Diversity Down Under, K.D. Smith, Toowoomba, Queensland: Darling Downs Institute Press, 1984 |
This book was originally conceived as a record of the spirit and practice of Distance Education over a decade, as perceived by members of the Australian and South Pacific External Studies Association (ASPESA). However, the diverse history of distance education in the region, extending over most of this century, has necessitated some extension beyond the original parameters.
The book is not a collection of scholarly works, nor is it a definitive account of Distance Education in Australia and the South Pacific. It is largely an exercise in participant observation on the part of significant practitioners. It has been written in a style suitable for a varied audience, however, and some prior knowledge of the cultural, geographical and political realities of the area would be advantageous. The collection of contributions is divided into two parts; one historical and philosophical (47pp), and one dealing with key issues in the constituent countries and states (49pp).
In Part I, "The Story of ASPESA," gives a personal perspective on the development of a professional association of distance educators. Its focus on description rather than interpretation is complemented by the second contribution, "Towards a Philosophy of Distance Education," which examines, within the regional context, some fundamental questions of universal concern and emphasizes the diversity of both means and ends in confronting the challenge of distance education. "The Tyranny of Distance" provides an interesting description of the Australian scene, putting the national perspective within a federal context.
Part II of the book consists of descriptions of distance education in the various states and countries encompassed by ASPESA. In each case an attempt is made to focus on a particular issue; hence the following chapter headings:
The contents of these chapters provide a fascinating insight into the complexities of developing distance education systems. The observations of: gross overprovision in some areas but underprovision in others, duplication under the guise of competition, uniformity despite lack of control, innovation in the face of tradition, credibility versus community need, and organized anarchies rather than rational plans, are all overlain by a picture of immense achievement which provides a message for us all. Unfortunately, insights into the problems of the systems described are rarely as explicit as they might be. In the harshest of terms, the book, like the systems it portrays, could be regarded as an artifact of the fossilization of self-interest. However, if it is accepted as a collection of personal observations by academics and administrators committed to and involved with the systems they describe, there is a great deal of value here, especially for those interested in comparative distance education. The work clearly indicates that there is immense variation between the countries and states of the region.
Such diversity is well illustrated by some of the following observations. The Northern Territory of Australia, an area twice the size of Texas, has a population of only 130,000, half of which live in Darwin, a city destroyed by a cyclone in 1974. Adelaide, the isolated capital of South Australia, spawned both a major international journal of distance education and the first post-graduate course in the field, actually taught at a distance. Western Australia requires a distance education system to cater to those 400,000 or so people who live outside Perth, scattered over an area of 2.5 million square kilometres. The University of the South Pacific services several different countries and cultures which are located in a region of 11 million square miles straddling the international date line, with its attendant chronological problems. Papua New Guinea has to devise a system to accommodate extremes of cultural and geographical isolation. And New Zealand has the largest single distance teaching institute in the southern hemisphere.
Even such a wealth of information leaves certain questions unanswered.
Why is there such a lack of co-operation between countries, states, institutions, departments, and even individuals? What are the effects of politics and policies at the national, state, and institutional level? Is there any possibility of significant rationalization and co–operation?
This book does not really provide answers - but it is a fine stimulus for further investigation. Apart from a few typographical errors, the presentation of the book is simple and attractive, a credit to the small press concerned. There are some minor errors of fact in some of the contributions and, of course, some of the information is now only of historical value in the light of recent events. Nevertheless, as an interesting collection of perspectives on distance education in a large, remote, and complex region, it fills a considerable gap in the existing literature.
Any book describing distance education as a "virgin field strewn with boulders of academic resistance" is worthy of serious consideration, particularly by those facing imminent ravishment or sacrifice.