Florida Distance Learning Consortium

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Florida Distance Learning Consortium
The E-Learning Wave A Few Trends
to Watch in 2005
John Opper
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Evidence

• Listening and watching students?
• What do the stats suggest?
• Administrative systems or more?
• The teaching model and costs
• Emerging standards?

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Tracking Change

• Some tried and true technologies are dying.
• The imagined future that we grew up with is
  here.
  
• Digital is the native language of the generation
  we are now serving.
  
• Toys and Games mirror the adult world.
• Goal has expanded from getting to the home or
  desktop to include the mobile student.
  (Borders/Starbucks communities)
  

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The Digital Backpack

• Cell Phone/Pager
• MP3 Player/PDA
• Laptop/Computer
• Flash Drive
• CD Media
• IM
• Web Camera

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Whats Up With That?

• Google and Tivo as verbs
• Wi-Fi growing rapidly tools to find spots and
  unsanctioned networks are mainstream.
  
• Amazon.com type service has set a standard.
• Information targets should be no more than 2
  clicks away.
  
• Communication is constant and cameras are
  everywhere.
  
• Multi-tasking is normal behavior.
• Digital rights management is a continuing
  battleground.
  
• Bandwidth, Bandwidth, Bandwidth

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Reports from the Field!

• Most colleges and universities are reporting
  strong enrollment increases in e-learning
  programs.
  
• E-Learning and hybrid courses fill up first and
  fast.
  
• The traditional classroom is becoming very hard
  to define as technology of all types invades
  every facet of instruction?
  

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Two Dimensions of E-Learning System Growth

Number of users
content density interactivity
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Faculty and Student Use of E-Learning
Approaching Majority Status
Supplemental E-Learning Participation Rate
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The Statistics A Few Caveats

• These numbers are changing rapidly and new
  behaviors are emerging.
  
• Some differences exist in how these data are
  reported across the schools, colleges and
  universities. A common lexicon is under
  discussion.
• There is considerable variability across the
  state in the major modes of delivery and program
  emphases.
  

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Unique Students

• For 2002-2003, total unduplicated enrollments for
  Florida public distance education courses in were
  approximately 228,083.
  

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• Distance learning course headcounts are expected
  to continue increasing by 33 percent to 46
  percent or more per year.
  

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The Larger Picture

• For 2002-2003, total enrollments for Florida
  public distance education courses were
  approximately 444,462.

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Modes of Delivery
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Modes of Delivery
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Trend Summary

• Three years ago - Growth in DL was strong with
  92 or more students also enrolled in regular on
  campus courses.
  
• Two years ago Strong growth continued with
  large increases in hybrid courses.
  
• This year - Continued strong growth with an
  increase in the pure distance learner who may not
  come to campus at all.

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Degree or Certificate Programs(Either majority
or all course work available by DL)

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Access to Courses

• www.distancelearn.org
• Student access point or information and services
  connections to institutions.
  
• 5,706 courses listed last year
• 17 percent of the Southern Regional Education
  Board Electronic Campus offerings were from
  Florida institutions.

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Learning Management Systems

• Six primary platforms in Florida
• Exploring new enterprise collaborative models for
  cost efficient deployment.
  
• There is a strong need to control and shape the
  learning environment.
  
• What about districts?

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E-Learning Toward OSS Applications
Strategic Planning Assumption By 2005,
e-learning will emerge as the first
mission-critical application in which Type A
institutions will experiment with open-source
solutions (.8 probability).
uPortal, OSPI,Shibboleth,DSpace, etc.
Content Standards
IMS, IEEE LOM, SCORM
Related Infrastructure
Code!
Content Libraries
MIT Open CourseWare, MERLOT
OKI OSIDS
Reference Architecture
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Academic IT A Comprehensive Model
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Economies of Content
Less2
Dont Know 8
Same13
More77
Only 2 percent of institutions find e-learning
cheaper to develop than traditional instruction
...
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Instructional Cost Factors in E-Learning

• Although there are several extensive models for
  tracking costs, the majority of the costs can be
  explained by the following factors.
  
• Scalability of the course
• Cost of faculty effort
• Cost of acquisition or development (NCES survey
  data)
  
• (The E-Learning 20)

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The Changing Teaching Role?

• The faculty job has become a 24/7 responsibility
  as students seek to interact with them at all
  hours on a wide range or personal, professional
  and course related topics.
• The increased utilization of technology has
  changed the skill set for most faculty and
  teachers.
  
• Since the faculty is the most valuable resource
  to the school or institution, deciding how their
  time can best be used effectively in this shift
  is a critical task.
• New technological tools that ease the workload
  and allow for more effective collaboration with
  students is helping.
  
