Graduate Students' Acceptance and Readiness for Open Distance Education in Kalinga State University

Abstract

The study focuses on the graduate students' acceptability and readiness to Open Distance Education offered by Kalinga State University. The study found that the participants moderately accepted and is much familiar with the technologies commonly used in ODL. Also, it was found that there is a positive correlation between familiarity with technology and the acceptance of distance education and its constructs. However, the identified problems in offering ODL are much serious. Hence, if distance education is promoted, the University may need to improve students’ perception of online education by educating them about its advantages, disadvantages, and requirements for success. Because the students currently hold that distance education does not improve one’s reputation, it may be more useful to have campaigns with alumni or students that are known, respected, and successful. If an image is indeed one of the critical factors in the Kalinga culture, having testimonials from well-respected individuals may increase students' acceptance. Moreover, the University will need to invest in proper technological training and support, especially for online collaborative tools with which students are unfamiliar. The university has to equip computer labs with sufficient computers and reliable Internet for students who do not own computers at home.