Challenges and Achievements of Senior Citizen Pursuing Open and Distance Learning

• Main Authors: Wong, Huey Siew, Oo, Cheng Keat, Suhaimi Jamaludin, Mohd Yusuf Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Published: ASEAN Journal of Open and Distance Learning 2018
• Subjects: LB2300 Higher Education; LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education; LC5800 Distance education
• Online Access: http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/1375/1/library-document-1375.pdf; https://ajodl.oum.edu.my/document/Previous/Volume10.No.2_2018/Article_3_Vol10,No.2,2018.pdf; http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/1375/
• Institution: Open University Malaysia

In the era of technology and borderless world, open and distance learning has become a choice for many adults who wish to pursue tertiary education. In responding to this development, many higher education institutions, including Open University Malaysia, have designed various academic programmes to meet the needs of adult learners. Senior citizens naturally experience a decline in their physical, cognitive, motor and memory abilities. Despite having to face such challenges, many senior citizens have enrolled at the Open University Malaysia. The objective of this study is to examine their academic performance, analyse it by gender, age and zone of learning centres; and identify the issues and challenges they faced. Senior citizens who graduated from two schools, the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences (now known as Cluster of Education and Social Sciences) and OUM Business School (now known as Cluster of Business and Management), were included in this study. Secondary data was used to analyse learners’ academic performance while interviews were conducted to identify the challenges they faced. The findings indicated that they had faced difficulties in relation to their health and information technology skills but still performed well. (Abstract by authors)