Slide 1

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 2

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 3

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 4

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 5

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 6

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 7

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 8

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 9

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 10

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 11

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 12

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 13

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 14

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 15

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 16

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 17

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 18

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 19

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 20

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 21

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 22

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 23

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 24

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 25

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 26

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 27

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 28

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 29

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 30

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 31

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 32

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 33

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 34

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 35

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 36

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 37

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 38

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 39

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 40

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 41

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 42

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 43

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 44

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 45

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 46

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 47

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 48

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 49

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 50

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 51

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 52

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 53

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 54

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 55

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 56

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 57

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 58

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 59

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 60

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 61

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 62

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
48

Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

49

Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
50

New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
51

Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
52

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

53

Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

54

Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

55

New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
57

Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

58

Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

59

Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
61

The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
62

The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

63

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
64


Slide 64

Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
1

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

2

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education started in the 19th century, with
correspondence courses using the postal service to
send learning materials to students. In the 20th
century, Distance Education started to use television
for courses and programs, and new information and
communication technologies, especially the World
Wide Web has pushed Distance Education into the
centre of the education practice in higher education.
As a result, many of the techniques developed for in
Distance Education are now being used on campus,
as well as for distance students.
3

What is Distance Education?
Distance Education has three defining features:
• The student is distant from the teacher
• The student has a planned and guided learning
experience
• The student and the teacher participate in a two-way
structured discourse which is distinct from the
traditional classroom/seminar.
Hence the separation between student and teacher
requires that teachers plan, present content, interact,
and perform the other learning processes in
significantly different ways from the face-to-face
environment of the normal classroom.
4

Distance Education:Terms and Definitions
Distance
Education
Distance
Learning
Distributed
Learning

E-Learning
Networked
Learning
Open
Learning

Planned learning that occurs in a different place from teaching
and so requires special techniques of course design, special
instructional techniques, and special methods of communication
by electronic and other technology, as well as special
organizational and administrative arrangements
Instruction and learning practice using technology and involving
students and teachers who are separated by time and space
Learning environment [which] exists among a dispersed student
population, is structured according to learner needs, and
integrates traditional functions (e.g. Classrooms, library) through
both synchronous and asynchronous communication
Subset of Distributed Learning. Relies on digital content,
experiences through a technology interface, and is networkenabled. Collaboration is a desirable feature of e-learning
Type of learning in which learners and instructors use computers
to exchange messages, engage in dialogue and access
resources any time and any place
Learners work primarily from self-instruction, completing courses
structured around specially prepared, printed teaching materials,
supplemented with face-to-face tutorials and examinations
5

What is E-Learning?
The fact that the phrase e-learning is used to
describe very different uses of technologies to
accomplish very different tasks for very different
student cohorts, explains why there is huge variation
in the identified costs and benefits, successes and
failures of e-learning.

6

What is E-Learning?
Robin Mason suggests three usages of the term elearning, each with their own focus, activities and
benefits. [Robin Mason, Working Paper: Information And
Communication Technologies In Education And Training, (E.U.
Directorate-General For Research September 2002.)]

The first, training and workplace use of the term elearning carries strong overtones of computer-based
training transferred to the Internet. Hence the
emphasis is on the electronic nature and delivery of
the content, and NOT the communicative potential of
the web.
7

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners who emphasise the content delivery
side of e-learning often have a behaviourist or
cognitive conception of learning, and focus on the
development of clearly presented content, facilities
for testing the learner and multimedia materials for
increasing learner motivation. Access to training,
reduced costs and speed and retention of learning
are the attractions of e-learning for them.

8

What is E-Learning?
Within higher education, there is greater consensus
that e-learning means electronic access and
interaction with learning materials, fellow learners
and tutors. Hence the second focus here is on the
communicative potential of e-learning, NOT the
delivery of content.

9

What is E-Learning?
Practitioners of e-learning who emphasise the
communicative nature of e-learning draw on
constructivist and social practice theories of learning,
often very overtly aiming to transform the role of the
instructor to that of a facilitator of knowledge
construction, and to create a social environment in
which learners learn from each other online.

