Rosemary MORELAND
Royaume Uni, Ulster
Community
Studies
Droits de
reproduction et de diffusion réservés ©
LESTAMP -
2005
Dépôt Légal Bibliothèque Nationale de France
N°20050127-4889
Hello.
My name is Rosemary Moreland and I am a Lecturer in Community
Studies in the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. My
background is in adult and community education and lifelong
learning. Today, I would like to focus my presentation on the
concept of “border” and its impact on learning. A border
demarcates space and territory and in relation to human
identities, signifies the “other” who is different from us.
Where a political border is also contested and has given rise to
situations of conflict and political unrest, the concept of
“border” is not merely a physical boundary, but also a
psychological and socio-cultural boundary. I would like to speak
today of my involvement in developing a cross-border degree
programme in Ireland and the experiences of staff and
participants to date. I have already stated my interest in adult
education and lifelong learning and it is worth noting here that
the majority of participants recruited onto this programme are
mature students, what we also refer to as “2nd
chance” learners. Thus in speaking about the concept of “border”
in relation to space and territory, I also want to consider the
physical, socio-cultural and psychological borders or barriers
that deter adult students from returning to formal education. I
intend to demonstrate the impact of space and territory on adult
learning. I will identify good practice that can contribute to
overcoming the physical, socio-cultural and psychological
borders.
The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Humanities in Borderlands
Studies was developed by the Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)
in the Republic of Ireland, in association with the University
of Ulster, (UU) in the North of Ireland. It is funded under
Measure 5.4 of the current Peace II Programme (Promoting Joint
Approaches to Social, Education, Training and Human Resource
Development). The aim of the Borderlands Studies Initiative is
to “produce graduates who have a wide knowledge and deep
understanding of the complexity of issues relating to the study
of borderlands, both locally and internationally"[1]. It is a
part-time honours degree, which results in the award of a Higher
Certificate after the first two years of study and a BA (Hons)
award on successful completion of a further two years study. The
first cohort of 31 participants were recruited onto the
programme in September 2003. A second cohort of 30 participants
was recruited in September 2004. The programme has a number of
unique features that are of particular interest to this
workshop. These features are:
1
-
Cross-border undergraduate degree programme
2 -
Non-traditional background of students
3
-
Focus of study on Borderlands
4 -
E-learning opportunities
I will discuss each of these in turn.
1 - Cross-border undergraduate degree programme
The programme recruited participants from the eastern border
counties of Ireland, North and South. The North of Ireland
comprises 6 counties of the 32 counties of Ireland. It is a
society emerging from a conflict that has raged internally for
over 30 years. It is now ten years since the Irish Republican
Army announced its ceasefire and recently, one of the Protestant
paramilitary groups, the Ulster Defence Army, has announced its
intention, once more, to cease violent activities. Meanwhile,
politicians and community leaders continue to struggle to find a
resolution to the conflict that will lead to a workable
governing of the region and a reality of peace that is not
merely the absence of war! This is the current context in which
the recruitment of a cross-border degree in Borderlands takes
place on the island of Ireland.
For those living in the border regions in particular, the border
has a major impact on how lives are lived, communities are
constituted and space and territory are delineated. Since the
IRA ceasefire ten years ago, the British government has slowly
been removing the visible trappings of the border between the
North and South of Ireland. When one passes along the main road
between Dublin and Belfast, there is very little evidence to
delineate when one moves from the South of Ireland to the North
of Ireland. There are some key points, if one is aware of what
to look for. For example, the signs are no longer displayed in
both Irish and English, but English only, and distances between
towns are displayed on signs in miles rather than kilometres.
Physical symbols of space and territory are noticeably lacking.
However, this is along the main arterial route and there are
other smaller roads between North and South that have been
closed and this may be problematic for locals wanting to cross
the border. The border between the North and South of Ireland
exists and sets apart two separate jurisdictions, with different
governments, and all the systems of governance stemming from
this, for example, education, health care, currency, taxation,
welfare.
