Delivering sustainable programmes to higher education students at a distance reflections on the impa

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Delivering sustainable programmes to higher
education students at a distance reflections on
the impact of EU funding on the development and
implementation of Oscails teaching and learning
strategies 1987-2005

• Kay Mac Keogh
• Oscail National Distance Education Centre, DCU
• Email kay.mackeogh_at_dcu.ie
• 1-2 September 2005

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Structure of Talk

• Definitions Open Distance Learning to eLearning
• EU Policies on ODL/Elearning - implementation
• EU Impact on Distance Education in Europe
• Why participate in EU programmes?
• Oscail - Pedagogical Strategy
• Oscail involvement in EU programmes
• Conclusions

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Definitions ODL eLearning

• Open distance learning (ODL)is study not under
  the continuous or immediate supervision of
  tutors it involves the planning guidance and
  tuition of a tutorial organisation materials
  substitute for interactivity of face-to-face
  instruction tutoring and guidance are provided
  at regional local study centres and through
  communications media ODL is adaptable to the
  pace of the student
• (adapted from EC Memorandum on Open and Distance
  Learning, 1991)
• Elearning - the use of information and
  communication technology, including the Internet,
  to learn and teach
• (CEC. (2001) eLearning Designing Tomorrow's
  education Leaflet produced by the European
  Commission. )

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Development of EU Policy on ODL

• 1957 Treaty of Rome no role for education
• 1971 Council of Europe proposal for a European
  Television University
• 1973 The Janne Report mentioned OU model
• 1987 Ewing Report and Parliamentary resolution on
  a European Open University
• 1991 The Memorandum on Open Distance Learning
  (ODL)
• 1991 Article 126 Maastricht Treaty Community
  action shall be aimed at Encouraging the
  development of distance education

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Encouraging Distance Education - from ODL to
eLearning to ICT..

• 1990-1993 EUROFORM-NOW-HORIZON
• 1994 ODL call
• 1995-2005 SOCRATES Programme
• ODL Action 1995-1999 - 33m 166 projects
• Minerva Action 2000-2003 - 31.65 m 20 ODL
  institutions
• 1995-2005 Leonardo da Vinci
• 1996 Multimedia call
• 1989-2006 RD Framework programmes (average
  funding 600k to 9m in FW6)
• 2002-2006 eLearning Initiative
• 2007-2013 New Generation Integrated Action
  Programme for Lifelong Learning (ICT stream)

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Aims of Open and Distance Learning

• Original aim of open universities to provide a
  second chance or a second path to higher
  education for adults who do not wish to enter
  full-time education, or who cannot do so on
  account of family and/or work commitments. In the
  process, open universities aim both at
  self-fulfilment of the individual and more
  broadly at contributing to economic prosperity
  and social progress (Ewing Report, 1987 8)
• Extend access to education especially adults
• Compensate for disadvantage
• Provide flexibility and responsiveness
• Increase capacity of the universities
• Function in European Union
• Support lifelong learning
• Contribute to European competitiveness and
  cohesion

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Has Distance Education been encouraged?

• Europe lack of good statistics on enrolment
• EADTU member institutions 275k ODL students in
  1987 1.15m in 2004
• Not all taking full degree programmes e.g.
  Denmark Finland
• US NCES figures
• 1,632,350 in 1997 3,077,000 in 2000-1 (NCES, et
  al., 2003).
• 7.6 of undergraduates and 12.3 of
  post-graduates taking DE programmes in 2000 of
  whom 29 of undergraduates and 38.1 of
  postgraduates were taking entire programme
  through distance education
• Yet 150 million adults in EU without upper
  secondary education (van der Pas 2002)
• The problems ODL was designed to redress have not
  gone away
• Increased need for opportunities on a lifelong
  learning basis not just second chance.

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The traditional ODL student

• Older age range 25
• Motivated self-directed
• Needs flexibility
• Place Cant attend on-campus because of
  location work domestic disability etc
• Pace modular courses accumulation of credits
• Time to fit study around their normal schedule
  not to suit institutional time tables
• Technology alone does not guarantee flexibility

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Access for Mature Students

• HEA/Oscail Survey of market for ODL concluded
• End fee differentials by mode of study
• Institutions must become flexible in reality, not
  rhetoric
• Flexible modes of study including distance
  education/blended learning/mix part-time/full-time
  , on-campus/off-campus
• Modularisation/new pathways
• Recognition of prior qualifications
• Make campus mature student friendly
• Influence of role models on decision to
  participate
• (source Mac Keogh, Kay and Orbanova,Iveta 2002
  Increasing Third Level Provision for Mature
  Students in Ireland A Market Analysis of the
  Demand for Open and Distance Learning. Report
  commissioned by Higher Education Authority))

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HEA Achieving Inclusion..