• Course redesign projects funded by the Pew Trust
  are also contributing new ideas.

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Digital Resources

• Isnt it all on the Internet?
• Sales of music on the web have erupted which
  could easily expand to audio books and other
  forms.
  
• Utilization of digital databases licensed by FCLA
  and CCLA exceeded 39.7 million searches for
  2002-2003.

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Tremendous Need for Learning Resources
Paraprofessional
Basic Education
GED
Bottleneck Courses
Vocational
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Laptop Initiative
Home Schoolers
Professional Development

On-line Courses
Public libraries
On-campus Courses
Workforce
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What do we knowtoday?
Difficult to share and use as is an entire
course
Within one or more courses, similar or same
concepts, ideas, theories, etc. are taught across
institutions

Easier to share smaller, common pieces of a
course

Chunks of content allow faculty to organize and
customize course materials

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From the Faculty Perspective

• There is so much out there. I want the freedom
  to choose the best for each course segment What
  I need is to find chunks of electronic materials
  that fit my subject matter and teaching style.
• David G. Brown, Syllabus Magazine
• former chancellor University of North Carolina

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Commercial Content
Most commercial and publisher products are still
proprietary and not designed for accessibility
i.e. Plato, Academic Systems, Riverdeep, Compass

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Institution Content

Algebra I
MAT 1033
MAC 1105
MAC 1105
MAT 1033
Algebra I
MAC 1105
MAT 1033
MAC 1105
Algebra I
Algebra I
MAT 1033
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Educational Needs
Content in digital format
Content in smaller chunks
Easily store, identify, locate, and use content
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The Missing Piece Power of Standards

SCORM Shareable Content Object Reference Model
Dept of Defense 27 Billion Dollar Ed Budget
Advanced Distributive Learning Co-Lab
defines International Standards for the
development of tools and platforms to deliver
content over the Internet i.e. Enterprise
Learning Management Systems and Learning Object
Repository (LOR) software
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Innovative use of technology -
A repository to develop, store
and electronically share Floridas learning reso
urces for PreK-20
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• An Emerging Learning Object Repository (LOR)
• Goals
• 1. To provide access to high quality, accurate,
  reusable learning objects that will enhance and
  improve learning for PreK-20 Florida students
  
• 2. Plan for interoperability with other
  repositories
  
• 3. Ensure accessibility

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• What about other states?
• Massachusetts
• Algebra I developed into learning objects
• Reduced dropout rate 25
• Merlot and WiscOn-Line (Wiscsonin Technical
  Colleges)
  
• LORs no-standards
• Maryland, Wisconsin (Univ System), Georgia, and
  Florida
  
• developing standards based LOR
• Canada, Australia and UK
• Leaders

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Learning Objects One Definition

• A learning object is "any entity, digital or
  non-digital, which can be used, re-used or
  referenced during technology supported learning.
  
• IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee
• Language of the Business World

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Shared Content Solution

MTB 1370 Math for Health Related Professionals
Algebra I
Fractions Introduction to Fractions You
might be surprised how often fractions are used
in everyday life. Acquiring an understanding of
fractions will enable you to better see and
understand those fractions you run across in
everyday life as well as in your future
mathematics courses. This lesson will introduce
you to the concept of fractions.
MAC 1105 College Algebra
MAT 1033 Intermediate Algebra
Auto Mechanics
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AAP is highly supportive of this initiativeWe
recognize the value of being able to share and
use these materials in digital formats that
facilitate an endless variety of their
combination and recombination for instructional
purposes across diverse learning platforms.
Patricia Schroeder President CEO Association
of American Publishers, Inc. (AAP)
June 7, 2002 letter to Judy Brown, Executive
Director Academic ADL Co-Lab
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Advantages

• Instructors can select from quality content to
  provide a flexible course that can be
  individualized for each learner.
  
• Learners can choose their own learning goals and
  assemble a personally relevant course.
  
• CONVERGENCE of online and on-campus course
  development resulting in lower development
  costs
  

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Down the Road My Opinion

• We are dealing with an increasingly
  technologically sophisticated learner that is
  younger and younger. High expectations!
  
• Demand is exponential for alternative forms of
  delivery (on the learners terms). Communication
  is the buzz.
  
• Content must be more flexible to address TCO
  issues and faculty needs.

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Down the Road My Opinion

• Evolution of administrative systems to serve more
  educational or instructional activity. Skill
  sets will need review.
  
• Changing model of academic IT and the teaching
  role!
  
• The importance of the emerging standards in the
  cost and productivity arenas.