Une analyse de l'équité d'un enseignement en ligne

Abstract

The Centre for Adult Education at the University of Haute Alsace (Mulhouse, France) offers three different modes of learning and teaching to students completing the DAEU diploma: correspondence courses, face to face courses and of online learning. This diploma gives access to French higher education for adult learners who do not own the French "baccalaureat" (end of secondary education). The research aims at analysing the equity factor and establishes that online teaching and learning, in this particular case, not only attracts those who find themselves excluded from higher education because of their professional commitments and constraints, but also draws a significantly greater number of men who tend usually to be rather less engaged in online learning than their female counterparts. Furthermore we show that if we do not take into account dropouts, online education is as effective as correspondence or "face-to-face" courses. Finally, our results show that this degree allows more than half of students to meet the targets they had set initially. Hardly 25% finally give up. It seems that the service of adult education allows students to choose the mode of teaching best suited to their constraints and goals. © Cned/Lavoisier 2011.