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| GLOBALEDUCATOR ARTICLES |
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See
below for the list of published articles in GlobalEducator.
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| Published GlobalEducator Articles
- Arranged by Author |
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NEW
ROLES FOR LEARNERS AND TEACHERS IN ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION
Zane Berge, University of Maryland,
USA
With cthe emergence of technologies that make it easier for
two-way communication, such as teleconferencing and web-based,
computer-mediated communication, the image of the independent
distant learner is changing. Historically, in higher education
there has been a teacher-centered focus on transferring knowledge
from expert to novice. Today, the goals of education, demographics
of the population, and the lifestyles of students are converging
to cause a focus on students being transformed into self-directed,
life-long learners who construct meaning, both individually
and socially. Taken together, these factors demand a cultural
change within higher education that both necessary and painful
to teachers and learners. |
| |
CLICK
OR BRICK COLLEGES? AND WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE SATURDAY EVENING
POST?
Zane Berge, University of Maryland, USA
Historically, before they are used to create or do new things,
most innovations are at first used to continue, or automate,
the existing processes or products. This is also true in education
with the recent innovations in computer and telecommunication
systems. While these emerging systems have the potential to
be a catalyst for individualized and interactive education,
we have essentially continued in the Fordian mindset of mass
production higher education. The question posed in this article
is, Will traditional, residential education in the 21st century
be found only at a few elite institutions and be only for the
wealthy who can afford to attend them? The author's contention
is that distance education needs to be individualized, interactive
and independent of time, a system that places the emphasis on
learning rather than teaching and that its focus should be on
outcomes. The reasons why this is not currently the case include
lack of time, the need for cultural change and a lack of expertise.
It is the choices that educators make now and in the next decade
that will determine how distance education will be help future
generations of learners. |
| |
WHY
FACULTY PARTICIPATE IN DISTANCE EDUCATION
Kristen Betts, The George Washington University, USA
Outlines a comprehensive study focused on how motivating and
inhibiting factors affect faculty participation in distance
education at a major four-year, private university in the United
States. What university administrators perceive as motivating
and inhibiting factors to distance education participation are
also identified. Based on the results, recommendations are provided
to the university on how to create an environment in which faculty
would be more inclined to get involved in distance education
|
| |
NATIONAL
USA SURVEY OF STUDENT RECRUITMENT, SATISFACTION & RETENTION
Kristen S. Betts
In today's competitive higher education sector, students are
now dynamic consumers who take a very active role in their education.
The National Students' Outlook (NSO) Pilot Study, conducted
in Spring 2003 in the USA, was designed to provide administrators
with vital data regarding student recruitment, satisfaction,
and retention. The results of the pilot study, which included
responses from over two thousand students at five different
institutions, revealed that academics, location of college,
and college reputation had significant roles in a student's
final selection of a college . The study also indicated that
the majority of students were satisfied as students at their
institution. However, as uncovered in the study, satisfaction
does not necessarily equate to retention. Based on the NSO study,
this article provides detailed data regarding student recruitment,
satisfaction and retention, as well as recommendations on how
to maximize survey research to learn more about student populations.
|
| |
LEADING
FACULTY GENTLY BY THE HAND
Mauri Collins, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA
Very little seems to be written about, or attention paid to,
the socio-emotional transitions that faculty have to make as
they attempt to accommodate their teaching styles to new and
different delivery technologies. Training can usually raise
faculty persons' technology fluency to acceptable levels. This
article discusses ways that faculty development personal can
help instructors through those transitions and to gain confidence
in their ability to translate the best of their classroom teaching
methods into mediated environments. Leading faculty gently by
the hand involves listening carefully to their needs and making
process suggestions will ease faculty workload and assist student
learning |
| |
THE
EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL ANXIETY ON INSTITUTIONAL DECISION-MAKING
Patricia Cravener, University of Texas at Arlington, USA
This article describes affective barriers to change that tend
to inhibit adoption of high quality online degree programs in
colleges and universities. Faced with demands for re-structuring
the institution and altering their individual professional practices,
faculty and administration inevitably experience some degree
of anxiety aroused by cognitive dissonance. Social change and
decision-making responsibilities evoke further personal anxiety.
