How to improve distance learning in a prison environment?
Despite the good will on all sides, many problems arise regarding distance learning and prisons and here is a non-exhaustive list:
No internet connection
Lack of communication with the teachers
Insufficient budget and financial help
Libraries with little or no appropriate documentation
Insufficient length of weekly course
Some student detainees have little computing experience
The best solution possible at present is to create complete modules which are available as files (to counter the lack of internet connection). They would either be available directly on computer or on an external storage device (USB, CD) if possible. Moreover, there should be no hypertext links. Therefore, each module should be complemented by resources included directly in the module (visuals, audio, PDF ...). The same must be applied to the self-evaluation exercises directly integrated into the pedagogical units
In this same perspective, to bolster the course, it is vital that students behind bars be supplied with specific books and these should be available as downloadable open source items which you can integrate as PDFs, or where possible pre-install them on computers.