103700-CP-1-2004-1-UK-ERASMUS-TN

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103700-CP-1-2004-1-UK-ERASMUS-TN
HERODOT Connected! The use of ICT in higher
education Geography departments in Europe
Karl Donert and Harry Rogge
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Bologna Process and EHEA

• Bologna make European Higher Education the
  best, most competitive in global marketplace
• course developments based on learning outcomes
• student-centred learning approaches at core of
  change
• central role of e-learning and new technologies
  in learning and teaching (European Commission,
  2002)

European Commission (2003), The Bologna Process
Next Stop Berlin 2003, http//europa.eu.int/comm/e
ducation/bologna_en.html
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Context HERODOT Survey 2002
Main learning methods used by Geography students
percentage of departments, 65 institutions,
multiple responses
Few use computer-assisted learning
Donert K (2005), The use of ICT in Geography
departments in European higher education,
Changing Horizons in Geography Education, HERODOT
Publication
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HERODOT Survey 2002
Professional training (CPD) events in past 2
years (65 replies)
number replies Type of CPD activity replies
0 38 GIS 13
1 31 e-learning course 9
2 14 specific computer course 4
3 8 basic ICT course (Office) 5
gt3 6 web page development 4
CPD trainers 3 Others, non-IT 64
little professional development one third of this
related to computers
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Donert K (2005), The use of ICT in Geography
departments in European higher education,
Changing Horizons in Geography Education, HERODOT
Publication
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HERODOT Survey 2002 some conclusions

• Geographers teaching in higher education
• should expect to include ICT as part of the
  educational learning approaches promoted
• should consider how e-learning changes the way
  that higher education Geography learning takes
  place
• must consider the potential of new technologies
  in geographical education
• should undertake research if we are to maximise
  online pedagogical opportunities in teaching
  exciting, authentic and relevant Geography in
  higher education

Donert K (2005), The use of ICT in Geography
departments in European higher education,
Changing Horizons in Geography Education, HERODOT
Publication
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HERODOT Survey 2005 Aims

• Describe use of ICT in Geography in European
  Geography departments in higher education
• Analyse the characteristics of ICT use in
  Geography teaching in higher education
• Assess the attitudes and approaches of academics
  to ICT in Geography
• Identify weaknesses and needs
• Make recommendations for action

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Survey 2005 hypotheses

• Geographers do not use ICT in teaching/learning
• Geographers do not understand the value of ICT
• while Geographers were at the forefront of the
  Internet revolution, now the use of ICT in
  teaching may now be dominated by those teaching
  GIS.
• teacher educators use ICT as the use of ICT is
  obligatory in teacher training in all European
  countries (eEurope, 2002)
• Might expect to find some differences between
• Geography, Teacher Educators and GIS teachers
• Managers a key group
• they make decisions, their attitudes and
  approaches critical

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Survey sample structure
Survey of 112 network HE members April-July
2005 69 institutions responded 26
countries UK-10, CZ-7 NL-6, ES-5, AT-5
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Survey sample structure
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Survey sample structure
expert
experienced
established
senior
new
experienced
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Research Questions

• What are Geographers in Europe using ICT for?
• What are their perceptions of ICT?
• What is their understanding of the potential of
  ICT?
• What are the drivers of change?

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Experience
most Geographers use computers few involved in
online courses or online collaboration
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US
Survey 2005
1990s
eEurope 2010
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Why use computers?

• most recognised learner benefits
• Motivation, Flexibility
• Broadening, Deepening
• Some commented on potential
• Challenging courses, Exciting learning, High
  interactivity
• almost no barriers - few negative aspects
• BUT fewer recognised teaching benefits
• Management and organisation
• Assessment
• More practical and better
• implies few have integrated computer use in
  teaching and learning process

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What is needed for teaching and learning with
computers?

