E-learning gets the nod

For the first time, a company offering online-only tuition has become accredited in SA.

Local online education portal GetSmarter is the first entirely online training company to be accredited by a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA).

It says its accreditation by the Services SETA signals a big leap forward for online education.

GetSmarter says that after months of consideration and analysis, the Services SETA has decided to accredit GetSmarter as an education institution.

“Internet-based training has a bad reputation globally, with the bulk of online training courses not achieving significant educational outcomes for their learners,” it adds.

“In the past, SETAs had always refused outright to accredit institutions that offered purely Web-based learning - the dropout rates were too high, the learning outcomes too uncertain, the quality too low.”

It adds that to become accredited with the Services SETA, education institutions must prove their students obtain substantial learning outcomes and that the courses match the Services SETA's standards.

“The Services SETA's move to accredit GetSmarter shows a growing trust and belief in the value of online education. Learning online has many benefits, especially for working professionals who do not have the time to travel to classes, or the money to spend on private tuition or long-term university courses. Online education can reach anybody in the country - and even the world - quickly, cheaply and easily.”

However, South African research shows local copyright legislation infringes on access to learning materials via digital portals, where just opening a Web site could be regarded as illegal copying.

The study was carried out as part of the eight-country African Copyright and Access to Knowledge project.

“A gap that the South African research team found in SA's Copyright Act of 1978 and its regulations is that there is no exception allowing permission-free adaptation of works for use by sensory-disabled people,” states the study findings.

“Another problem is that the Act does not cater for the digital age - in which 'reproduction' has been transformed and even the simple act of opening a Web site is potentially an act of illegal copying.”

Web and digital media lawyer Paul Jacobson says relevant changes to the law to correct these problems will not necessarily open doors for piracy. He explains that this recommendation basically calls for a removal of digital rights management (DRM).

“Removing DRM on digital materials will allow for easier access, but the licence will still be in place. In practical terms, it may open the door for piracy, because DRM is removed and access is easier, but the licence is still there.”