Rarely aware of habitual defences against the discomfort of
anxiety, administrators and faculty are at high risk for group
think processes that effectively constrain productivity related
to planning and development of online degree programs. |
| |
RE-LEARNING
E-LEARNING: A BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON REVIEW
Marlene French,
RMIT University, Australia
Like many of the e-revolutions, Internet-enabled e-Learning
has fallen on hard times. A Booz Allen Hamilton study indicates
that the problem lies not with the concept but with the execution
of e-Learning. The 2002 study, for the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology's Council on Education Technology, found that
e-Learning will realise its true value only as a supplement
to and enhancement of traditional learning methods. The report
outlines three principles and five education consumer segments
to guide e-Learning providers toward success in the next e-Learning
era. The increasing need for new skills among potential e-Learning
consumers, combined with information fatigue and time pressures,
means single serve products are in demand. For example, MIT
alumni were more interested in obtaining knowledge updates than
in pursuing further degrees. Other consumers look for knowledge
gap fillers or supplemental learning aids. The study also considers
the need for better delivery devices. The original report1 was
reviewed with the kind permission of the authors and Randall
Rothenberg of Booz Allen Hamilton. |
| |
MANAGING
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Carol
Fripp
Taking an established process from a paper-based world and moving
it online into an e-business process is a journey filled with
challenges and learning. The Australian project, AEShareNet,
is moving Intellectual Property Management into an online environment
and is an example of just such a project. The system is now
operational but the learning continues, as an increasing number
of issues emerge in the education sector, around the need to
collaborate and share across systems, networks, infrastructures
and processes. This is particularly true in a global environment
where transnational borders no longer apply. |
| |
PREPARING
SCHOOL LEADERS FOR NEW-MILLENNIUM GLOBAL LEARNING
Ian Gibson, Wichita State University,
usa
This article emphasizes the need to prepare school leaders in
a real-world, authentic global context. It draws upon examples
from the Global Forum on School Leadership (GFSL), an online
forum bringing together educational professionals from around
the world, to illustrate how education professionals need to
re-evaluate their approaches to teaching online. The importance
of recognizing individual struggle necessary to modify and adjust
educational world views and subsequent behaviours in an increasingly
interrelated global village is stressed. The author poses a
challenge for those in the learning profession-to make their
'teacher' practices and behaviours authentic and relevant to
the shrinking and increasingly globally interdependent, technology-rich
living and learning environment in which they ply their trade. |
| |
SALVAGING
PEDAGOGY IN THE SWAMP OF TECHNOLOGY
Tony Gilding, James Cook University, Australia
Through a description of the professional development program
at Victoria University of Technology, this essay discusses the
challenges for those who want to teach online. The online teacher
must develop a complex sociotechnical network where both technology
and people are constituted through negotiation with each other.
Consequently, teaching staff, as well as the technology, are
transformed. The boundaries of work, and consequently the academics,
are forever changed. Professional development programs must
evolve to better meet the needs of staff. At Victoria University,
we are moving to professional development programs that a situated
in the academics' workplace and uses technology to engage staff
and students in ongoing conversations about teaching and learning
online. Technology is used to leverage us to talk about teaching
and learning, but also challenges us to go beyond a focus on
technology itself. |
| |
NSW
HSC ONLINE: THE SECOND PHASE
Lyn Gorman, Charles Sturt University, Australia
The New South Wales (NSW) Higher School Certificate (HSC) Online
project began as a Charles Sturt University initiative in 1996
and has developed as a collaborative venture of Charles Sturt
University and the New South Wales Department of Education and
Training (DET). Given the development of new syllabi for the
Higher School Certificate to be implemented in the year 2001,
the project entered a second phase in 1999. A second website
is being developed, based on the requirements for the HSC in
2001. This article summarises the history of the first phase
of the project, outlines the planning and development being
undertaken for the second phase, and discusses the main challenges
and uppermost concerns of the project team in the year 2000.
|
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UNBOUNDED
CLASSROOMS: NSW HSC ONLINE AS A MODEL FOR ONLINE DELIVERY
Lyn Gorman
Now in its seventh year, the NSW HSC Online project is a collaborative
venture of Charles Sturt University and the New South Wales
Department of Education and Training in Australia. Its website
delivers resources for more than 40 subjects to Higher School
Certificate students and teachers, including those in rural
and remote regions. The website enables users to communicate
using online forums and other interactive features. Peak use
periods show how successful this educational website has become,
with more than 24 million pages delivered since its inception,
and more than 1 million pages delivered in one month alone in
2002. A recent evaluation provided data on user reactions to
website content and design, as well as useful suggestions to
inform further development. The project (hsc.csu.edu.au) merits
consideration as a global model for online delivery of educational
resources. |
| |
VALUING
VIRTUAL TIME
Graeme Hart, Founding Editor, Global Educator
"I need a lover with an easy touch, I want someone who
can spend the time, not come and go in a heated rush."
