Higher education initiative challenges based on multiple frames of leadership: the case of Nepal Open University

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to present the challenges faced in implementing open and online learning by the recently established Open University of Nepal (NOU), which has been offering limited courses in graduate study, all blended since 2018. University leaders, faculty members, technical staff, and students at Nepal Open University participated in semi-structured interviews to evaluate the perceived challenges of implementing online learning. Using the perspectives of Bolman and Deal’s four frames as a guide, participants discussed the challenges they experienced at their institution; these included financial limitations, lack of instructor, and familiarity with online learning, the absence of a Human Resources unit, slow governmental functioning, and a lack of quality assurance policies.

KEYWORDS:

• Nepal
• Nepal Open University
• online learning
• challenges
• higher education

Author’s contributions

The first author (Jeevan Khanal) had regular contact and a presence as an Assistant Professor at Nepal Open University where the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Deans, and students alike freely shared the contextual challenges, initiated and implemented policies and practices. The first author conducted the interviews with participants whereas the second and third authors (Uttam Gaulee and Ormond Simpson) were involved in discussing and planning data collection, coding and analysis. We employed dialogue as a constructive means of validation and creditability. The first author prepared the rough draft of this paper and the second, and third authors developed the final draft. In the editing process, many collaborative discussions between us helped in finalising the draft.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes on contributors

Jeevan Khanal

Jeevan Khanal, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Education in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Education at the Nepal Open University, Nepal. His research focuses on the area of international students, study abroad, educational leadership, educational administration, academic integrity, higher education, and open and distance learning. Email: [email protected]

Uttam Gaulee

Uttam Gaulee, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Community College Leadership Doctoral Program, Morgan State University, USA. His research interests include community college systems, development education, diaspora studies along with interdisciplinary perspectives on education policy, global citizenship, and cross-cultural issues in international development and geopolitics. Email: [email protected]

Ormond Simpson

Ormond Simpson, was a Senior Lecturer in Institutional Research at The Open University, UK. He has also been a Visiting Professor at the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and a Visiting Fellow at the University of London Centre for Distance Education. He has written three books on student support and retention which have sold more than 4000 copies and one of which has been translated into Chinese. The third edition of the second book was published in 2013. He has published more than 30 articles in peer refereed journals on student support for retention in distance learning, learning motivation, the cost benefits of distance learning, ethical issues and many other aspects of distance learning. Email: [email protected]