Providing University Education in Physical Geography Across the South Pacific Islands: Multi-modal Course Delivery and Student Grade Performance

Abstract

Enormous distances across the vast South Pacific hinder student access to the main Fiji campus of the regional tertiary education provider, the University of the South Pacific (USP). Fortunately, USP has been a pioneer in distance education (DE) and promotes multi-modal delivery of programmes. Geography has embraced DE, but doubts remain about comparability of various modes of study. This paper offers a diachronic examination of final grade performance of undergraduate physical geography students learning via three different modes. Data collected over 10 years on the pass rates of >1300 students are analysed. Various influences on student achievement are highlighted.

Keywords:

• Physical geography
• higher education
• South Pacific Islands
• distance education

Acknowledgements

Although both authors are now in Singapore, James Terry is also Adjunct Professor in the School of Geography, University of the South Pacific, and former Head of Geography (2003–2006) and Brian Poole was formerly Senior Coordinator, Quality Assurance, University of the South Pacific. Special thanks to Mrs Sharon McGowan (formerly Geography Department secretary) and Ms Verenaisi Tuisoivi of the Examinations Office at the University of the South Pacific for their assistance with compiling and filing student grades, while J. Terry was Head of Geography. Many thanks also to Mr Sunil Chand, Senior Data Analyst at USP, for additional data included in this study. Four anonymous reviewers provided constructive comments and guidance, which were much appreciated. The achievements of USP geography students, especially those studying under challenging circumstances through distance and SS modes, provided inspiration for this study.

Notes

¹ GE101, GE205 and GE306 make up the complement of physical geography courses at USP, out of a total listing of usually 16 geography courses available to students (showing slight yearly variations). Data on GE101 grade performance are not included for analysis as this course has not been consistently taught by the same lecturer over the study period. Two undergraduate biogeography courses are among the offerings, but contents cross over between physical and human geography sub-disciplines.

² There were five additional offerings of courses by OC mode over the study period, but taught by lecturers other than the first author, so these grade results are not included.

³ This would otherwise be possible since the introductory physical geography course at 100 level, GE101, is also available for study through DFL mode.

⁴ There were two additional offerings of GE205 by DFL mode over the study period, but run by another lecturer, so these grade results are not included.

⁵ SSs are now renamed as ‘flexi-schools’ by USP and are considered as another form of ‘DFL’, complementing print-mode DFL course offerings. For the purposes of comparison of grade performance in this study, SS is considered distinctly separate from DFL.

⁶ Some departments at USP also offer ‘winter’ flexi-schools in the shorter break between semesters mid-way through the academic year (June), but GE306 was always run as a summer flexi-school.

⁷ The UWI is the only other regional university in existence besides USP that serves a group of small island states spread over a wide oceanic area.

⁸ In comparison, the regular semester (both for OC and DFL modes) is structured with a revision week before 2 weeks of final examinations are scheduled. So, a course with its final exam timetabled in the middle of the examination period gives students a fortnight of revision time after the end of the formal teaching period.

⁹ In the relatively small urban centres, where SSs are conducted, most of the career geography teachers enrolled have known each other for many years.