10

What is E-Learning?
Beyond these ‘course-based’ approaches to e-learning
Mason identifies the growing opportunities for
technology to support informal learning in the
workplace. Informal learning is intimately related to job
performance; it may not be formally organised into a
programme or curriculum by the employer, but it
accounts for a good deal of the learning arising out of
interactions between colleagues, ad hoc personal
studies, and the experience of work itself.

11

What is E-Learning?
The technologies of most relevance to informal elearning may be grouped into two clusters:
information retrieval and knowledge construction.
The former covers all forms of search and retrieval
software including databases, data mining
applications, information services, electronic
performance support and, of course, the web. The
latter covers all forms of communications technology
from simple email to virtual whiteboards.

12

E-Learning: Towards a Typology
Web-based training

Supported online
learning

Informal elearning

Content-focused

Learner-focused

Group-focused

Delivery-driven

Activity-driven

Practice-driven

Individual learning

Small-group learning

Organisational
learning

Minimal interaction
with tutor

Significant interaction
with tutor

Participants act as
learners and tutors

Considerable
No collaboration with
interaction with other
other learners
learners

Multi-way
interactions among
participants
13

E-Learning in Higher Education
There is considerable debate about whether e-learning
represents a quantum shift with a new pedagogy or
whether is is just an incremental change. The use of
new technologies in education and training delivery
cannot be explained in terms of a single key
technological breakthrough but rather in terms of a
series of developments that can be traced back over
more than 100 years – in one sense lectures are a
form of educational technology, brought in to deal with
the problem of the limited availability of books before
printing was developed.
14

E-Learning in Higher Education
The growth of the use of new technologies in
university teaching, has made their use common
place, rather than novel or unusual. However, the use
of these technologies has also prompted a greater
debate about the theoretical unperpinnings of
teaching, causing leading practitioners to argue:

When it comes to “E-Learning”, it is the
Learning rather than the “E” that is important.
“E-Learning, Is It The ‘‘E’’ Or The Learning That Matters?”,
Internet And Higher Education, 4 (2002) 311–316, Azma Abdul
Hamid
15

Blended Learning in Higher Education
As new technlologies become main stream,
universities are starting to offer a “blended learning
approach” to teaching. Such an approach uses
multiple media (rather than multi-media) to offer
learning content in a variety of formats to embrace the
differing learning styles of students and enhance their
learning experience.

The “blend” of learning technologies will depend
on the subject content, and the students’
learning styles and needs.
16

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

17

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Take what is on offer

Courses on demand

Academic calendar

Year-round operations

University as a city

University as an idea

Terminal degree

Lifelong learning

University as Ivory Tower

University as partner in society

Student = 18 to 25 year old

Cradle to grave learning

Books are primary medium

Information on demand

Single product

Information reuse
18

The Changing Dimensions of H.E.
Old Paradigm for H. E.

New Paradigm for H. E.

Student as a “pain”

Student as a customer

Delivery in classroom

Delivery anywhere

Multicultural

Global

Bricks and mortar

Bits and bytes

Single discipline

Multi-discipline

Institution-centric

Market-centric

Government funded

Market funded

Technology as an expense

Technology as differentiator
19

The Use of New Technologies
LOW
Evolutionary

HIGH
Revolutionary

Traditional
On-Campus

Digital
Off-Campus

Face-to-face
teaching

Distributed Learning
Classroom audioFace-to-face +
visual aids
e-learning
(blended mixed mode)

No e-learning
Student as
Passive Recipient
of Information
Professor as
Provider of
Information

Distance
Education
Fully e-learning

Student as
Active Learner
Creating Knowledge
Professor as
Facilitator of
Learning 20