These lyrics from the song by the Pointer Sisters are used
as a metaphor for valuing the time spent in the virtual world
of the Global Educator. We value personal time spent with
our close and intimate friends but the amount of time spent
online by educators tends not to be valued, particularly by
those who administer courses that other people teach. While
time spent is an essential ingredient in good and caring teaching,
modern online educators need to protect their professional
turf and not allow technology to marginalise them through
over-accessibility. The 'heated rush' of people coming into
our lives and then out again is very much the reality of the
online world and makes the management and valuing of virtual
time as professionals all the more important if Global Educators
are to avoid being viewed as an increasingly disposable contract
commodity in the developing online order.
|
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WORDS
ON THE WEB INTERACTIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING
Monica Hill, University of Hong Kong
Words on the Web is an innovative online language course for
non-native English speakers currently in use at the University
of Hong Kong. This article explains the development and design
of the course and access to the website is provided for readers
to explore at their leisure. A positive outcome has been that
students can develop their academic English in a non-threatening
environment in their own time and from their chosen location.
They can also hear the pronunciation of newly encountered words
and enhance their vocabulary learning strategies. The challenge
is to continue to motivate the learners and make them want to
visit the site. |
| |
QUALITY
MANAGEMENT OF A JOINT-UNIVERSITY E-LEARNING PROJECT
Paula Hodgeson & Paul Lam
This article describes a quality process to support higher education
academics who are integrating technology into their learning
and teaching programs. The joint-university e-learning project
aims to cross-fertilize staff experiences and resources and
provides educational advice to maximize the application of educational
theories and technical support to minimize technical barriers.
Collection of feedback from students and teachers provides a
continuous improvement mechanism from the planning stage through
to evaluation. High-quality support from the project is based
on thorough communications at three levels: teacher-project
contacts, project-team contacts and project-public contacts.
The project 'e3Learning' received HK$3.5 million from the University
Grants Committee of Hong Kong in October 2002, to assist university
teachers to more fully utilize technology in their teaching.
|
| |
COUNTERING
TERRORISM: WEB-BASED SECURITY MANAGEMENT EDUCATION
Peter Hosie & Clifton Smith - Edith Cowan University, Australia
Demand for Security Science education is high as a result of
rises in the incidence of global terrorism and threats to national
security. Recent terrorist tragedies have emphasised the need
for high-quality professional education in security risk and
security technology for the protection of human and physical
assets. These events have focussed national and international
attention on the necessity for professional security education
and training for government, private organisations and community
services. This article presents a case-study of an innovative
and internationally delivered e-learning course in Security
Science, designed and developed by the Learning Development
Centre at Edith Cowan University in Australia, to meet new international
demands for security management education. |
| |
ACADEMIC
AND PROFESSIONAL VOCABULARY LEARNING ONLINE
Monica
Hill, English Centre University of Hong Kong
University students studying in a second or foreign language
frequently ask for assistance in improving their English vocabulary
to help them better understand academic texts, write better
reports and give more concise and informative presentations.
As time is limited in most English enhancement courses, vocabulary
learning tends to be relegated to self access centres and online
resources. To help students work on their own and study the
words most useful for their academic needs, two web sites have
been developed: the University Word Web and the Professional
Word Web. The first presents the words students are most likely
to meet in general academic texts, while the second moves a
stage further and looks at discipline-specific terminology from
Law, Engineering, Social Work, Business and Economics. Selected
texts using idiomatic English are also included. Both sites
are openly available on the web and have been favourably evaluated
by Chinese students in Hong Kong. |
| |
SUPPORTING
LEARNERS IN A BRAVE NEW WORLD
J. Lynley Hutton, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
As in Aldus Huxley's 'A Brave New World', the online world creates
challenges and opportunities for those who use it for educational
purposes. Regardless of the learning environment, or the technologies
used to construct it, the needs of the learner must be paramount.
