E-Learning or E-Teaching? What

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E-Learning or E-Teaching?Whats the Difference
in Practice?

• Linda Price and Adrian Kirkwood
• Programme on Learner Use of Media
• The Open University
• UK

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Our Background

• E-learning Evaluation and Research
• Large-scale quantitative studies
• Smaller-scale qualitative studies
• A long-term perspective on media use in education
• Professional Development for e-Learning
• A workshop programme for OU staff
• Workshops presentations for the wider academic
  community

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Our Approach

• We concentrate on the educational and pedagogic
  issues NOT the technical details
• In this session we start with some of the
  underlying principles associated with e-learning
  .
• Then discuss some of the practical issues

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• Although ICT can enable new forms of teaching
  and learning to take place, they cannot ensure
  that effective and appropriate learning outcomes
  are achieved.
• Just because you can do something does not
  necessarily mean that you should do it.

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Why Use ICT? What are the Benefits?

• For the institution? For teachers? For
  learners?
• Is it just a quick fix in response to economic
  constraints.
• Or an opportunity to rethink educational
  practices for different learning contexts?

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What Models of Teaching can ICT Support? What
Models of Learning?

• The application of ICT per se does not change the
  model of teaching
• It is very easy to teach inappropriately with ICT
• Is the pedagogic model suitable for the learning
  outcomes (regardless of the medium used)?
• Use of ICT in itself does not change the model of
  learning in a particular context
• If learners have inappropriate expectations of
  learning, these must be explicitly addressed

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A Holistic View of Course Design

• We need to appreciate
• Differences in learners
• Differences in teachers
• Different media affordances
• Engaging students while using media technologies
  involves
• Balancing these factors
• A complicated design process

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Engaging Learners

• What is understood by the term student-centred
  learning?
• Are learners well prepared and supported for
  working independently?
• Learners need to know not only what they are
  supposed to do, but also why they are expected to
  do it how engaging with activities and/or
  resources will help develop their learning

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Engaging Learners

• Materials must be transformed for the Web to
  enable effective pedagogical use with ICT, e.g.
• Avoid materials looking like books on screen
  difficult for learners often printed out
  (costly!)
• Exploit the interactive and dynamic potential
  reduce linear presentation
• Supporting Transmissive or Constructivist
  pedagogy?

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Increasing Use of ICT for Education

• Educational institutions need to achieve more
  with less
• Many educational institutions are attempting to
• Attract a more diverse range of students
• Encourage lifelong learning
• Extend the participation of non-traditional
  students

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Increasing Use of ICT for Education

• Increased use of ICT in teaching and learning
• Largely as a supplement to existing practices
• Much remains to be done in terms of exploiting
  ICT for
• Rich pedagogical use, and
• Serving learners in different target groups
• (e.g. Collis and van der Wende, 2002)

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Changes in Learner Characteristics

• Blurring of distinctions between
• Full-time and part-time learners
• Studying on-campus or at a distance
• School leavers, mature entrants and lifelong
  learners
• Work-based learning, professional development
  and community learning

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Changes in Learner Characteristics

• For an increasing number of post-school learners,
  studying is not their primary concern
• Many are in part-time or full-time employment
  domestic responsibilities
• Studying has to be fitted in
• Learners need to develop and apply
  self-management skills, e.g.
• Time management strategies
• Self-direction and motivation
• Prioritisation and selectivity

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Contexts of ICT Use

• Innovations should not driven by characteristics
  of technology, but by
• The pedagogic models and processes they have to
  serve
• The contexts within which learners engage with
  ICT
• Educational purposes and pedagogy must provide
  the lead

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Determine Learners ICT Experience

• Learners with ICT experience from other contexts
  are likely to exhibit fluency in ICT use in their
  studies
• Those without such experience will expect course
  providers to demonstrate the potential and guide
  their use of ICT

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Determine Learners ICT Experience

• Few learners will have high levels of competence
  across a wide range of applications, e.g.
• Familiarity with e-mail does not imply expertise
  in rigorous on-line debate and discussion
• Familiarity with a Web search engine like Google
  does not indicate sophisticated information
  handling skills

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On-line Communication

• Electronic communication can support both
  academic and social integration helping overcome
  independent learners feelings of isolation
• For contact with tutors and with fellow students
• Developing a learning community sharing
  understandings experiences

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On-line Communication

• Asynchronous communication offers learners the
  opportunity to consider and reflect upon
• A posted question or statement their own
  response to it
• The responses of fellow students
• A record of the dialogue and of how it developed
• Synchronous communication needs to be more highly
  structured for novice users as there is limited
  experience of its use in society in general

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Tutoring On-line

• New skills are required for both tutors and
  students
• Professional development is necessary not just
  for the technical aspects
• An understanding of the educational practices
  appropriate for e-learning is even more important

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Tutoring On-line

• Dependence or independence in learning?
  Individual or collaborative learning?
• What is the pedagogic purpose?
• Is it explicitly stated understood?
• Students and tutors need to have explicit and
  realistic expectations about
• The frequency of contacts made (when how often)
• The response time that is reasonable

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In Conclusion

• What educational outcomes are learners expected
  to achieve?
• Why as well as how
• Process as well as product?
• Students are unlikely to use materials and
  activities unless they are embedded in the course
  pedagogy
• Constructive alignment of learning activities,
  assessment methods and learning outcomes

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In Conclusion

• Materials that are not linked to the assessment
  strategy are unlikely to be used and the
  potential benefits remain fallow
• Educational benefits that students perceive as
  gains from using ICT are more significant than
  the intrinsic characteristics of the technology
• What really matters is how ICT is creatively
  exploited for teaching and/or learning

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