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Cognitivist/
Behaviourist

Learning
Theory

Social/
Experiencial

Largely
Static

Idea Of
Knowledge

Inherently
Dynamic

LOW
Evolutionary

Use of
new ICTs

HIGH
Revolutionary

Instructional

Pedagogic Model

Constructional

High

Teacher Control

Low

External,
Others

Learner
Motivation

Internal,
Self

Didactic,
Uni-modal

Mode of
Delivery

Dynamic,
Multi-modal

Testing Memory
of Facts

Objective of
Assessment

Testing Competence via
Learning Outcomes 21

Changing Features of Learning and Teaching
Simple,
Unseen written paper

Assessment
Method

Complex,
Group projects, seen papers

Full-Time,
18-21 years

Student
Cohort

FT and PT,
All Ages

Simple,
Single Honours

Curricula
Design

Complex,
Modular Matrix

Course
Choice

Student Demand Driven
“Its what I need”

Course
Calendar

Semester
Multiple Entry and Exit

“Traditional”
Qualifications

Course
Entry

AP(C)L, AP(E)L,
Portfolio

Implicit,
Internal

Quality
Assurance

Explicit,
External

Staff Supply Driven
“Its what I know”
Academic Year
Single Entry and Exit

22

New Learning Environment – On Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning Environment
Live
Lecture

Face to Face
Seminar

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Learning
Resource Centre
Intranet

Internet/ WWW
23

New Learning Environment – Off Campus
Intensely Supportive
Learning
Environment

Seminar via Computer
Mediated Technology/
Video Conference

Lecture via WWW/
videotape/CD Rom
Internet/ WWW

Learning
Resource Centre
24

Amount of Online Interactivity

Supporting,
responding
Providing links
outside closed
conferences

Development

Facilitating
process

The Tutor’s Role:
Off Campus

Knowledge
Construction

Conferencing

Facilitating tasks, supporting
use of learning materials
Searching,
personalising software

Information
Exchange

Providing bridges between
cultural, social and
learning environments

Online
Socialisation

Sending and
receiving messages
Welcoming
and Encouraging
Setting up system
and accessing

Access
And
Motivation

Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating, 2000, p.26
25

Purposeful e-tivities
are developed to address
either one of the 5
stages and/or movement
between them

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
EXCHANGE

SOCIALISATION

ACCESS
26

What are e-tivities?
 Structured

participative group work online
 Motivating, engaging & purposeful
 Based on interaction between
learners/students & active contribution
 Designed & led by an e-moderator
 Usually asynchronous (i.e over time)
 Based on simple text based bulletin boards
 Can be used on or off campus, for blended
learning or online only courses
 Can be used as a “one-off” for a unit or built
into an entire programme
27

Using New Technologies
The use of new tecnologies in universities means
that the differences between distance education
and traditional teaching are becoming less
distinct. For universities to be able to use these
new technologies successfully, changes are
needed in the university’s traditional operations.

These changes include the following:

28







from: a teacher centred didactic instructional mode,
to: a learner centred interactive exchange, in which
students take greater responsibility for their learning
needs and skills requirements;
from: “chalk and talk”,
to: delivery via multiple-media, based on access to
materials and resources world-wide, innovative
teaching technologies and computer mediated
communication;
from: an externally time-tabled, temporally and
geographically fixed, examination focused, passive
instructional teaching mode,
to: an individually determined, task related, active
constructional learning process, unaffected by time
and/or location;
29



from: individual pursuit of classroom tasks,
to: co-operative and collaborative learning within real
and virtual peer groups characterised by increasing
diversity (age, gender, location and learning style);



from: assessment based on accurate memory of
given facts,
to: measuring progress through students’ long term
learning outcomes and goals, arising via personal
reflection and the creation and testing of knowledge;



from: face to face tutoring with a known uniform
student group via synchronous vocal discussion,
to: an asynchronous text-based debate via computer
mediated communications with an unknown
differentiated virtual group;
30



from: local utilisation of prescribed print based
materials to address tutors’ questions,
to: distance information mining of multiple-media
sources via web-based technologies to solve
student’s own learning tasks;



from: a differentiated support network,
to: an integrated support network, with students
creating knowledge via interaction with specialist
facilitators, not only academics but Learning Support
and other staff acting as “knowledge navigators”;



from: students having a subordinate role,
to: that of an equal colleague, engaged with
academic staff in a joint research agenda and the
creation of knowledge.
31

Building Degrees for Student Competences & Lifelong Learning
Questions To Be Asked
Is there likely to be a
demand for this course?
At what level is the degree?
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Given the generic and subject level
descriptors, what knowledge, skills
and competences should the student
have after course completion?

