Abstract
Online higher education (OHE) in Chile is part of an education system that is going through a socio-historical moment marked by important regulatory changes and bythe power of social movements that are calling for quality education, with a focus on equity and a gender perspective. As part of a post-pandemic world and the
accelerated digitalisation of life, this mode of study has seen unparalleled growth in
recent years. However, online education is still relegated to the margins of
transformations in the education system. There are still prejudices about its quality
and an instrumental approach that makes its social scope invisible.
This research analyses the quality of OHE in Chile from different perspectives and
explores the possibilities of incorporating a gender perspective contextualised to
cyberspace as a dimension of quality. The methodological approach combines
qualitative and quantitative techniques to gain an in-depth understanding of a context that has been little studied. We conducted a systematic literature review, interviewed
policy makers (n=4) and OHE managers (n=50), and applied questionnaires to students (n=3,576) and teachers (n=789) in 18 Chilean higher education institutions
with online degree programmes. The results of this research are presented through a compendium of five articles published or submitted to relevant journals in the fields of study. In summary, the main
findings highlight the need to broaden perspectives on the quality of OHE, based on the incorporation of issues specific to the modality and to make visible in digital
educational environments the current challenges of cyberspace in terms of gaps, conflicts and responsible use of technologies. Thus, we propose a cyberfeminist conceptual framework that enables the translation of the gender approach to online education and thus enriches the views on educational quality, contributing to its improvement.
| Date of Award | 20 Jun 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | Spanish |
| Supervisor | Pilar Pineda Herrero (Director) & Paloma Valdivia (Director) |