• More diverse teaching and learning practices are
  required in higher education to meet the needs of
  a more inclusive student population and to give
  adequate opportunity for successful participation
  and completion. In order to achieve this, a wide
  range of expanded teaching and learning
  strategies are required, including the didactic
  approach, tutorials, group learning, practical
  learning, project and task-based learning,
  interactive, elearning and distance learning.
  Modular, credit-based learning and the means of
  accrediting prior learning should be core
  features. Stronger connections and collaboration
  between higher education and second level and
  further education and training in the areas of
  curriculum and assessment will be required.
• (HEA 2005 Achieving Equity of Access to Higher
  Education Dublin HEA p.18)

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Oscail National Distance Education Centre

• Established 1982 Faculty of DCU, with dedicated
  budget from HEA to act as national centre
• Undergraduate postgrad programmes in IT,
  Humanities, Nursing, Management
• 3,000 students age range 23-84
• Cooperative model in course development
  accreditation (e.g. 6 universities accredit BA)
• (see http//www.oscail.ie)

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Oscail Pedagogical Technology Strategy

• Dictated by cost, accessibility, pedagogy
• Traditional courses delivered via mix of printed
  texts tutorial support
• Increasing use of technology to deliver materials
  information access to online library
  resources provide online tutorials etc.
• Developing IT strategy based on questions
• What is the technology capable of doing
• Are our students ready for eLearning?
• If we build it, will they come?

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Barriers and Obstacles to Technology based ODL

• New opportunities but new divisions the digital
  divide
• Access and equity stratified by class, gender,
  race, location
• Skills gap students (mature students) and tutors
  
• Impact on quality emphasis on technology
  infrastructure not improving aspects of
  curriculum, eg assessment
• It is really cost-effective? distance learning
  is not going to be a cheap replacement for
  campuses. Some other solution to the parking
  problem will have to be found (Feenberg, 1999)
  shifting costs to students from institution
• Learners tutors resistance or receptivity to
  technology
• Cultural imperialism - US/Anglo Saxon dominance

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Access to ICTsOscail Survey 2003

• Access varies by gender, age, prior educational
  level, economic status
• 93 home access to PCs (67 shared) 84 home
  access to Internet
• Extensive access to PCs (home/university/work)
  65 male 46 female 70.5 employed 6.0
  unemployed/retired
• Extensive access to Internet 49 male 32
  female 51.1 employed 6.0 unemployed/retired
• 83 of on-campus students report restrictions in
  access to campus PCs
• Use of workplace PCs restricted
• (source MacKeogh, 2003, http//www.oscail.ie/McKe
  ogh.pdf)

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ODL Student Expertise in Using ICTs

• High levels of reported expertise in word
  processing email internet browsers
• Less expertise in spreadsheets bibliographic
  databases presentation manager, computer
  conferencing
• 42 had no formal IT training
• (Source MacKeogh, Kay 2003 Student Perceptions of
  the Use of ICTs in Education Report of a Survey
  Dublin Oscail http//www.oscail.ie/McKeogh.pdf)

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What are our learners preferences?

• 69.2 want technology enhanced learning
• 28.8 Full-time online support
• 23.4 ODL online support
• 17.0 Part-time online support
• 11.6 list eLearning as first preference
• 19.2 dont want elearning or technology enhanced
  learning
• 8.4 Full-time no online support
• 7.3 Traditional ODL no online support
• 3.5 Part-time no online support
• Source Oscail Survey http//www.oscail.ie/McKeog
  h.pdf

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Student views of Using ICTS

• My job has a strict use of work computer policy.
  I can study paper-based material in work
  before/after work or at lunchtime. PC based
  learning would be less flexible for me. I also
  find that using PC for internet searches/printing
  off printer etc can be very time consuming
  decreasing the limited time I have available for
  study. If course solely PC based I might
  discontinue my Oscail studies.Male BA respondent.
• I think it is not a good idea to base
  substantial amounts of course learning on
  computers. It is difficult to access them - they
  easily breakdown 'crash', often web pages are
  unavailable, internet costs at home are
  relatively high so unable to use internet Male
  On-campus Student
• (source Mac Keogh 2003)