• students need computers - in the hands of
  learners
• Internet and Intranet essential
• online pedagogical tools (virtual learning
  environments) not seen as important
• less aware of distance learning aspects like
  communication opportunities
• specialist data and software thought to be more
  important

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Institutional drivers affecting computer use

• institutions require computer use by
  staff/students
• most provide computers and support
• few rewards for teaching with computers
• less support for learners than for teachers
• Geographers are less committed than GIS or
  Geography educators to importance (centrality) of
  computers for learning and teaching Geography

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Geographers least involved in computer-based
courses
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Research Questions

• What are Geographers in Europe using ICT for? LOW
  LEVEL PRACTICAL FUNCTIONS
• What are their perceptions of ICT?
  ICT IS IMPORTANT
• What is their understanding of the potential of
  ICT? NOT VERY MUCH
• What are the drivers of change? STUDENTS

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Managers are a key group

• Managers responses (n15)
• Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography
• Information
• allocate, interpret, arrange data, develop
  graphs, work with a Web-GIS, simulation and
  demonstration, work on a whiteboard
• It is necessary in any kind of spatial geography
  and scientific questions as well as in education
  because it is a tool to analyse, visualise,
  restructure etc. geographical data

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Geo-information
• GIS as a tool to enhance the students
  understanding of social and natural phenomena on
  a local and global scale in a way most students
  are comfortable with due to their everyday use of
  computers for applications like gaming and
  communication etc.
• In the development of models, in cartography and
  GIS, for searching journals, papers and access to
  maps and planning issues

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Global communication
• Facilitates information search from around the
  world, analysis of data, presentation of data
  (although great danger that Power Point used
  excessively at the expense of original thought
  and direct personal contact).
• Potential for contact across national boundaries
  could be developed more
• It allows students to broaden their awareness of
  big issues like global economy and
  globalization processes

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Global and local communication
• Finding information on the web, collecting and
  evidence of students work, communicating with
  students (assessment, instructions...)
• Allows possibility of elearning
• Enables access to data
• More student-tutor interaction

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Scepticism
• I dont know. My feeling is that students
  consult a much wider range of information sources
  than before, but much more superficially.
• In presentation (oral, written), FORM tends to
  overrule FUNCTION in the use of computer
  technologies.
• Computer communication (mail, discussion groups
  in webCT, etc) tends to be much more shallow and
  casual than face to face communication, in my
  experience.

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What are the gaps?

• Bologna and eEurope implies that online education
  is central to the creation of a European Higher
  Education Area by 2010
• TUNING survey shows Geography academics think
  their degrees provide adequate information
  management skills
• employers and graduate attitudes disagree
• While employers believe the use of ICT is covered
  more than academics
• Academics, employers and graduates agree on the
  high relative importance of both as generic skills

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Some action and proposals

• publication State of computer use in Geography
  teaching in Europe
• training - Computers in Geography a workshop
  for academics Brno, Czech Republic (October
  2005), aim to encourage more Geographers to
  provide online learning
• training for managers
• series of best practise papers how to use
• Web site offering advice, guidance, examples (for
  Geographers)
• promotion of the benefits of learning (and
  teaching) online
• possible European or international projects and
• further research

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Conclusions and recommendations

• Geographers should embrace online learning as it
  provides opportunities for significant levels of
  student interaction (Zell, 2001)
• e-Learning is essential for geographers as it has
  been shown to be an excellent facility for the
  development of collaborative skills including
  cooperative problem solving and teamwork
  activities (Simms, 2000)
• integrating e-learning within our Geography
  courses should be a high priority it would
  encourage deeper, more reflective and student
  centred learning approaches, meeting the core
  goals of Bologna

Simms R (2000), An interactive conundrum
Constructs of interactivity and learning theory,
Australian Journal of Educational Technology,
16(1), 45-57, http//www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet
16/sims.html Zell, A.J., (2001) Four uses of the
Internet, http//www.sellingselling.com/articles/i
nternetSelling.html
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Thank you ?
teaching with technology
student needs
enlightened learning
Geographers _at_ home
Were waiting for technology to come to us
HERODOT Disconnected!