Sustainable expansion of the DL sector would require a range of actions, both on the part of higher education institutions and the Government. It is helpful to use the prism of demand and supply to understand the nature of the action required.
The pool of the large unexploited potential demand has been commented upon earlier. A variety of factors may be causing the potential demand to remain dormant. One factor may be the inefficiency of match between learner needs and what is available on offer. A better understanding of learner demand would be needed for designing DL programmes. Another constraint could be the inadequacy of information to participants on what is on offer. A third factor may be that what is available is not valued, either by the labour market or as a basis for furthering qualifications. Another factor may be that potential applicants may have difficulty in meeting eligibility requirements for access to DL courses, whether in terms of subject area or the ICT requirements for on-line interactive study. Available courses may be too expensive in terms of the value they bring. Finally, there may be institutional hurdles, such as age-limits, that limit access to some programmes or funding.
These constraints can be addressed through a variety of approaches. The demand base can be expanded by measures such as the provision of foundation training in ICT and in bridging courses to improve eligibility for DL programmes. The admission requirements need not lower standards but can be designed to take account of elements of eligibility not considered for F2F students. For example, DL students may already have some form of qualifications that should be taken into account. Massive marketing campaigns have been used in many countries to raise awareness of the programmes that are available and the value they can offer. Information about the progression routes through the qualifications structure can help potential distance learners in assessing the value of DL programmes. Market research can be helpful in determining the types of programmes desired by learners. Contacts with professional organisations and institutes can be extremely helpful in this regard and UAb is beginning to explore this avenue more aggressively.
The experience with the Decree-Law of 2006 (64/2006, March) that facilitated entry of adults age 23 and over into higher education (commonly known as M23) is that of positive expansion, but so far the DL share has been limited. This may be due to the limited DL offers or because of their more stringent eligibility criteria in DL programmes. Consideration should be given to expanding eligibility to the group below age 23. Development of bridging courses (such as those developed by polytechnic of Leiria) could be provided on a national basis. Online curricula to acquire the necessary qualification to enter HE for those who missed secondary school certificate could be very helpful in expanding the potential pool of DL applicants. Programme of prior learning assessment can assist potential applicants in assessing their eligibility requirements.