This article explores the needs of the learner, drawing on pilot
projects and research undertaken at The Open Polytechnic of
New Zealand. Awareness of the impact of the learning environment
on individuals is raised with a warning given regarding educational
inequality and the dangers inherent in replicating online the
same world that existed elsewhere. The challenge - and the opportunity
- is to create a new world that supports learners differences
and develops their skills and strategies to meet the challenges
of life in the rapidly changing world around them. |
| |
ADAPTIVE
MOBILE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES
Kinshuk
Mobile educational systems have started to emerge as potential
educational environments supporting life-long learning. However,
these environments still suffer from various technological and
access related problems in many parts of the world. This article
reviews research in mobile learning, with particular focus on
adaptivity for individual learners. While adaptivity in desktop
based environments has attracted much attention and sophistication
in e-learning environments, mobile learning is still struggling
with basic technological and pedagogical problems. But there
is much evidence that suggests that mobile technology is going
to provide a natural extension for e-learning in the long run.
With greater restrictions posed on mobile learners due to time,
space and varied technical solutions available in different
circumstances, adaptivity is expected to play even greater role.
|
| |
BARRIERS
TO INTERNATIONAL FACULTY IN GLOBAL ONLINE LEARNING
Alex Kuskis, University of Guelph Ontario, Canada
As online learning goes global and online universities and training
schools increasingly market to a multicultural global clientele,
their hiring practices with respect to online contract faculty
must change. Global online learning is international by definition
and this characteristic should be reflected in the make-up of
the faculty contracted to design and facilitate courses for
international learners. Policies restricting the hiring of contract
faculty to an institution's own nationals or based on other
socio-political considerations, reflects an Industrial Era way
of thinking. In relating his experiences in attempting to work
as an online instructor on a worldwide basis, the author has
encountered institutional, rather than national barriers, there
being no apparent government restrictions on hiring contract
faculty who do not have to immigrate to that country. A new
vision of global online learning is needed at the institutional
level, one that seeks to employ the best contract faculty and
instructional designers on a worldwide basis, rather than simply
resorting to the locals at hand. The latter might be easier
to manage from an administrative point of view, but is not necessarily
better pedagogically. |
| |
MANAGING
ONLINE SEARCH RESULTS: THE COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING KNOWLEDGE
FINDER
Judith Law, Commonwealth of Learning Canada
The Commonwealth of Learning Knowledge Finder is an online repository
of resources on distance education and open learning, and can
be used by individuals or organisations without restriction.
It currently has 1 million indexed quality documents and web
pages. In this article, the author describes the primary features
and benefits of the Knowledge Finder for educators and researchers.
She also suggests that there now exists an opportunity for organizations
around the world, particularly those in developing countries,
to incorporate the Knowledge Finder. |
| |
CHAOTIC
LEARNING THE LEARNING STYLE OF THE 'NET GENERATION?
Mal Lee, Ed Direct, Australia
This article contends that the young of the world, who are regularly
using the Internet at home, are adopting a distinct learning
style, that stands in marked contrast to the traditional school
based learning. Where school learning is still characterised
by a paper based, formal, linear and teacher controlled approach
the young in their homes would appear to be using a screen based,
seemingly chaotic, constructivist and multi-faceted approach,
where 'play' is central. The implications for schools and educators,
if there are two approaches emerging, are clearly considerable.
Do schools disregard these developments or do they seek to harness
and shape the students' 'chaotic' learning? How does education,
where control is central, work with chaos? |
| |
GETTING
ONLINE - PROCESS OR PRODUCT?
Elyssebeth Leigh, University of Technology, Sydney
Including an online component in an existing simulation-based
undergraduate subject produced some surprising outcomes. The
subject is the capstone unit, presented as a simulation of organisational
behaviour, providing an opportunity to review program content
and develop individual ways of integrating knowledge into practice
Two student groups had parallel encounters with quite different
experience and outcomes. Behaviours apparently influenced by
perceptions of learned helplessness and exhibited as learning
anxieties intruded on the experience to an unexpected extent.
