Stirling oct 97dp/rm p.1 Online Learning: What have we learned? Professor Robin Mason Institute of...

Stirling oct 97dp/rm p.1

Online Learning:Online Learning:What have we learned?What have we learned?

Professor Robin MasonProfessor Robin MasonInstitute of Educational TechnologyInstitute of Educational Technology

The Open UniversityThe Open UniversityMilton KeynesMilton Keynes


What is Online Learning?What is Online Learning? course content on the web

— glorified CBT

— designed and written specifically for the web

course resources on the web

— overheads and hand-outs

— links to articles and websites

course communication online

— email and discussion areas

— collaborative activities and assessments


Evidence from Researchers and Evidence from Researchers and Practitioners of Online TeachingPractitioners of Online Teaching

authored book

edited book with international group of authors

Jisc-funded research study

Practitioner created e-book


Collis and Moonen (2001) Flexible Collis and Moonen (2001) Flexible Learning in a Digital WorldLearning in a Digital World


Teaching and Learning Online (2001) Teaching and Learning Online (2001) ed. J. Stephenson, Kogan Pageed. J. Stephenson, Kogan Page


JISC Study: Networked LearningJISC Study: Networked Learning

— http://domino.lancs.ac.uk/edres/csaltdocs.nsf


Practitioner created e-bookPractitioner created e-book

http://otis.scotcit.ac.uk/onlinebook/


Contradictory FindingsContradictory Findings

due to different educational contexts

— campus/ remote learners; young/mature students; curriculum areas

due to different uses of the term ‘online learning’

— content/communication; wholly/partially online

due to different research methodologies

— broad-brush large-scale surveys or small, contextualised interviews


1 Course Design1 Course Design

need for clear, unequivocal instructions

need for comprehensive guidelines

re-thinking lectures as activities

team approach to course design


Course Design for the WebCourse Design for the Web

capitalizing on unique features of the web

— hyperlinking rather than linear conception of content

— links to additional, external resources

— must be kept up-to-date, can be changed on the fly

— webcasting, simulations, video/audio clips for specialist purposes


2 Assessment2 Assessment

individualisation continuum (learning contract - essays - MCQ)

course design continuum (aims and objectives = course content = assessment)

the art of assessment design (challenging assignment v/s marking reliability v/s feasibility)

balancing student centred approach with responsibility of certifying achievement

more innovative assignments are more open to cheating and plagarism


Good Practice in AssessmentGood Practice in Assessment

use a variety of assessment methods

relate the assessment to the pedagogy

make the aims, criteria and standards explicit

use authentic and holistic tasks

opportunities to complete the feedback loop


Online AssessmentOnline Assessment

web pages: projects, literature review, collaborative pages

conferencing: debates, simulations, discussions

MCQ: matching,assertion/ reason, ranking and sequencing, multiple right answers


3 Mixed Mode3 Mixed Mode

combinations of face-to-face meetings with online delivery has become standard

purely face-to-face and purely online courses will increasingly be reserved for specialist uses

e-learning has already evolved to mean enhanced learning (that is, learning enhanced by electronic technologies)


4 Teaching Online4 Teaching Online

over-emphasised as a new paradigm

training is needed as much because of lack of emphasis on teaching in HE generally as because online teaching is different

online teaching has upset the apple-cart: what is the role of the teacher in HE?

online education is more revolutionary for campus education than for distance education


Online Education: The Time-Online Education: The Time-Consuming FactorConsuming Factor

One of the few issues about which there is little disagreement in the literature

Is it a short-term phenomenon?

Need to acknowledge that good teaching, whatever the medium, never happens on the cheap


5 Learning Online5 Learning Online

Evidence hasn’t changed over nearly 15 years: the more ‘adult’, the more ‘learning mature’, the more motivated, the more self-confident, the better they enjoy and benefit from online learning


Campus-based studies Campus-based studies

sometimes conclude that students feel they are being ‘fobbed off’ with online education

sometimes report greater interactivity with online courses than ftf courses

harder to generate online discussion because of co-location of students


Studies of Distance EducationStudies of Distance Education

Studies based on distance students usually show very positive results

— more interaction online and greater feeling of community

Still a hard core who resist online interaction or who want to retain ftf tutorials


6 Collaborative Learning6 Collaborative Learning

requires organisation, good design and strong leadership by the online tutor especially at the beginning

related to a whole course approach e.g. scaffolding for group work

it can work but not for everyone - significant learning gains for some students


7 Resource-based Learning7 Resource-based Learning

when asked, students claim they don’t like RBL because

— it is more work

— it is more difficult to study for exams

— it is often poorly supported

— it can appear that the teacher has abrogated the instructor role


8 Prior Learning or Experience8 Prior Learning or Experience

motivation and open-ness to learning matters more than any experience or prior learning

the effect of prior experience with the Internet and mobile phones will lead to greater demand for good course design

good course design engages the whole learner, not just their cognitive centre


9 Context, Context, Context9 Context, Context, Context

It is still very difficult to ‘get it right’ the first time

— need for pilots, ‘toe in the water’ experiments

Aiming at a moving target

— technology, students, curriculum, staff

So many variables

— access modes, prior experience, group sizes


10 The Technology10 The Technology

“The technology is the least important part of the learning experience for students” (Yoni Ryan in ‘Changing Faces of Virtual Education’, www.col.org)

Serious technical problems will certainly lead to failure, but ‘good technology’ contributes very little to the success of a course.


New DemandsNew Demands

Demand for timely, accurate and personalised learning and performance support

— ‘New’ learners want bite-sized chunks of learning, not whole courses

— ‘New’ learners want learning tailored to their context

— ‘New’ learners want just-in-tine learning

— Perishability of knowledge means that there isn’t time to develop long courses


Scenarios for the use of Learning Scenarios for the use of Learning ObjectsObjects

content aggregation

re-using existing course content

creating your ‘own’ course

designing templates for re-use

creating modular courses


Re-versioning existing contentRe-versioning existing content

The Open University’s perspective on re-use:

— re-shaping

— re-sizing

— re-purposing

— cross media redesign

— pre-versioning


Multi-use graphical templatesMulti-use graphical templates

Royal Roads University (www.royalroads.ca)

— assemble screens of web course content through graphs, text etc in the learning object library

— using templates to develop interactive learning objects http://207.194.130.32/ELO/default.asp?newversion_name=Original


Modular CoursesModular Courses

Learning Objects according to R. Mason (:>

— the essence of a topic

— presented in a structured but condensed format e.g. 6-8 web pages

consisting of 3 elements:

— text, quotes, short examples

— exercises, self tests, interactive games or simulations

— further reading, web links and case studies


Arguments against Learning ObjectsArguments against Learning Objects

dumbing down

lack of coherent narrative

“design by committee”

misplaced resource

abrogating role of the expert

learning as lego bricks


What We KnowWhat We Know

considerable consensus

— around student-centred learning (less in the sciences)

— around the need for structuring the online environment

— around the value of interactivity

— around the need for support, scaffolding to help students adjust to the online environment


What We Know What We Know

we know little about

— how to engage students affectively

— how to design relevant, appropriate assessment

— whether to enforce participation in collaborative activities

— how to create exciting, relevant online activities in many curriculum areas

— how to teach more students in less resource with higher quality!

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