Internal quality assurance of a distance teacher education programme : the case of Lesotho

Abstract

This paper looks at the qualitative study of distance learning at Lesotho College of Education. In 2002 the college was tasked by the Government of Lesotho with the provision of distance education to unqualified and under-qualified teachers. It is the experiences, feelings and observations of the professional learners as they progress through the distance teacher education programme. It looks at the internal quality assurance process within the college. Student support is enhanced by short contact sessions on a weekend at centre level where tutors provide assistance once a month. All professional learners meet at the college at the end of each semester for a week long contact session followed by the examinations. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit experiences, feelings and observations about the programme. The results indicate that whilst there are challenges, there are lots of positives within the programme.