Introducing online learning to mature age students in their
final year of undergraduate study did not, at first glance,
seem to be a major challenge. All those involved were in adult
education roles in their workplaces and were supposedly aware
of the rate of social change and associated usage of electronic
media.. This article reports on issues of significance for academics
considering developing their material for online delivery. |
| |
PLANNING
TO USE E-MAIL TO SUPPORT THE LEARNING PROCESS?
Karelena MacKinlay, Glenrothes College of Further Education,
Scotland
This article reports on the outcome of an action-research project
using email as a means of providing online learner support.
This was the first attempt to engage a small group of full-time
learners in the use of Information and Communication technology
as a 'value-added' part of their coursework. The outcome from
this experience was helpful in determining college policy and
procedures for online learning support provision. |
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SHARING
OUR STORIES BY THE ELECTRONIC CAMPFIRE
Mary Anne Mather, Brown University, USA
Sharing stories about professional experience presents a powerful
way to align theory and practice. Technology supports a collegiality
that transcends geography and allows idea exchanges among people
who never before had ready access to one another. This article
describes a seven-week online exchange among K-12 educators
involved in, and in some cases struggling with, a long-term
school-change process. It offers a glimpse of their transformation
from simply trying to learn how to use a suite of electronic
tools to understanding one another's and their own work better.
Participants and facilitators were inspired to think differently
about their work and about how technology could support learning.
|
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DEVELOPMENT
AND SUPPORT FOR THE GLOBAL eTEACHER
Carmel McNaught,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
This article addresses the role of academic staff development
in preparing university teachers to work effectively within
the changing boundaries and missions of their institutions.
We need a growing number of global eTeachers who can work across
time and culture zones with reasonable ease. The article is
based on the author's ten years experience of academic staff
development at three large Australian universities and the recent
applying and adapting of those experiences during the establishment
of a staff development and research centre within a university
in Hong Kong with a strong Chinese cultural ethos. The following
principles are important for all universities, no matter what
the cultural setting: conversations about the direction of change
should be meaningful and inclusive; the establishment of local
projects at departmental level is more effective than only providing
university-wide development and training programs; expectations
on individual staff need to realistic; and establishing and
maintaining teachers' motivation for eTeaching is vital. |
| |
VIRTUAL
UNIVERSITY REAL LEARNING
Gavin Moodie, Victoria University of Technology, Australia
The future of online education is not just a matter of faith
justified or refuted by appeal to personal experience and anecdote,
but determined by the needs and choices of students and teachers
and shaped largely by students' learning preferences. In this
article I posit four learning styles, each of which require
a different level of learning skill. Collectively they form
a hierarchy of learning dependence, from the highly dependent,
to the autonomous learner. The learning styles overlap in their
operation, but I believe they are useful in showing the strengths,
weaknesses and possible applications of different teaching-learning
modes or technologies. |
| |
NOTEBOOK
COMPUTERS IN SECONDARY CLASSES IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING AND
LEARNING
David Nettelbeck & Paul Cross, St Michael's Grammar School,
Australia
After two years of careful curriculum planning and staff professional
development, notebook computers were introduced into Year 9
at St Michael's Grammar School, Australia in 1998. This article
reports on the steps that led to the successful introduction,
the changes to classroom practices and the careful study that
has been made of the effects this innovation, teaching styles
and the effectiveness of student learning. Computers are now
compulsory from Years 9 to 11 and most teachers are finding
innovative ways to re-think their curriculum goals in the light
of digital and online facilities as well as exploring the new
literacies that have emerged. |
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CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES OF LAPTOP COMPUTING
David
Nettelbeck
Technology is not the solution to poor teaching. There are,
however, great new opportunities to move from curriculum-centred
to learner-centred, from individual to collaborative tasks and
from passive learning to active learning. This exciting potential
makes new demands on personal organisation and planning. Face-to-face
relationships are still vital but there is a new challenge to
provide a rich range of opportunities that facilitate open-ended
learning and thinking processes. The whole area of classroom
management and discipline is still in unchartered waters. Students
who don't value learning certainly don't take pride in maintaining
their computers and so teachers must devise new ways of control
and keeping students on task. There are also factors beyond
a teacher's control with their best-laid plans for the classroom
sabotaged by a flaky network or technicians whose system does
not support educational goals, or by poorly maintained machines.
