Research%20in%20ICT%20and%20Learning%20Trends%20and%20opportunities%20in%20E-learning

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Research in ICT and LearningTrends and
opportunities in E-learning

• Ulf Hedestig
• Department of Informatics
• Umea University
• Sweden

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Introduction

• Background to development of information
  technology in higher education
• Models for e-learning environments
• Perspectives on design of learning environments
• Virtual universities and Learning Centres

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Background

• Globalisation in society
• Media convergence
• Knowledge based economy

End of 1990s

• Virtual universities
• E-learning in business

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Tendencies of problems
The Lab that Fell to Earth Once the center of the
technology research universe, the storied MIT
Media Lab is now teetering on the brink of
breakup- or, even worse, irrelevance Wired May,
2003

• IT in schools have not been a success
• Workload on teachers
• High costs
• Consequences after the IT-crash

The Times Higher Education 2003-02-28
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The key to the problem- to understand the
context of e-learning environments
3. Organisation
1. Technology
2. Pedagogy
4. Practice
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1. Technology
Top-down approach Bottom-up approach

• Design of learning environments
• For whom?
• New communication behaviours
• Technical infrastructure
• Different strategies
• Maintenance
• Most expensive

Learning environment
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Design of learning environments
Teacher-centered
Student-centered

Interpretation Meaning making Internal
reality Cultural relativism Contextualised Sociall
y negotiated Community based Complex Collaborative
Social Constructive Situated learning Ill-structu
red Embedded in experience

• Instruction
• Transmission
• Acquisition
• External reality
• Dualism
• Individually interpreted
• Mind-centred
• Reductionistic
• Individual
• Rational
• Symbolic reasoning
• Well-structured
• decontextualised

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2. Pedagogy

• Complicated forms of education
• Integration of different models
• Distance education/learning
• On-campus education
• Decentralised education

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Technology and pedagogy

• IT och pedagogy
• Driven by an invisible force (ICT) that calls us
  to the past, we seem to keep putting emphasis
  mainly on the delivery of information, that is,
  of content, almost completely disregarding
  interaction and activity the context, the
  completely renewed social and cultural contexts
  that the new technologies are pleading to offer
  us
• (Antónia Dias de Figueiredo, PROMETEUS)
• Computer Aided Instructions (Skinner)
• Intelligent Tutoring Systems (Artificial
  intelligence)
• Supported Collaborative Computer Learning

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E-learning models web-based models

• 1. Content supportmodell
• Copy of face-to-face education
• Static content (course schedule, information,
  assignments etc) Some complementary support for
  tutoring, discussion forum, email lists
• Low level of interaction
• No more than 20 of students time goes to
  interaction

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E-learning models web-based models

• 2. Wrap-around modell
• Building in different activities into course
  material
• Simulations, group exercises, discussions, group
  work
• Around half of the students time goes to
  interaction

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E-learning models web-based models

• 3. Integrated model
• Active learning/collaborative working
• Course content is dynamic and based on individual
  preferences and needs
• A list of resources compared to a fix content
• Resources is created together with particpants
  during the course.

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OrganisationHow to provide higher education in a
virtual community?

• On-campus and E-learning
• Young students and adult learners
• Full time studies and half time/evening classes
• Teaching vs learning

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Organisational models for e-learningThe
University

• Negotiation model
• Groups on middle level at the university
• Local investments in infrastructure
• Financing from faculty level
• Support/teaching recourses to enthusiasts

• Anarchy model
• No central decisions, bottom-up
• Minimal resources for central financing of course
  content
• Low level of infrastructure
• Dedicated teachers
• Low level of awareness what others are doing

• Central model
• Central priorities large scale
• Large recourses for infrastructures
• Professional developers and teachers - Center of
  Excellence in Educational Technology

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Inter-organisational modelsUniversity ?? Regions
(Learning centers)

• Brokerage
• Only provide information on possible courses,
  programmes online
• Using existing providers (universities)
• Open Learning Agency
• www.ola.bc.ca, www.ola.edu.au
• University for Industry
• www.ufiltd.co.uk,
• www.scottishufi.co.uk

B
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Inter-organisational modelsUniversity ?? Regions
(Learning centers)

• Umbrella
• Network with one central node
• individually are we very small but together we
  become large
• University of Highland and Islands
• www.uhi.ac.uk
• Western Governors University
• www.wgu.edu/wgu/index.html

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Inter-organisational modelsUniversity ?? Regions
(Learning centers)

• Greenfield
• Totally new organisation
• Usually virtual universities
• University of Phoenix
• Magellan University
• www.magellan.edu
• Microsoft Online Learning Inst.

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Inter-organisational modelsUniversity ?? Regions
(Learning centers)

• Partnership
• Agreements between partners
• National and internationally
• Open University agreement with Hong Kong,
  Singapore etc

U
LC
Learning Center
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Learning Centers in Sweden
Large Areas
450 000 Km²
600 000 Km²
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Northern Sweden and Learning Centers
1150 Km
500 Km
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Learning Centers in every municipality

• Learning Center an important link between
  higher education and the region
• Provide education on different levels mainly
  focused on adult education
• Based on local needs and local industry
• Information, counseling, marketing, recruitment

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• Good infrastructure
• Computer labs
• Videoconference equipment
• Classroom, group rooms,
• Local tutors
• Libraries, course literature

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Learning centers in Sweden

• Learning centers are financed by the local
  municipality
• Local learning centers integrated with other
  educational systems (secondary school, vocational
  training, adult learning etc) or regional
  development centers
• University provides higher education financed by
  state government
• Extra costs for adoptions to distance education
  based on partnership agreements

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• Questions?