Asynchronous learning service evaluation: a case study at TEI of Crete

1. Asynchronous learning service evaluation: a case study at TEI of Crete K. Vassilakis, N. Psaroudakis, M. Kalogiannakis Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete Department of Sciences

2. Outline • Introduction • Theoretical framework • Methodological approach • Results • Discussion • Conclusions

3. Introduction • In this study we try to analyze the use of an asynchronous platform, namely “e-class” at TEI of Crete. • It is an expansion of our earlier work presented during the period of introducing “e-class” platform (2004-05). • Our aim is to evaluate the current use of the asynchronous e-teaching service, in comparison with the previous situation of the academic period 2004-05.

4. Theoretical framework-1 • E-learning refers to the use of ICT to enhance and support learning. • In general, the concept of e-learning covers a wide range of systems, from campus e-mail services and online access to course content to those systems that can be used to implement educational programs offered entirely online. • Most academics understand the idea that technology and society are intimately and dynamically connected, each shaping the other. Thus, the integration of e-learning is becoming a strategic, yet challenging goal, making it crucial for universities to highlight their e-learning activities and to present a modern profile to the public.

5. Theoretical framework-2 • When using a Learning Management System (LMS), the role of the instructor changes in this new environment from a centered knowledge disseminator to a learning guider. • Students with access to both traditional lectures and online environments accomplish academically better than students instructed either entirely in the traditional classroom or entirely via the Internet. • In the past few years colleges and universities have begun to produce enterprise open source applications like course management systems and electronic portfolios that compete directly with their proprietary counterparts.

6. Methodological approach • Quantitative analysis measuring platform’s utilization • Evaluation of the service progress by enumerating the user’s exploitation of various systems’ features: • agenda (feature to inform about course evolution & calendar). • content (capability to publish electronic educational material). • discussions (forum function concerning the course). • links (advising for additional material through internet). • announcements system. • course description.

7. Results • The survey applied on courses of ten (10) departments of TEI of Crete. • Three (3) of these departments are concerning branches of TEI of Crete, located in remote places in Crete (cities). • Asynchronous platform site: http://eclass.teicrete.gr • Totally 174 active courses were examined concerning these 10 departments. • The departments at branches offer 93 courses.

8. Chania Aghios Nikolaos Rethymno Heraklion Sitia Ierapetra Remote departments

9. Results – All 10 departments

10. Results – Remote departments

11. Results – Hits per month

12. Foregoing studies • In 2004-05, the first period of e-class practice at TEI of Crete, the frequency of platform use was not encouraging, maybe, because the exploitation of the platform was fairly new. • Analysis of students’ feedback regarding the exploitation issues of the e-learning platform revealed that most of students used it on a rare basis. • Both teachers and students regarded the platform’s services as a support and complementary tool for the conventional way of education.

13. Current situation • There is a substantial increase of platform use comparing the present state with the status during the academic period 2004-05. • Most of the educational process is content-oriented and there is a low rate of interaction between the participants of the course (tutors actually have not change their teaching culture). • Students visit the electronic courses quite often. They show more familiarity with ITC and maturity to use emerged services in a networked learning environment. • There is a significant difference between the courses of the remote departments and the courses of the departments in headquarters of TEI of Crete. Branches offer 93 of the 174 courses and receive almost half of the total student visits.

14. Discussion • The e-Class open source asynchronous e-learning platform has proven to be a valuable, extensible, versatile and powerful tool that can assist in many educational tasks at TEI of Crete. • After adopting the e-Class solution for enhancing teaching and learning in the department, instructors were encouraged to seriously rethink the plan of their lessons. • The reason, among others, of this unwillingness to get involved may be the required time investment that dissuades many instructors from doing so.

15. Conclusions-1 • As Information Technology becomes more robust and easier to use, it increasingly permeates academic activities in higher education. • What will be the impact of ICT opportunities and distance education at TEI of Crete is a very important issue. We should anticipate and foresee this impact in order to avoid the undesired and possible devaluation of contemporary education, long life learning and knowledge construction. • From the outcomes of our studies, we consider that some teachers at TEI of Crete have started to change their pedagogy based on a flexible and evolving epistemology.

16. Conclusions -2 • At TEI of Crete the main use of asynchronous platforms remains the educational content management. • Still some lecturers see e-learning as access to information and not as a process of distributed engagement and learning. • We argue that e-class platform could help our institution for a successful transition from a traditional to a blended way of learning and teaching.

17. Further actions… • Instructors must be trained not only to use technology, but also to shift the way in which they organize and deliver material. We plan in the near future, through scheduled seminars, to train teachers of TEI of Crete on platform’s features exploitation. • Further research is required in order to understand the roles and the demands of teachers and to find out the conditions in which students are less dependent on teachers. • We ought to study more deeply the complex pedagogical issues involved in the uses of ICT.

18. Thank you for your patience… K. Vassilakis, N. Psaroudakis, M. Kalogiannakis Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete Department of Sciences Contact info: K.Vassilakis@teicrete.gr Questions?