Open Learning Quality Assurance Through Professional Staff Development

by
Yusufhadi Miarso and Basuki Wibawa
State University of Jakarta

(Paper presented at the Seventh International Symposium on Open and Distance Learning, Yogyakarta, 12-14 November 2001)

Higher education or continuing education staff in most institution in Indonesia,
and most likely elsewhere, is differentiated as two groups of staff which co-exist in the
institution. The first group is the academics who are also referred to as faculty, and the
other group is the non-academic staff which referred to as supportive, allied, or general
staff. The non-academic staff is commonly viewed as a somewhat lower class than the
academics. Many academics considers that once they mastered a certain disciplines or
subject matter and committed themselves to research in that discipline, they are capable
enough independently to teach. They do the teaching by using the intuitive approach or
empirical approach, which are based on their own intuition and experiences, or maybe
their own peer experiences. They felt that what they need are assistances who are in a
subordinate capacity, such as typing papers or operating necessary equipment.
This academics attitude is more or less supported by a policy decision in 1981
which is introducing a faculty development program called as Akta V (teaching certificate
for university lecturers). This program was focused on individual development of each
faculty, which meant that each faculty will be able to design, develop, implement, manage
and evaluate the teaching-learning activities individually. Many faculty view that this
kind of staff development is enhancing academic freedom and autonomy. This view is
translated into the idea that academics can decide what is best for their own and their
students. There is also a program introduced almost at the same time of establishing the
Learning Resources Centers (LRC) in a selected institutions of higher learning. This
center was established for the provision of academic support such as in the production of
audio-visual materials, development of curriculum & syllabi, preparation of evaluation
instrument etc. These services are depending on the academic’s order or request.
Although such attitudes are less acknowledge nowadays but current practice is still
heavily influenced by them.
The current development of open learning systems, which is in most cases are
extending institutional opportunity and outreach, requires institutional development more than the individual development. A good deal of work in institutional development is
done in team works with a spirit of collegiality. The class distinction between the faculty
and the non-academic staff is not appropriate anymore. Within this paper what is called
as staff development is referred to as an encompassing all personnel involved in the
delivery and management of open learning program.

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