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Studentsthe Technology vs Pedagogy debate

• Students not a homogenous mass of end users
  varied levels of receptivity to new technologies
  by discipline and personal characteristics
• 20 of students resistant high levels of
  disquiet
• Students welcome enhancements fear loss of human
  contact and flexibility
• Institutions must develop models to fit in with
  reality of student motivations and orientations
• Need for EU institutions to focus on learner
  listen to and address concerns

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Thwarted Innovation? The US Experience

• On and off college campuses, e-learning could
  not take off until wide-bandwidth internet access
  was readily available, until smart classrooms
  were constructed, and until all faculty and
  students had access to computers (Zemsky and
  Massy, 2004 8).
• Students 'do want to be connected, but
  principally to one another they want to present
  themselves and their work ... elearning is at
  best a convenience, at worst a distraction
  (Zemsky and Massy, 2004 ii).
• No viable market for elearning products had
  emerged in US higher education, with the
  exception of PowerPoint and course management
  systems such as BlackBoard (Zemsky and Massy,
  2004 ii).
• elearning hasnt radically changed the way
  subjects are taught For the most part, faculty
  who make e-learning a part of their teaching do
  so by having the electronics simplify tasks, not
  by fundamentally changing how the subject is
  taught.' (Zemsky and Massy, 2004 52).

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Why Participate in EU ODL/elearning programmes?
Push and Pull Factors

• Money staff and equipment versus matching funds
  and onerous accounting procedures
• Learning new expertise versus recycling old
  ideas
• Organisational Development prestige versus
  impact on core business and partnership
  management problems
• Staff Development enhanced expertise and
  prestige versus burn out
• European Dimension travel European networks
  versus language cultural differences, travel
  burn out
• Selection Process high investment in
  preparation versus low success rates

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Oscail Involvement in EU Projects - Strategy

• Projects must
• Contribute something tangible to core business
  courses, materials, equipment, staffing
• Provide testbed for new methodologies
• Develop new expertise (not recycle old)
• Contribute to research interests
• Travel, European Dimension, Institutional
  prestige a bonus
• Involvement
• Oscail involved in 32 EU projects between
  1987-2004
• Not involved in EU projects in 2005 HEA
  strategic Initiatives project Student Passport
  to Elearning (SPEL) see Lorenzi, MacKeogh
  Fox 2004 http//www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2
  004/Lorenzi_MacKeogh_Fox.htm

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Oscail EU Projects 1987-2004

• ERASMUS - Humanities
• Jean Monnet Course modules
• EuroFORM Access modules
• ADAPT Course modules for teachers/trainers
• PHARE Tempus Training the trainers, Central
  Eastern Europe
• DELTA Technology feasibility projects EIOL,
  TRIBUNE, JANUS, SMILE, CCAM, DELTA Demo
• Joint Call DGXII DGXIII DGXXII European Open
  University Network
• COMETT Telematics ISDN, COSTEL, ITTS, PRISM
• SOCRATES Modules, methods, networks CEFES 2000
  TODL DUNE PICTURE Mission

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PICTURE - Perceptions of ICT Use in Remote
Education 2000-2003

• Main Elements
• Testing Online Learning in Distance Education
• Higher-order skills
• Tutor role
• Use and exploitation of online resources and
  publishers online support
• The Student Perspective
• Survey on access/expertise/attitudes/expectations
• Survey on the digital divide in Europe

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PICTURE 2002 - PARTNERS

• Ireland OSCAIL - Dublin City University
• Project Coordinator Online Course Development
  Evaluation Survey of Students Dublin Workshop
  Reports
• United Kingdom Dept of Psychology Queens
  University Belfast
• Subject Matter Expertise Belfast Workshop
• Denmark Danish Association of Open Universities
• Report on Digital Divide Aarhus Workshop
• Others
• McGraw-Hill Higher Education - access to
  resources and eLearning environment
• Independent Evaluation Report - Ellie Chambers OU
  UK