Reference Points
Market analysis and
check competitors
Apply Level Descriptors
(Bachelor/Masters/Doctoral)
Check Subject Benchmarks
(art to zoology)

What do the students already know:
what are their entry qualifications?

Check and set course
entry requirements

What learning outcomes are needed
to bridge the gap between entry and
completion competences?

Dissemble Subject
Benchmarks to identify
learning outcomes

How will achievement of the
learning outcomes be known?

Choose assessment mode to
assess learning outcomes
32

Questions To Be Asked
What skills and knowledge will the
student need to be able to pass the
assessment?

Reference Points
Choose the
subject content

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the course be delivered?

Choose the learning strategy,
determine the media mix
and engineer the content.

Given the subject (art to zoology)
and the student cohort (part or full
time, on or off campus), how should
the students be supported?

Set up Tutorial Groups,
Bulletin Boards,
On-line Discussion Groups

What additional resources
will the student need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs

What additional resources
will the teaching staff need?

Advise computing and learning
resources about additional needs
33

Choosing the Learning Strategy
Determining the Technology Mix
The most difficult question for most staff is in
determining the learning strategy and what
technology to use. Tony Bates [(2003) Effective
Teaching with Technology in Higher Education,
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass)] provides a useful
SECTIONS checklist focussing on: Students;
Ease of use; Costs; Teaching and learning;
Interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty;
Speed.
34

Students: what is known about the students - or potential
students-and the appropriateness of the technology for this
particular group of students?
1. What is the mandate or policy of your institution, department, or program
with respect to access?
2. What are the likely demographics of the students you will be teaching?
How appropriate is the technology for these students?
3. If your students are to be taught partly off campus, to which technologies
are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?
4. If they are to be taught partly on campus, what is-or should be-your or
your department's policy with regard to students' access to a computer?
5. What computer skills do you expect your students to have before they
start the program?
6. If students are expected to provide their own access to technology, will
you be able to provide unique teaching experiences that will justify the
purchase or use of such technology?
7. What prior approaches to learning are the students likely to bring to your
program? How suitable are such prior approaches to learning likely to be to
the way you need to teach the course? How could technology be used to
35
cater to student differences in learning?

Ease of use and reliability: how reliable is the technology?
How easy is it for both teachers and students to use?
1. How intuitively easy to use is the technology by both students and
teachers?
2. How reliable is the technology?
3. How easy is it to maintain and upgrade the technology?
4. Is the company that is providing the critical hardware or soft ware you are
using a stable company that is not likely to go out of business in the next
year or two, or is it a new start-up?
5. Do you have adequate technical and professional support, both in terms of
the technology and with respect to the design of materials?

36

Costs: what is the cost structure of each technology?
What is the unit cost per learner?
1. What media must be included to ensure that the learning goals are
reached?
2. How much will it cost to develop materials in this medium or technology
(including the time of the teacher)?
3. How many students are likely to take each course offering? What will be
the teacher-student ratio?
4. What will it cost to deliver the course by using a particular technology
(including the time of the professor or contracted instructors) while
maintaining a high quality of interaction?
5. What will be the average cost per student over a five-year period and how
will this compare to the cost of using other media or technologies (including
face-to-face teaching)?

37

Teaching and learning: what kinds of learning are needed? What
instructional approaches will best meet these needs? What are
the best technologies for supporting this teaching and learning?
1. What is the preferred approach to teaching in terms of your views about
the nature of knowledge, teaching, and learning?
2. What are the presentational requirements of the content of this course?
Which media or technology will best facilitate these presentational
requirements?
3. What skills need to be developed during this course? Which media or
technologies will best facilitate the development of these skills?
4. What media or technologies will best assess these skills?