The history of conflict on the island of Ireland, and
particularly in border regions, also means that despite, or
perhaps even because of the removal of a physical demarcation of
territory between North and South, people may experience when
faced with the idea of crossing or not crossing the border,
including fear, anger, injustice, distrust, as well as freedom,
belonging and identity. These feelings can heighten a sense of
community, which on the one hand can contribute to building
social capital, particularly in areas of multiple deprivation
and disadvantage, but also denotes that there is the “other”,
who is different and does not belong to the community. The
Borderlands Studies Initiative has sought to engage students
from different communities, from both Protestant/Unionist and
Catholic/Nationalist traditions and from backgrounds that would
not normally participate in higher education.
A particular recruitment strategy was developed therefore in
order to encourage participation from minority backgrounds. This
included a road-show in four community venues, two predominantly
Catholic/Nationalist and two Protestant/Unionist, on either
sides of the border and support from community leaders, along
with advertisements in local press. The following table
demonstrates how the programme has successfully met its targets
in terms of recruiting participants from the North and South of
Ireland and from Catholic/Nationalist and Protestant/Unionist
traditions.
ADM/CPA
Requirements |
Required
|
Actual |
Comments |
|
|
2003 |
2004 |
Total |
|
Total Minimum No of Protestants |
12 |
7 |
7 |
14 |
|
No of Participants from Northern Ireland |
20 |
8 |
10 |
18 |
There are three ‘displaced’ persons who relocated from
Northern Ireland to the Republic because of the conflict
– two in the first group of students, and one in the
second. If included, this creates a surplus of +1. |
Total No of Participants |
60 |
31 |
30 |
61 |
Six of the original group of 31 from 2003 did not
progress into 2nd year in 2004. |
No. of Non-Nationals |
|
3 |
6 |
9 |
|
However this has not been without difficulties, particularly in
relation to recruiting people from a Protestant/Unionist
background from the North of Ireland. A major factor in this has
been the fact that the first year of the course has been
delivered solely in the Dundalk Institute of Technology. Whilst
e-learning has been introduced into Year 2 and is expected to
become a more central feature in Years 3 and 4 of the course,
this has brought about another set of challenges, which I shall
discuss later in this paper. A recent evaluation[2] carried out
on the programme suggests that it has not merely been the issues
of distance and travel that have deterred potential participants
from embarking on this course. Rather the impact of the Border
and perceptions of crossing the border and participating in a
course run by an educational institution in the Republic of
Ireland have played a significant part in discouraging
Protestants in the North of Ireland from applying and/or taking
up places on the course. It is significant therefore that the
programme was able to achieve its target recruitment, despite
these difficulties. However, the Management Committee are keen
to address this issue for future intakes of the programme. An
outreach strategy is currently being drawn up, which will
examine potential community venues, particularly in the North of
Ireland. It is hoped that this will help to combat the negative
impact that the border has on access to learning opportunities
for adult learners living in the border regions of the North of
Ireland, and in particular, for Protestants living in these
areas.
A further cross-border dimension of this programme is the
composition of the Borderlands Studies Initiative Management
Board. Not only is this a collaboration between educational
institutions north and south of the Irish border, but community
representatives in both jurisdictions have been sought, in order
to ensure that the programme can reach those who live in
marginalized and disadvantaged communities in the North and
South of Ireland.
The final important dimension to the cross-border feature of
this programme is that the two University of Ulster staff
(myself and a colleague, together with a Researcher) have been
employed as academic consultants to examine the potential for
joint accreditation of the programme, by both the University of
Ulster as well as the Southern accreditation body, the Higher
Education Training and Awards Council, so that it will have
recognition and validity in both the North and South of Ireland.
The programme has already been validated by the Higher Education
Training and Awards Council. A report currently being prepared
along with colleagues and due to be launched in January 2005
will identify the similarities and differences between the two
systems of accreditation in the North and South of Ireland and
put forward recommendations that could pave the way for a joint
or parallel accreditation of this programme. In relation to our
discussion of the impact of borders on learning, the lack of
transferability and recognition is one way in which a
geo-political border can limit the benefits accruing from
learning that occurs in different jurisdictions.
