Higher education distance learning and e-learning in prisons in Portugal

Abstract

Higher Education in Europe has undergone massive changes due to technological advancements and changes resulting from the Bologna Process, by which learning should be accessible for all regardless of social exclusion reasons, such as imprisonment. The resulting massification of access to Higher Education requires a flexible and inclusive training offer focused on the student. These are the primary aims of Distance Learning at the Open University of Portugal. The aim of this paper is to understand the viewpoints of twenty-six respondents (students, applicants to courses and senior rehabilitation technicians) on the reality of Higher Education in Distance Learning and e-Learning in a Portuguese prison. This study occurs in a context of a non-positivist paradigm, placing the emphasis on the perception of individuals through a qualitative methodology. The results obtained from interviews show that the education process has many weaknesses and limitations mostly due to the lack of facilities, educational and technological resources, and support from teachers. The conclusion is that it is essential to provide better conditions for prisoners to receive this type of education, as it can be an opportunity for obtaining professional qualification and for personal development, thus increasing their prospects of success in the future. La enseñanza superior en Europa ha venido experimentando grandes transformaciones gracias a los avances tecnológicos y a los cambios derivados del proceso de Bolonia, que prevé la creación de condiciones para que todos tengan acceso al aprendizaje, independientemente de factores de exclusión social, como la reclusión. La subsiguiente masificación del acceso a la Enseñanza Superior exige una oferta educativa flexible, centrada en el estudiante e inclusiva: son estas las prioridades de la Educación a Distancia de la Universidade Aberta en Portugal. Este artículo tiene como objetivo conocer las impresiones de veintiséis individuos (estudiantes, candidatos a estudiantes y técnicos superiores de reeducación) sobre la realidad de la Enseñanza Superior en la modalidad de Educación a Distancia y aprendizaje virtual (e-Learning) en una cárcel portuguesa. Este estudio se encuadra en un paradigma no positivista y hace hincapié en la percepción de los individuos, recurriendo a una metodología de carácter cualitativo. Los resultados, obtenidos mediante entrevistas, revelan la existencia de enormes debilidades y limitaciones en el proceso educativo, debido, sobre todo, a la falta de instalaciones y medios, recursos pedagógicos y tecnológicos, y apoyo de los profesores. Se ha concluido que es fundamental crear mejores condiciones de asistencia a distancia en las cárceles, porque esta formación superior puede ser una oportunidad de cualificación profesional y desarrollo personal, que incrementa sus perspectivas de éxito en el futuro.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Distance Learning in Higher Education

“…Distance learning can enable flexible/customized ways of education for every learner despite constraints [10]. In online and blended education environment, the types of interactions may include asynchronous online forums, synchronous textual and audio/video chatting, email, and phone conversations, which can afford students the opportunity to share brief profiles, including a photo [22]. e-Learning can also provide unique prospects for building a sense of community engagement among online students in distance learning.…”

An Overall Picture About Academic Literature Focused on Online Learning in Prison

“…Despite the majority of the revised papers emphasize the benefits of online learning (HANCOCK, 2010;BROWN;RIOS, 2014;SEELIG;RATE, 2014;ROTH et al, 2016;DEMIRAY et al, 2016;HOPKINS, 2017;DILORETO et al, 2017, MOREIRA et al, 2017bRENBARGER, et al 2019), some of them also point to less positive results (FARLEY et al, 2014;HOPKINS;, which could be associated to the lack of knowledge on how to learn with digital resources, the limited access to the computer labs and the lack of support from the education officers. In sum, the less favorable learning results were found in two papers' contents underlined in this study: resources and educational staff support.…”

Perceptions and Proposals of University of Jordan Faculty Members towards Using Massive Open Online Courses in the Educational Process

“…The process of transition to e-learning has become a strategic choice in all educational learning institutions, and receives a lot of attention and significantly. The educational field has witnessed many e-learning and distance learning initiatives, which led to its application and dissemination of its culture at many levels, this has led the administrators and supervisors of the work in these educational institutions to learn about what has been achieved in this area, and seek to measure the degree of its effectiveness in supporting educational performance to achieve the desired transformation (Moreira, Reis-Monteiro, & Machado, 2017).…”