38

Interactivity: what kind of interaction does this technology
enable?
1. What kind of activities by the student would most facilitate learning of
this subject?
2. What media or technology would best facilitate this interaction?
3. How can technology enable scarce teaching resources to be best used, and
be best supported by less scarce resources, with respect to increasing the
amount and quality of learner interaction?

39

Organizational issues: What are the organizational
requirements and the barriers to be removed before this
technology can be used successfuIly? What changes in
organization need to be made?
1. What can I do easily myself with a particular technology, and what help
will I need?
2. Is the technical help I need already available or likely to be provided
within existing resources?
3. Does the senior management of the institution support this technology, or
is it likely to develop an adequate organizational structure to support this
form of teaching with technology?
4. Where can I go for help and support in using this technology for teaching?

40

Novelty: how new is this technology?
1. What can this technology do that the previous technology could not?
2. What benefits to teaching and learning will result from using this
technology – is it worth shifting from the existing configuration to a new one,
or is it better to find new ways of teaching with the existing technology?
3. Has this new technology been tested? Is it likely to be reliable, or will
there be teething problems?
4. Does technical back-up exist for this latest technology?

41

Speed: how quickly can courses be mounted with this
technology? How quickly can materials be changed?
1. How fast-developing is this subject area? How important is it to regularly
change the teaching materials? Which technology will best support this?
2. How easy is it to make changes and how quickly can changes be made with
this technology?
3. To what extent can the changes be handed over to someone else to do?
How essential is it for me to make the changes myself?

42

TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

43

Global Trends: The World Bank’s View








The emerging role of KNOWLEDGE as a major driver of
economic development.
The emergence of NEW PROVIDERS of tertiary education in a
“borderless education” environment.
The ICT REVOLUTION which has transformed delivery modes
and organisational patterns in tertiary education
The rise of MARKET FORCES IN H.E. and the emergence of
a global market for advanced human development.
INCREASED REQUESTS for financial support for tertiary
education reform and development to the World Bank
Recognition of the need for a balanced, comprehensive view
of EDUCATION AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM, including the
human capital contribution of h.e., its humanistic and social
capital building dimensions and its role as a vital public good.

World Bank Institute, Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience.

44

Evolving Tertiary Education Systems
Desired Outcomes

Changing Education
and Training Needs

Changing Tertiary
Education Landscape

Changing Modes of
Operation and
Organisation

Advanced Human
capital

Demands for higher
skills

Appearance of new
providers

More interactive
pedagogy with
emphasis on learning

New Knowledge

Methodological and
analytical skills

Development of
borderless education

Continuing education
programs

Adaptation of global
knowledge for
resolution of local
problems

Democratic values,
attitudes, and cultural
norms

Demand for
internationally
recognised degrees
and qualifications

Increased reliance on
ICT for pedagogical
information and
management
purposes
Multi- and
transdisciplinary
Humanistic dimension
of education and
training
Adaptability and
flexibility

45

Global Environment:Opportunities & Threats
Change Factor

Opportunities

Threats

Possibility of leapfrogging in
areas of economic growth
Resolution of socioGrowing Role of Knowledge
economic problems (food
security, health, water
supply, energy)

Increasing knowledge gap
among nations

Global Labour Market

Easier Access to Expertise,
skills, and knowledge
embedded in Professionals

Growing Brain Drain
Loss of advanced Human
Capital

Political and Social Change:
 Spread of Democracy
 Violence, Crime,
Corruption
 HIV/AIDS

Positive Environment for
Reform

Growing Brain Drain
Political Instability
Loss of Human Resources

ICT Revolution

Easier Access to
Knowledge and Information

Growing digital divide
among and within nations
46

The Emergence of the Knowledge Economy
“the combination of under-funded universities, high tech developments,
corporate needs, and the prevailing ideology have lead to a basic
transformation in the university … to a university oriented to the market
place”, Buchbinder, H., (1993), Higher Education.
“Higher education is now in the global, competitive, marketplace ..
where individuals are able to choose what they wish to acquire rather
than accepting the dictates of institutions.” Arbeles, T, (1998), Futures,
“What would the post secondary marketplace look like if (say) Microsoft
Deutsche Telekom, International Thomson and the University of
California combined to offer UC courses and degrees world wide?. In
time, its only competitor could be a combine of like standing and deep
pockets: an IBM-Elsevier-NEC-Oxford combine, for example.”
Marchese, T., (1998) AAHE Bulletin
47