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PICTURE - Outputs

• Series of Workshops/Seminars
• eLearning Workshop, Dublin June 2001
• eLearning in Psychology, Aarhus October 2001
• eLearning and Pedagogy in Higher Education
  Seminar, Belfast October 2002
• Reports
• The Digital Divide in Europe http//www.oscail.ie/
  caffrey.pdf
• The PICTURE eLearning Module Report on the
  Pilot Phase http//www.oscail.ie/PicRep.pdf
• Student perceptions of the use of ICT in European
  Education http//www.oscail.ie/McKeogh.pdf
• Conference papers and proceedings (12)
• Journal Articles Open Learning Fox MacKeogh
  Vol 18, 2003, pp121-134 European Education
  MacKeogh Vol 33(4) pp41-56
• Dissemination activities
• Website (http//www.oscail.ie/academic/picture.php
  )
• Leaflets/Presentations/posters/papers

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PICTURE eLearning Module

• Key Questions
• Are there online pedagogical techniques/methods
  which minimise demands on tutor time and
  simultaneously promote higher order learning?
• Online Resources
• Debate and Peer-Tutoring
• Collaborative Learning
• Are these techniques cost-effective?
• Are they sustainable/scalable?

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PICTURE eLearning ModuleYear 1

• Psychology Module in Oscails Humanities
  Programme
• Volunteers - 25 Students - 2 groups 8 weeks
• Online Resources/Debates Guide to online
  resources Topics for debate posted online
  Students using resources make contributions to
  debates
• Peer-Tutoring Students posted synopsis of
  relevant article online ask questions and engage
  in dialogue online on subject matter of articles
• Tutor Role moderate discussion, assess
  contributions
• (See Fox MacKeogh http//www.oscail.ie/PicRep.pd
  f)

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PICTURE eLearning ModuleYear 2

• Applied to entire module 2002 40 weeks
• 25 student volunteers
• Emphasis on full text online journals
• Integrated assessment
• Pedagogical tasks refined, collaborative project
  added
• Workbook - Instructional schedule
• Outcomes
• Cost and Quality more expensive in tutor time
  greater quality of discussion/learning experience
• Sustainable approach - could be applied to Real
  students on Real programmes
• Approach has been further refined applied to
  other Oscail modules.
• Identified need for Student Passport to
  eLearning (SPEL)

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Oscail 2005 Impact of EU Funding Summary

• Some modules were developed into sustainable
  programmes (e.g. Intro Module, Jean Monnet
  modules etc)
• Experimentation with technologies (e.g.
  satellite, CD-ROM etc) avoided technological
  blind alleys
• Developed international profile as centre of
  excellence in ODL/elearning research and pedagogy
• Staff developed project management skills
  enhanced pedagogical technical expertise
• PICTURE project the most useful all modules now
  online, with support from MOODLE.
• Refinement of PICTURE approach - Task Oriented
  Online Learning (TOOL) applied to selected modules

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EU Funding Programmes A Double Edged Implement?

• The importance of these programmes cannot be too
  strongly emphasised.
• They provide much needed resources for
  educational institutions under strong financial
  pressure from their own governments, and provide
  opportunities for trans-border activities which
  otherwise would not exist.
• They are a marvellous stimulus to innovation and
  technological development for learning and
  teaching.
• But they also have their dangers as well as
  benefits for EADTU institutions. Although
  support for EADTU activities has been heartening
  to date, we have no exclusive claim to these
  funds for distance teaching activities. If we do
  not meet the criteria - or even if we do - other
  institutions whom we may see as hitherto
  insignificant players in the distance education
  game are also eligible for funding.
• Furthermore, the policy and agenda either
  explicit or implicit in the EC's programmes are
  not always in harmony with the policies and
  agenda of individual EADTU institutions
• EADTU European Association of Distance
  Teaching Institutions
• Source Tony Bates, 1990 Media and Technology in
  European Distance Education, Heerlen EADTU
  p17).

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Conclusions?

• Crucial to ensure EU funding meets institutions
  strategic objectives
• Oscails core business is developing and
  delivering sustainable programmes to higher
  education students at a distance - EU funding
  must be seen to support this role, not distract
  from it
• Most EU programmes are seen as privileging
  technology over pedagogy
• Too many projects are seen as reinventing the
  wheel and going over old ground
• Consistent lack of sustainable outputs a
  consequence of short term projects
• Inflexible bureaucratic reporting requirements
  stifle creativity

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• Thank You
• Go raibh maith agaibh
• Kay Mac Keogh
• Kay.mackeogh_at_dcu.ie
• http//www.oscail.ie/academic/picture.php