Supported distance learning: moving from broadcast to interactive media at the Open University UK

1. Supported distance learning: moving from broadcast to interactive media at the Open University UK Dr Stephen Little, Senior Lecturer, Open University Business School, Open University Milton Keynes MK7 6AA UK

2. Open University First thoughts (1960s) • “University of the Air” • second chance for mature students • small core staff • commissioned courses provided by existing universities • delivery by broadcast, assessed through correspondence assignments • Open University founded 1969

3. Notional OU Student • Living on a Scottish island, with mail service from mainland interrupted by storms

4. Original Model 1970s • Complete “course in a box” mailed to students • course guide and assignments • high quality course books • specially published text books • Broadcast programmes for each course • Television and radio early morning late evening

5. Walton Hall Campus • Central academic staff developing courses • production staff producing learning materials • university library for staff use • BBC providing audio, video production • graphic design and print production • Regional offices employing tutors • academics from other universities, practitioners • monitored & mentored by centre & regions

6. Distance SUPPORTED Learning • High Quality Course materials: book form and on CD-ROM • Face to Face • Students assigned to tutorial group for meetings close to home (1:16 1:20) • Day School to introduce each course • Summer School • <1 week on existing university campus following seminars and group work

7. Open University Business School • Founded 1983 • 250 staff + 850 part-time tutors • 25,000 students in 44 nations • 7,000 of these in MBA Programme introduced 1989 • 20% UK enrolments (40% of UK distance MBAs) • 54% based outside UK • 10,119 holders of MBA (Jan 2002)

8. Distance Learning at OUBS • Distributed Community of Practice • asynchronous electronic support • e-mail conferencing, web-sites • synchronous electronic support • on-line tutorials

9. Open University Worldwide • Founded 1997 • The international division of the Open University • 200,000 students world wide • Partnerships • Whole Course User Agreements • Presentation Partnerships • Licensing of courses with OU Validation Service. • Material Sales • Partners in 2 way development and internationalisation

10. Media Switch • 1970-1995 One to Many • Broadcast media • Print • Face-2-Face tutorial, day school, residential school • 1990-onwards Many to Many • interactive community • Print, audio cassette/CD, CD-ROM • On-line & F2F tutorial, • F2F day school, residential school

11. Emerging model • Move to alternative to traditional campus-based university including high school graduates • Move to partnerships • internationalisation of learning materials • two way learning for staff and students • Use of on-line support • 110,000 OU students using computer conferencing • allows discussion in tutorial group and wider groups • remote access to university library • electronic monitoring of participation and assessment • KMI as development group

12. KMI:Knowledge Media Institute: • Blue-sky research into teaching and learning support technologies • asynchronous • D3E • synchronous • Lyceum

13. OU Library • On-line information literacy support • MOSAIC • Making Sense of Information in the Connected Age • http://www.open.ac.uk/mosaic • SAFARI • Skills in Accessing, Finding and Reviewing Information • http://www.open.ac.uk/safari

14. Points of Presence • Moor Park Community Centre, NE England • E-governancemonitoring publictransport performance

15. Computer Mediated Communication at the OU • asynchronicity is key to OU distance learning • but there’s also a role for intensive, real-time discussions • cf. phone conferencing • especially. where visual representations are discussed/annotated • cf. tutorial flipcharts/OHPs etc

16. OU asynchronous media • Email • FirstClass • large scale text conferencing • ETMA • electronic assignment submission and marking • D3E • document-centered discussions over the Web • http://d3e.open.ac.uk • Working web sites • “Virtual Journey” storytelling on the web • http:///www.geocities.com/knowledge_links

17. FirstClass

18. D3E: Interactive document discussion interface generated from an HTML file Document to be discussed Commentary and discussion

19. OU synchronous media • Lyceum: internet voice groupware • Complementary to asynchronous media • Voice: allows tutors and students to discuss issues in real time • Groupware: Digital whiteboard, flipchart, concept mapping… (What You See Is What I See) • Standard: PCs ISPs Internet

20. Features of Lyceum • Lyceum can be distributed via the web to any location • It can function on moderate speed (28-32Kbaud) links • A community of users share the following: • Voice connection • Back-up/supplementary text chat • Instant creation of break-out “rooms” for sub-groups • Shared whiteboards and concept maps • Screen-grabber for pre-existing images • Off-line working for pre-assembly of materials • On-line placement of materials for asynchronous viewing

23. Social versus Technical Learning • Academics’ role moving from passive monitoring of on-line conferences to more interactive facilitation: e-moderating • Salmon, G., (2000). E-moderating: the key to teaching and learning online. London, Kogan Page. • 5 stages to on-line Mentoring

24. 5-stage model Development Knowledge Construction Information giving & receiving Online socialisation Access & Motivation

25. Role of the E-moderator 5 stages of E-moderating enable facilitate support task build bridges welcome, motivate, direct to help

26. synchronous synch asynch Interacting Capturing E-moderating Access Motivation

27. synchronous Introducing outside resources, supporting new comers Online meetings & discussions beyond initial group synch asynch Conferencing Online creation of new learning materials by group Personalising, undertaking group tasks Online discussions & development of course materials Sending & receiving messages, familiarising finding like minded others Online meetings postings & saving images & diagrams Setting up & accessing systems Setting up, testing, offline practice with screen tools

28. Synergy between OUe-learning support tools Resources Group Interaction Asynch- ronous “Virtual Journey” FirstClass Chat Synch- ronous Lyceum

29. Developing a “Course Memory” • FirstClass • capture of knowledge resources from students, ALs and Course Team suggested in conferences &on-line SCR • Lyceum • synchronous discussion & knowledge creation • Web pages • Live links from student conferences • “Virtual journey” illustrates key issues • richness of images to reveal implicit dimensions

30. URLs for Open University Sites • Main Open University site • http://www.open.ac.uk • Open University Business School site • http://oubs.open.ac.uk • Open University Worldwide site • http://www.uow.co.uk • Lyceum presentation • http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/sbs/talks/Lyceum-CMC-18iv00/ • Web Sites and Virtual Journeys • http://www.geocities.com/knowledge_links