The ICT Revolution
The ICT Revolution has created two major challenges for h.e.:
achieve the appropriate integration of ICT into overall education
systems and institutions; ensure that ICTs are agents of equity
and expanded access and increase educational opportunities for
all, not just the wealthy or the technologically privileged.

There is a concern that: “The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may create new ones. … Not
all students have equal access to computers and the Internet. …
there is evidence that students with the greatest need get the
least access.” Gladieux and Swail (1999), The Virtual University
and Educational Opportunity, p.17
For example, there are 27 pcs per 1000 of population in South
Africa, 38 in Chile, 172 in Singapore and 348 in Switzerland. In
Africa there is one Internet user per 5000 people, in Europe and
North America, the proportion is one user for every 6 people.
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Impact of ICT on H.E. - Demand
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION IN THREE WAYS
1. Knowledge based economies require increasing levels of
education and training, which has lead to an increase in
demand for higher education of all types.
2. Change in demand – students demand courses to aid their
career progression and equip them for life long learning.
3. Change in demand - greater personalisation of provision
with flexible courses to meet students individual learning
styles and training needs.

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Impact of ICT on H .E. - Supply
THE INFORMATION AGE AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY HAVE CHANGED THE SUPPLY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – IN THREE WAYS
1. the growing market for higher education and life long
learning has attracted the attention of the corporate sector as
a producer rather than consumer of graduates.
2. there is a new type of corporate university enterprise which
is exploiting the growing market for career training and degree
programs.
3. in terms of delivery mode, more institutions (traditional
universities, open universities, in-company universities and
corporate universities) are using new technologies both for oncampus students and to provide courses at a distance
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New Providers in the Knowledge Economy


University and Corporate Partnerships, formal partnership
with strategic agenda, e.g. Anglia Polytechnic University and
Ford providing MBA degrees at Ford’s European plants



Innovative Distance and Virtual Universities – Open
University of Catalunya, FernUniversität, Finnish VU



Private Universities – vary in size and quality, e.g.
International University in Germany, campuses in Bruchsal,
Heidelberg and Bonn, using ICT in teaching, sponsored by
IBM, Microsoft, Deutsche Systems and Siemens



Corporate Out Country Providers in Europe – University of
Phoenix has set up bases in the Netherlands and Germany
– still small (circa 100 students) but likely to grow.
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Convergence of Universities & Knowledge Firms
THE DEMANDS OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY HAVE
MOVED MULTI NATIONAL COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSER
Knowledge Based
Multinationals

Universities

Focus of
operations

From local to global

Local, regional, national

Competitive
context

New market players

Declining state funding

Competitive focus

Price and performance

Cost and performance

Competitive
response

Increased demand via
product innovation

Adaptive, by anticipating
change

Focus change

From inward to outward

From general excellence to
core research business

Use of Networks
to gain advantage

Networks via production
chains and knowledge
providers

Networks with universities
and knowledge companies
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TRENDS IN OPEN & DISTANCE LEARNING:


TERMS AND TYPOLOGIES: What is Open, Distance
& E-Learning?



TENDENCIES: What changes have taken place in eand learning?



TRENDS: What have been the global developments
in technology enabled learning?



THEMES and TACTICS: What lessons can be learnt
from the global development of e-learning?

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Massification
There has been a large growth in student numbers
to give the skills demanded by the global
knowledge economy, but with no additional
resources, requires “More scholars for fewer
dollars”. This has led to a greater use of new
technologies in learning and teaching for students,
both on campus and at a distance.

