Developing critical thinking skills through Interactive Radio Programs (IRPs): Building online knowledge networks in distance education

Abstract

In considering how best to optimize distance education systems, economy (cost effectiveness and efficiency), technology (communication technologies) and equity (gender, accessibility, minority, language, religion etc.) are vital issues in any distance education systems. Moreover, how end-users, distance learners, can equally share and exchange knowledge and resources for educational purposes, how they can promote their higher-order thinking skills as well as how they can cope with the limitations they have (such as time, age, gender, language etc.) are major concerns in distance education milieus. Kurubacak strongly emphasize that interactive radio programs, as a forgotten educational media, with a little cost can effectively integrate in any distance education systems. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to focus on interactive radio programs to build critical and creative knowledge networks among diverse learners in the distance education systems of developing countries.