Learners enrol via the Internet in an online ‘course’, which runs part-time for one month. The purpose of the course will be to provide a conceptual platform which helps you to understand the implications of different policy choices regarding distance education.

During the online course, you will access a full online course environment, comprising activities, support resources, links to other useful web resources, and ongoing e-mail engagement with online mentors and a community of their peers. Continual feedback will be provided via e-mail. This will also comprise ongoing telephonic interaction and support . This is expected to comprise 30 notional hours of learning. To ensure that access to resources is streamlined, all materials that you require for the course are contained on this CD-ROM.

After two months, we will gather in Mozambique to participate in a five-day training session. Given the online preparation, the face-to-face course will focus squarely on intensive interaction between participants and facilitators, providing you unique opportunities to work through practical activities, share experiences and problems with your peers, and shape the learning environment so that it meets your specific requirements. This will comprise a further 40 notional hours of learning.

Following the face-to-face session, online interaction will be continued for a further two months. At this point, the formal structure of the online environment will be loosened to allow more dynamic engagement amongst peers, but will comprise some designed activities to ensure ongoing participation. This will comprise a further 50 notional hours of learning, for a total of 120 notional hours of learning.