

26. and...
are we there when
they need us...?

27. A presentation by
Dr. Pankaj Khare
pkhare@ignou.ac.in