Responding to the challenges and opportunities of borderless education

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Responding to the challenges and opportunities of
borderless education

• Jonathan Darby
• Chief Architect
• UK eUniversities Worldwide

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My background

• First used computers in teaching 1975
• Joined Oxford University 1980
• Computers in Teaching Initiative 1988 to 1996
• Director of Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning
  (TALL) 1996 to 2002
• Chief Architect, UK eUniversities from May 2002

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Neil Postman, media ecologist

• What is the problem to which headlamp
  washer-wipers are the solution?
• Educom Conference 1992

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Neil Postman, media ecologist

• What is the problem to which headlamp
  washer-wipers are the solution?
• Educom Conference 1992
• What is the problem to which e-learning is the
  solution?

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Sir Christopher Ball, Oxford don

• I dont want to take a course. I want to be
  helped to understand. I want to be able to do
  things I dont know how to do.

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Sir Christopher Ball, Oxford don

• I dont want to take a course. I want to be
  helped to understand. I want to be able to do
  things I dont know how to do.
• MORI State of the Nation Poll 1999
• gt80 of the UK adult population would like to
  continue their education
• lt30 thought they were at all likely to take a
  course in the next 12 months

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Sir Christopher Ball, Oxford don

• I dont want to take a course. I want to be
  helped to understand. I want to be able to do
  things I dont know how to do.
• MORI State of the Nation Poll 1999
• gt80 of the UK adult population would like to
  continue their education
• lt30 thought they were at all likely to take a
  course in the next 12 months
• Is the tertiary education sector failing 50 of
  adults?

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What is e-learning for?
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What is e-learning for?

• To meet unmet educational needs

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Getting serious about e-learning

• Figure out what its for

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The Oxford experience

• The tutorial system a tradition of problem-based
  learning
• Department for Continuing Education 150 years of
  outreach
• Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning (TALL)
  established 1996
• research-led approach eg development and
  testing of theoretical online course models prior
  to implementation
• all courses funded via business plan
• very fine-grained learning object approach

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First Generation e-learning

• Online courses as direct analogues of
  conventionally-delivered courses
• replicating course structure, elements and
  delivery mode
• incorporate existing support materials (though
  may be modified or augmented)
• delivery dependent on course originator
• not scalable
• always inferior to original course
• horseless carriages

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Second Generation e-learning

• Online courses equivalent to conventionally-delive
  red courses but purpose designed for medium
• same top-level learning outcomes
• educationally derived, precept-driven design
  methodology
• team developed not faculty led
• course requires mentoring not teaching when
  delivered
• fully scalable

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Third Generation e-learning

• Online education that does not adhere to course
  conventions
• the course is an artificial construct born of
  practicality old constraints no longer apply
• Examples
• learning pathways through knowledge management
  systems
• personalised curricula
• just-in-time education

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Getting serious about e-learning

• Figure out what its for
• Sort out the pedagogy

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UK eUniversities the big picture

• eUniversities aims to make UK higher education a
  winner in the new era of borderless education

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Background

• Big market for e-learning at university level
  speaking English
• UK losing overseas market share
• Need for more e-learning delivery in UK
• Government investment of 62m
• Encouragement of Private Public Partnership

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What is eUniversities?

• A vehicle for all UK universities (except
  Scotland)
• Delivery primarily by electronic means
• A platform designed for remote adult learners
• Appropriate support for a plethora of learners
• Light touch quality regime
• Sales and marketing, including via overseas
  partners
• and cash (eg 1m for a Masters program)

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Getting serious about e-learning

• Figure out what its for
• Sort out the pedagogy
• Invest sensibly
• Work in partnership

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UKeU course development aims

• Discourage 1st Generation
• Encourage 2nd (and 3rd) Generation
• Support broad spectrum of students
• culture
• learning preferences
• special needs
• Follow international standards (including IMS,
  SCORM, WAI)
• Adopt a fine grain object-oriented approach to
  course design

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Why a new platform?

• Limitations of virtual campus products
• eg Blackboard, WebCT
• Limitations of corporate training learning
  environments
• eg Saba, Docent
• Designed for remote adult learners
• Support for development teams
• Open systems architecture
• Scalability

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Getting serious about e-learning

• Figure out what its for
• Sort out the pedagogy
• Invest sensibly
• Work in partnership
• Find a platform that you can work with not for

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Adopted e-learning standards

• IMS
• Content Packaging
• Metadata
• Question and Test Interoperability
• Learning Architecture
• Watching other standards
• SCORM 1.2
• Assets but not Sharable Courseware Objects
• Also tracking Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI)

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Accessibility

• Working to offer support for
• blindness
• partial sight
• colour blindness
• deafness
• fine motor skills
• dyslexia
• Following best practice guidelines
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines
• Advice from national agency TechDis
• SENDA (UK equivalent of US Section 508)
• Planning an eUniversities accessibility roadmap

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Getting serious about e-learning

• Figure out what its for
• Sort out the pedagogy
• Invest sensibly
• Work in partnership
• Find a platform that you can work with not for
• Pay attention to standards

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Student e-learning strategies

• Linear (following default sequence) 30
• Text-led (printed all texts and used as course
  framework) 30
• Aural (played all audiographics before referring
  to texts) 20
• Assignment-orientated (prioritised all course
  elements based on relevance to assignment) 20
• (Oxford University online course students 1998)

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Design principles

• Design courses from first principles
• Support multiple modes of learning
• Allow students to chart their own pathways
• Use simplest technological solution to each
  learning requirement
• Build for adaptability and reuse
• Never use a Next button

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Course structure
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The course team

• Academic staff
• Course specifies
• Content creators
• Reviewers
• Tutors
• Techno-pedagogic staff
• Learning technologists
• Web developers / media specialists
• Graphic designers
• Editors
• Project management
• QA

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Why learning objects?

• Facilitates a construction kit approach
• Allows integration of varied media elements
• Simplifies modification and updating
• but
• Learning object standards (IMS/SCORM, etc) more
  informed by Pavlovian than constructivist thinking

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So whats the problem?

• Reusability at the heart of SCORM and IMS
• Whos clamouring for it?
• At what educational cost (dependencies
  prohibited)?
• Should be a consequence not a prerequisite
• Learning assumptions SCORM dictates all
  learning objects (SCOs) should include assessment
• Learning materials have multiple uses
• Most learning should not be assessed
• Sequencing programmed learning back again!
• Should we be building systems that think they are
  smarter than students?
• Orientation not dictation

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SCORM Sharable Courseware Object
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UKeU Learning Object
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SCORM-based online course
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UKeU Learning Object-based online course
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or this
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So what do we need?

• Learning object definition
• The smallest element of a course that defines a
  learning activity
• A practical e-learning design and construction
  kit
• A Lego set
• A practical architecture
• Ability to make connections
• Navigation
• Simple sequencing and EML both miss the point
• Need to facilitate student choices
• Provide maps not sets of directions

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Getting serious about e-learning

• Figure out what its for
• Sort out the pedagogy
• Invest sensibly
• Work in partnership
• Find a platform that you can work with not for
• Pay attention to standards
• Use learning objects but not uncritically

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Getting serious about e-learning

• Figure out what its for
• Sort out the pedagogy
• Invest sensibly
• Work in partnership
• Find a platform that you can work with not for
• Pay attention to standards
• Use learning objects but not uncritically
• Keep an open mind!

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Further information

• Jonathan Darby jdarby_at_ukeu.com
• Website www.ukeu.com