Abstract:
The attitude of education managers in charge of academic programs (Deputy Vice Chancellors - AA) in a university offering Open, Distance and e-Learning programs has a significant impact on the quality of the program offered. The managers have just as much as an impact to a distance student as they can if that student was in a traditional classroom. In institutions offering ODeL programs the management's main responsibility concerns have to do with support in terms of policy, and in the allocation resources to run the programs.Studies have found little difference in the quality of education received through distance learning versus conventional university classroom settings. Many studies have determined that students taking distance learning courses perform as well as students taking courses via traditional methods. In the implementation of DL programmes, it is important to consider perceptions of managers, administrators and staff involved in the provision. This will help in the diffusion and adoption of DE technologies throughout the institution to enhance student learning while maintaining administrators, faculty and support staff engagement and satisfaction. This paper sought to determine the perceptions of education managers to Open, Distance and e-Learning in public universities in Kenya. A survey was used to collect data in the study. Education managers in five public universities offering ODeL were purposively sampled. Thirty five ODeL lecturers were randomly sampled from the universities. Data was collected and analyzed by the use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Two research instruments were used. Questionnaires were issued to lecturers at learning centers during face to face sessions. Face to face interviews were conducted with Deputy Vice Chancellors at the universities. The study findings showed that university managers had a supportive attitude to ODeL though they did not do much to motivate faculty or upscale uptake of ODEL in their institutions. Several recommendations were made to ensure competitive and relevant DL graduates. Education managers should develop an ODeL institutional policy. The policy would guide on provision of resources to ensure quality DL. Education managers should adopt an open communication framework with faculty and other stakeholders. Each manager in an institution offering DL should develop a reward system which acknowledges DL faculty and support them in development of new programmes and workshops to respond to new trends in industry.
