Essay On Self-Instructional Materials

Self-Instructional Materials (SIM) play a major role in the teaching-learning process at all levels of education and training. They are materials specifically designed to enable learners to study partly or wholly by themselves and have been described as “Tutorial-In-Print” (Rowntree, 1998). Self-instructional materials have been associated with many other names such as: home study, computer-based training, packages learning, flexible learning, independent learning, individualized learning, programmed instruction and so forth. Many of the instructional activities commonly associated with conventional face-to-face instruction, such as classroom discussion and immediate and direct feedback, are not easy to provide in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) System. It is imperative to prepare the instructional materials in advance of the learning activity when instruction is imparted in Distance education mode. Indeed the quality of the teaching and learning process in Distance Education is dependent on the quality of the Self-Instructional Study Material. Distance Education study materials replace the teacher in more than the subject matter alone (Jenkins, 1990). Therefore, the materials must be designed in such a way that they provide a substitute for the dialogue possible in the conventional classroom situation, and that it is not just a matter of possessing a good writing style.

Consequently, some variation of a team approach to the process to the material preparation is highly suggested where a group of experts with consummate skills in their domain areas contribute their knowledge and their prowess. Training of staff engaged in the development of Distance Education course materials is