2 - Non-traditional students
The programme targets those who are marginalized in society and
therefore generally excluded from higher education. This
constitutes one border for many people, whereby barriers related
to social class, gender, marginalisation, for example, cost,
distance, location, dependents and previous educational
experience severely impede access to higher education. I have
already drawn attention to the significance of location with
respect to this programme, particularly in relation to those
from a Protestant/Unionist background living in the North of
Ireland. However, location has a further significance, with
regard to the course being delivered in a 3rd level
formal education institution. “2nd chance” learners
have often been failed by the educational system as children and
young adults. They often experience this as a failure in
themselves.
Adult returners therefore are a very particular group of
learners who require specific approaches to learning and
education. The Borderlands Studies Initiative has attempted to
recruit participants who would not normally take part in higher
education – 25% of participants are unemployed and a further 11%
categorise their status as “homemakers”. The recruitment
road-show took place in community venues, that are situated in
working-class areas. In recognition of the support required for
2nd chance learners to continue and progress in 3rd
level education, the programme also appointed a Student Mentor,
who meets the students regularly to discuss their progress and
address any concerns they may have.
There has been much recent interest in encouraging adults to
participate in formal education and training, often linked to
improving employability and gaining skills for living in a
technological society. The concept of lifelong learning has
regained currency in recent years, featuring in a number of
British government reports (for example, Dearing, 1997; Kennedy,
1997; DfEE, 1998; DfEE, 1999). Field (2000) suggests that
renewed interest in the notion of lifelong learning is not
restricted to Britain, but can in fact be found in most Western
European countries (eg Dohmen, 1996, 1998; Department of
Education & Science, 1998; Ministry of Culture, Education &
Science, 1998). He traces its re-emergence through the European
Commission (1994), where it became linked with competition and
economic growth. This corresponds with Gouthro’s (2002:336) view
that increased participation in adult education is driven
largely by the need to compete in the global economy and its
value is therefore determined largely by its success in
“training people to successfully participate in and adapt to the
evolving global marketplace”. She claims that this narrow focus
leads to the denigration of lifelong education becoming “yet
another item for consumption that demarcates the difference
between those who are ‘successful’ in life, and those who are
not” (Gouthro, 2002:335). Ironically, a number of studies
indicate that those most likely to participate in adult
education tend to be those who have already previously benefited
from the education system (Merriam & Cafferella, 1991; Shipley,
1997, as cited in Gouthro, 2002). Thus Gouthro (2002:340) claims
that “Those at the lowest end of the social spectrum are less
likely to be involved in formal types of education in
adulthood”.
Whilst the Programme has projected outputs related to
participants gaining employment and/or career progression that
comply with the EU Peace II Measure’s Horizontal principle of
Economic and Social Sustainability, the stated learning outcomes
of the programme demonstrate a much wider understanding of
lifelong learning. For example, the Programme Objectives state
that on successful completion of the programme, graduates will
be able to:
·
Critically analyse the role of cultural elements (heritage,
landscape, history, belief, politics, language, literature,
media, art and music) in borderlands areas around the world,
with special reference to the cultural and political borderlands
between Ireland and Britain;
·
Understand the interaction between economics, culture and
politics in borderlands;
·
Work well and empathetically with people of different
cultural backgrounds in a mixed workplace;
·
Take up employment in the tourism, heritage and community
sectors;
·
Work competently in any environment where a proficiency in IT
skills is required;
·
Undertake any further academic study if so desired
These objectives recognise the importance of not only gaining
the necessary skills for living and working in the 21st
Century, but also gaining detailed knowledge, understanding and
critical awareness of their personal identity and the identity
of communities, in relation to national and international
borders.
