Weeks 5, 6, 7: My conversation with Professor Allan Tait!

This was my first conversation with Distance Education expert! Very acknowledging and humble experience!
Professor Tait,
I chose DE as my Master's degree because I really think it has a future. I believe online teaching could go well with my Active Guard Reserve position in the Army. I could do both jobs that I like.
With that being said, where do you think DE is going? Do you think DE will have a prosperous future? Why?
Are there still any difficulties in delivering/receiving DE? What are they?
In your video, you also said that you worked on reshaping the size of the curriculum. What did you mean by that? What is "new curriculum strategy that delivers more effective pathways to graduation"?
What problems do we still encounter in DE?
Thank you in advance for all your responses.
Olga

Professor Alan Tait's response to my questions:
Hello Olga,
     For the future I am less clear than for the past!  I certainly never foresaw 20years ago the pace and scale of the digital revolution. But I am sure that flexible provision for adult learners that allows study away from a campus and at times that fit round work, in other words, a range of forms of distance ed will grow more and more important. But also, and arguably, I think technology enhanced learning will allow further development of blended models, off and on campus, and these may grow also. The sharp distinction between distance and these blended models may therefore become less dominant, and the broader field of technology enhanced learning central.
     As for my remarks about a new curriculum strategy I wanted during my time as Pro Vice-Chancellor (or Provost) to bring in new programmes that served both the goals of access and inclusion for the Open U, and which resonated with lives of less privileged adults for whom livelihood was a struggle not a privilege. So I oversaw the introduction of programmes like Sports Studies and Retail Management, where there are large low paid workforces with low qualification levels for whom studying in their occupational area would be both interesting and supportive of livelihood. And that would improve graduation levels as it would engage students thoroughly. Some of that worked!

Does that make sense?
Alan