We do not live in a perfect world and there will always be a
need for a 'Plan B' when any kind of technology is involved.
New ways of planning as well as new patterns of management are
necessary. |
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IMPORTANT
LESSONS LEARNED FROM TEACHING ONLINE
Veronica Pantelidis, East Carolina University, USA
Even doubters can become believers when they try developing
and teaching online courses. Personal experiences and lessons
learned from actually teaching online courses can change one's
opinions dramatically. Online courses can be developed while
students are enrolled. Students need continual and positive
feedback. Class maintenance and good record keeping are a must
for a successful online course Course evaluations are important
aids to modifying online courses so that they are effective
and both the instructor's and the student's time is used efficiently.
It's easy to become overwhelmed when teaching an online course.
Time must be allotted for rest and relaxation. There are more
lessons to be learned as new online technologies become available.
This is the delivery system of the future. |
| |
TEACHING
VIRTUAL REALITY COURSES ONLINE
Veronica S. Pantelidis
& Lawrence Auld, East Carolina University Greenville,
USA
Virtual Reality courses at East Carolina University have been
taught online since 1998. Online delivery has been found to
be an effective method of teaching with multiple links to World
Wide Web sites ensuring that each student has access to an abundant,
in-depth array of virtual-reality resources, the quantity and
depth of which could not be matched if only printed materials
were used. Careful course planning and an adequate infrastructure
are essential to successful online teaching. While each course
is fully scripted before the beginning of the term, keeping
the Internet links up-to-date is a necessary, continuous and
time-consuming process. Instructor-student and student-student
interaction can be supported electronically with email, chatrooms,
and discussion boards. Our preference is for asynchronous interaction,
allowing the instructor and students to participate at times
that best suit their schedules and preferences. Teaching VR
courses online, like all other forms of teaching, has its strengths
and weaknesses. Among the strengths are accessibility from remote
sites, elimination of the need for commuting, and the opportunity
for self-paced study. Among the weaknesses are the lack of hands-on
experience with VR hardware and software, the lack of face-to-face
personal contact, and the potentially large quantities of email
that can be a burden to both the instructor and the students.
|
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CHANGING
PROVISION OF GLOBAL ONLINE LEARNING
Anita Pincas, University of London, UK
As synchronous videoconferencing and asynchronous classroom
interaction become more common, the potential of the Internet
for real teaching is now being realised. But however much we
might hope the present generation will become independent lifelong
learners, evidence and experience show that the vast majority
still need teachers for sustained learning as opposed to informal
snatches of learning. Whether teachers are transmitters of knowledge
or facilitators of problem-solving activities, they have as
essential a role to play in Internet education as in familiar
contexts. University administrators who want to use the technology
to save money (supposedly) have given rise to strategic partnerships
and brought a myriad of players into the course team. This non-pedagogic
industry has brought enormous benefits, but have not substantially
improved learning. This article examines the changing provision
of online education since the commencement of London University's
Certificate of Online Education course in 1992, through to the
present, and contents that not only are teachers still an integral
part of the learning process, it is essential that all players
in the course team gain practical experience as an online student
in order to fully understand the issues involved. |
| |
SUCCESSFUL
INTRODUCTION OF COMPUTER MEDIATED LEARNING
Gerard A. Prendergast, Abacus Learning Systems, UK
This article relates experiences in the introduction of Computer
Mediated Learning in a number of organisations. The importance
of accommodating the needs of six key groups, (Policy Makers;
Educators and Trainers; Students; IT Professionals; and Other
Stakeholders), to overcome resistance to change is stressed,
along with the identification of proper planning and resourcing
as main criteria for successful introduction of Computer Mediated
Learning in an organisation. |
| |
KEEPING
ONLINE STUDENT DROPOUT NUMBERS LOW
Gerard A.
Prendergast
Keeping online student dropout rates low is achievable, provided
tutors and course designers take heed of the lessons learned
by some of the pioneers of Computer Supported Collaborative
Learning. Too many online courses place heavy reliance on content
delivery with little placed on the learning process. The online
course is designed to meet the learners' needs, potential students
are properly briefed as to the course requirements, the likelihood
of success is then greatly increased. A successful online course
also needs the online tutors to be properly trained and motivated.