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Lifelong Learning
The need to update qualifications in order to retain
employment has meant that students come to the
university to study, not just for a degree, but for life.
This means that students, in addition to becoming
experts in academic subject domains, also need to
know how to operate as autonomous learners, after
they leave university. New technologies mean that
students do not have to attend the university for
tuition, but can study anywhere and anytime.

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New ICTs
Massification and the need for lifelong learning
have increased the use of new technologies in
university teaching, not only for students on
campus, but also off campus and in other
countries. These technologies mean that subject
content can be sent anywhere in the world, at little
or no cost, and the subsequent rise of commercial
global learning enterprises, which will compete with
universities.

56

Pedagogy and Professionalism
The interest in the effective use of ICTs has also
focused attention on the effectiveness of face-to-face
teaching. Also the increase in part time and mature
students has lead to a greater degree of
professionalism among university teachers – today,
in addition to being subject experts (in history,
geography, etc), lecturers also need to know how to
teach, using a variety of old and new techniques, to
a greater diversity of students. This has lead to the
use of learning outcomes within academic units, and
a formal structure for the creation of academic units.
The emergence of commercial global providers has
also meant the universities have to adopt a more
professional standard in their teaching provision.
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Flexibility
Students are now demanding flexible modular
courses, to enable them to maximise their
employment prospects and career progression,
along with flexible delivery via the use of new
technologies. In addition, they are also requiring
courses on demand, with flexible entry and exit
points, and accreditation of prior certificated and
experiencial learning. Hence although universities
may have to have a global reach, they need to
provide courses geared to the needs of individual
students.

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Collaboration
Addressing these global trends requires academic
collaboration, between universities at national,
European and international levels. Additionally
universities are increasingly involved with other
knowledge based companies in the creation of
bespoke qualifications and work-based learning
degrees. Increasingly in the underdeveloped world,
such collaboration is at national level, facilitated by
international organisations.

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Strategic Thinking
“the use of new technology needs to be embedded

within a wider strategy for teaching and learning…
Faculty members need much more support and
encouragement than has been provided to date for their
use of technology for teaching and learning…
Partnerships and collaboration are strategies for sharing
the costs and leveraging the benefits of technologybased teaching…
The implementation of these strategies will require
fundamental changes in the way our higher education
institutions are organized and managed.”
Bates, A. (2000), Managing Technological Change:
Strategies for College and University Leaders, p.2-5 60

Strategic Thinking
... the widespread introduction of technology-based
teaching will require such fundamental changes to an
institution that its use should not be embarked upon
lightly, nor will it necessarily lead to any significant cost
savings, but nevertheless such an investment will still be
necessary if universities are to meet the needs of its
students and society at large in the 21st century..
...if the new information technologies are to play a
central role in university teaching, each institution needs
to develop a set of strategies for change which will
amount to no less than restructuring the university…
Bates, Open Learning and Distance Education (1997)
p.43)
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The Need for Leadership
“If the university wishes to prepare itself for the tasks
facing it in the future, it is not sufficient for it to regard the
new technologies merely as additional media units and
to misunderstand them as an extension and
extrapolation of the previous familiar teaching operation
… In concrete terms we are witnessing the change from
traditional on-campus teaching to that of a university
without walls; from a university that remains closed to
many, to an open university; from an exclusive system of
teaching and learning to an inclusive system”
Otto Peters, the Founding Rector of the FernUniversität
[Changing University Teaching, (2000) p.21]
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The World Bank’s View
“To successfully fulfill their educational, research and
informational functions in the 21st century, tertiary
education institutions need to be able to respond
effectively to changing education and training needs,
adapt to a rapidly shifting tertiary education landscape,
and adopt more flexible modes of operation and
organisation”
[The World Bank, (2002) Constructing Knowledge
Societies (Washington: The World Bank), p.23]

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Seminaariohjelma
Pedagogisia verkkoja kokemassa
11.–12.10.2007
Turun Yliopiso

MegaTrends in University Teaching:
Global Perspectives On ODL

© Dr Terence Karran, Centre for Educational Research and
Development, University of Lincoln, U.K.
Docent, Faculty of Education, Oulu University.
[email protected]
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