3 -
Focus on Borderlands
A
unique feature on the island of Ireland, is the focus of this
programme on the study of borders. Whilst several research
centres exist on the island of Ireland, for example, the Centre
for Cross-Border Community Development in Dundalk Institute of
Technology, in the Republic of Ireland and in the North of
Ireland, Queens University Belfast has a Centre for
International Borders Research and the University of Ulster has
its Centre for Conflict Studies and INCORE (). These centres
tend to focus on research and post-graduate awards or short
courses. The Borderlands Studies Initiative is the first
undergraduate degree programme to focus specifically on the
study of borders, on the island of Ireland. As stated above,
some of the learning outcomes for this programme relate
specifically to participants developing detailed knowledge and
understanding of borderlands. The content of the course is not
restricted to study of the Irish border, but rather incorporates
international dimensions, that enable participants to understand
that issues pertaining to borders are not unique to Ireland and
that borders are an important feature of human society. Many of
the participants have been directly affected by the conflict in
Ireland (for example, as victims or family/friends of victims,
displaced persons, ex-prisoners, minorities). In this way, the
programme can contribute to building peace and reconciliation,
through providing a safe learning environment, in which
participants can explore issues relating to conflict and develop
new perspectives and skills for dealing with these. As many of
the participants are active within their communities, it is
hoped that these skills and understanding will have an impact on
the wider communities.
4 - E-learning opportunities
Another important feature of this programme is its aim to
include the delivery of e-learning to its participants. This is
a significant development in the various interpretations of the
idea of “border”, within the context of this programme, which as
previously stated, has targeted participants often socially
excluded from higher education. These students would not
normally have the capacity to access e-learning. In order to
combat this, the Introductory sessions of the programme have
been specifically designed to include substantial Information
Technology Skills, to enable students to feel confident about
using e-learning. Whilst the 1st year of the
programme is delivered by face-to-face teaching, a combination
of direct contact and e-learning, known as “blended learning” is
currently being piloted in the second year. 2nd year students in
the 1st semester have taken one module via e-learning
and one module direct contact. It was hoped that two modules
could be taken via e-learning in the 2nd semester.
However, the recent evaluation carried out suggests that
students are having more difficulty with this mode of learning
than anticipated. Some problems are technical and can be
addressed fairly easily. Some participants experience difficulty
due to lack of sufficient IT and typing skills and again this
problem can be easily rectified through giving participants more
opportunity to practise these before embarking upon the
e-learning module. Others reported lack of confidence in the
subject of study and a loss of peer and tutor interaction and
support as contributing to the difficulties in using
e-learning. Whilst students recognise and appreciate the
support being given by the course tutor and IT technician, it
has been recommended that students are introduced to e-learning
at a slower pace, which enables them to gain the confidence and
skills required to manage their learning environment
effectively. A minority of students who have welcomed the
introduction of e-learning as a means of cutting down on
travelling times, also reported good IT skills and confidence in
working on-line.
Conclusion
Increasingly the notion of globalisation and the merchandising
of products to an international market have impacted on
education. It too is often viewed as a marketable commodity and
its value therefore subject to the laws of supply and demand.
European Peace funds have provided a unique opportunity in the
borderlands of area of Ireland to develop the BA (Hons)
Borderlands Studies which takes “borders” as its subject of
concern and addresses this in the content of study, as well as
the way in which students are nurtured throughout their studies.
Thus students are initially encouraged to cross the
institutional “border”, in order to commence their studies and
at a later stage, they are encouraged to go out from the
institution, in order to “virtually” cross back into the
institution, at a time and place convenient to them. The hope is
that borders around educational institutions can be broken down
through e-learning, bringing the educational opportunities into
communities that are socially isolated and marginalized.
Finally, the development of e-learning opportunities in this
project, opens up the possibility of students from diverse
locations studying modules which deal with the very nature of
borders, their changing nature and significance for individuals
and communities in different countries.
In a society emerging from conflict, political, historical and
cultural borders remain. Ireland is not unique in this; many
regions of the world are either currently experiencing conflict
or emerging from conflict. Borders are not fixed forever; they
can arise, change, diminish and dissolve. Their impact on the
lives of individuals and communities cannot be disregarded,
despite global forces and the impingement of other cultures. It
is important therefore in the world of e-learning and virtual
university campuses, that learning takes on board and includes
learning about the borders that affect our daily lives, whether
they are geographical, ideological or psychological boundaries.
Thank-you for your time and interest.
Droits de
reproduction et de diffusion réservés ©
LESTAMP -
2005
Dépôt Légal Bibliothèque Nationale de France
N°20050127-4889
|