They need to have experienced online training as a student themselves
in order to understand the subtleties of this exciting medium.
Students also need a stable technical infrastructure and effective
help desk facilities to be available. The mixture of motivated
tutors, a well designed course, with one-to-one and technical
support is certainly a successful combination. In this article,
the author has identified the various factors that have contributed
to his team of tutors achieving online course completion rates
of about 97% over a 5 year period. He shares ideas that have
failed as well as actions that have been successful and lists
areas that need to be addressed and tutor activities that help
to keep participants engaged. |
| |
BLENDED
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING: ONLINE TEACHING OF ONLINE EDUCATORS
Gerard A. Prendergast
Blended Collaborative Learning is essentially a tutor-led distance
learning method that blends available face-to-face and online
techniques on a foundation framework of facilitated asynchronous
conferencing. Blended Collaborative Learning actively encourages
the modern form of 'communities of practice' and permits dispersed
individuals to contribute and gain from this kind of group involvement.
By embedding human interaction in learning programmes, the online
educator exploits the human need for socialisation to aid learning
through blending face-to-face experiences with synchronous online
tools, asynchronous online methods and even Computer Based Training
knowledge objects in an appropriate mix. In this article, the
author explores the advantages and disadvantages of using online
learning environments to teach academic staff about teaching
online and so shares his considerable experience in online education
to suggest practical techniques for the online teaching of future
online educators and in the process, creating effective blended
collaborative learning educators. |
| |
GLOBAL
SUICIDE-PREVENTION EDUCATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
Paul Quinnett, QPR Institute, USA
Death by suicide is a major public health problem worldwide,
yet because of stigma, fear and ignorance, almost no one speaks
of it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately
one million people end their own lives each year, which is more
than die by homicide and from war combined (WHO, 2004). In China
alone the annual suicide toll is 287,000 or one person every
two minutes. All countries agree that education is the key to
saving lives from suicide, but there are only a handful of subject
matter experts. This article describes a university-based online
project designed to explore the provision of training in suicide-risk
assessment to students and working professionals anywhere in
the world using a blend of online distance learning and traditional
methods. |
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INGREDIENTS
FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE EDUCATION INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Alison Reynolds, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology,
New Zealand
This article examines two of the key ingredients for successful
online learning: instructional design and the building of virtual
communities. Effective online education must be driven by meticulous
instructional design rather than the 'wizardry' of delivery
tools. Building virtual communities online is vital to encouraging
a learning environment based on participation, collaboration
and problem solving. The 'human touch' is possible despite the
cool nature of electronic delivery. The findings of this article
are based on the author's experiences of the successful online
delivery of the Graduate Diploma of Technical Communication
and as a 'Cyber team' coordinator at the Christchurch Polytechnic
Institute of Technology, New Zealand. |
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SUPPORTING
ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND ISSUES AT MACQUARIE
UNIVERSITY
David Rich, Peter Love and Maree Gosper, Macquarie University,
Australia
Since the mid-1990s, Macquarie University in Sydney has been
implementing a flexible learning strategy designed to enhance
student access and improve learning experiences and outcomes
by making effective use of IT while deploying good pedagogic
practices. This article outlines the work of the University's
Centre for Flexible Learning, the main group supporting the
implementation of the strategy. In particular, it emphasises
the creation and use of the Macquarie University Online Teaching
Facility, which provides a hosting, delivery and support mechanism
for Internet-based teaching, and the educational services available
to ensure its effective use. |
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GLOBAL
LEARNING RUBRICS: EVALUATING PROPOSALS & OUTCOMES
Glyn Rimmington The introduction of new development in
a university is always a challenge, partly because, change requires
effort to overcome innate conservatism. Articulating the goal
so that others can share the same vision is also a challenge.
Over the past two years, as Global Learning is introduced to
Wichita State University in Kansas, there has been misunderstanding
about exactly what Global Learning is and it as been confused
with distance learning and online learning. To improve communication
of what it is, rubrics were developed to help faculty in preparing
proposals to transform existing courses so they integrate global
learning and to help in evaluating the success of current projects.
This article discusses those rubrics which are expected to evolve,
as we learn more about Global Learning. |
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IMPLICATIONS
OF VIRTUAL SCHOOLING
Glenn Russell As online
education in homes and schools continues to develop, traditional
experiential learning is subsumed by mediated alternatives.
Post-industrial concepts of education include the use of information
technologies and a preoccupation with skills and knowledge that
can be at the expense of values and socialisation usually associated
with schooling. The increased use of online learning will affect
students through the values characteristic of the technology.
However, student understandings of the world may conflict with
the beliefs that schools would want to impart to their students.
Consequently, as students' perceptions are altered by technology
use, a dissonance can arise between interpretations of what
is important for students to know. It is important for educators
to be able to recognise these concerns when planning for future
use of online technology |
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THE
CHALLENGES OF ONLINE LANGUAGE LEARNING: A GERMAN PERSPECTIVE
Christel Schneider, Landesverband der Volkshochschulen
Germany
In this article, the author highlights the benefits and constraints
of computer mediated language learning and of the necessity
for creative online course management. In order to get the best
learning outcomes, a mix of face-to face sessions, self study
and collaborative tutor assisted online learning appears to
be the answer. Even though there is still a degree of disquiet
and disbelief among language teachers and students that a language
can be learnt online, there seems to be an increasing number
of teachers engaged by the possibilities of new technology,
willing to implement new media into their everyday teaching
to enhance their lessons. |
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PRINCIPLES
OF GOOD PRACTICE IN DEVELOPING ONLINE COMMUNITIES FOR LEARNING
PARTNERSHIPS
Leone Wheeler, RMIT University, Australia
The practical experience of running RMIT Learning Partnerships,
a learning network project at RMIT University, is described
here. Learning Partnership links Adult Community Education (ACE)
providers in the northern metropolitan and central western metropolitan
regions of Melbourne, with the University. It is a community
of practice based around training partnerships and the provision
of professional development in online education. It builds on
the findings of a national Australian study of online networks
in the vocational education and training sector (ANTA Online
Networks in VET) and outlines a range of success factors required
in order to ensure long-term sustainability of a learning network.
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THE
DESKTOP VIRTUAL REALITY GALLERY: SHARING STUDENT ENVIRONMENTS
ONLINE
David Vinciguerra, East Carolina
University, USA
One of the initial curiosities many students express when enrolling
in an online introductory virtual reality course is what exactly
a virtual environment consists of. Course descriptions can be
ambiguous when simply stating that the student will design a
virtual environment. Without seeing examples of virtual environments,
many students can be puzzled as to what this statement exactly
means. This unknown can often lead the student to fear that
they will not have the skills or knowledge required to complete
this task. By providing examples in which students can view
the works of former and current class participates, the virtual
environment gallery allows students to view and interact with
virtual worlds designed by their peers. By creating the online
virtual environment gallery, the motivation and quality of student
work improved, student involvement and communication increased,
and students were more inspired to learn how to create virtual
worlds and share their virtual environments with others. |
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DISTRIBUTED
LEARNING, E-LEARNING AND E-BUSINESS WHAT DO THEY MEAN AND WHERE'S
THE CONTENT?
Michael Zastrocky, Gartner Group, USA
Distributed learning, e-learning and e-business are used to
describe non-traditional programs and activities. This article
looks at how these terms are aligned, how they differ, and their
implications for higher education. A recent Gartner survey is
also examined that shows while faculty members are currently
the primary source of distance learning content, this will not
be the case by 2003, as publishers and other content providers
continue the rush to enter the higher-education distance learning
market. |
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PREPARING
SCHOOL LEADERS FOR NEW-MILLENNIUM GLOBAL LEARNING
Ian Gibson, Wichita State University
This article emphasizes the need to prepare school leaders in
a real-world, authentic global context. It draws upon examples
from the Global Forum on School Leadership (GFSL), an online
forum bringing together educational professionals from around
the world, to illustrate how education professionals need to
re-evaluate their approaches to teaching online. The importance
of recognizing individual struggle necessary to modify and adjust
educational world views and subsequent behaviours in an increasingly
interrelated global village is stressed. The author poses a
challenge for those in the learning profession-to make their
'teacher' practices and behaviours authentic and relevant to
the shrinking and increasingly globally interdependent, technology-rich
living and learning environment in which they ply their trade. |
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