E-Learning or E-Teaching? What’s the Difference in Practice?

E-Learning or E-Teaching?What’s the Difference in Practice? Linda Price and Adrian Kirkwood Programme on Learner Use of Media The Open University UK

Our Background • E-learning Evaluation and Research • Large-scale quantitative studies • Smaller-scale qualitative studies • A long-term perspective on media use in education • Professional Development for e-Learning • A workshop programme for OU staff • Workshops & presentations for the wider academic community

Our Approach • We concentrate on the educational and pedagogic issues – NOT the technical details • In this session we start with some of the underlying principles associated with e-learning …. • Then discuss some of the practical issues

Although ICT can enable new forms of teaching and learning to take place, they cannot ensure that effective and appropriate learning outcomes are achieved. “Just because you can do something does not necessarily mean that you should do it.”

For the institution? For teachers? For learners? • Is it just a ‘quick fix’ in response to economic constraints…. • Or an opportunity to rethink educational practices for different learning contexts? Why Use ICT? What are the Benefits?

What Models of Teaching can ICT Support? What Models of Learning? • The application of ICT per se does not change the model of teaching • It is very easy to teach inappropriately with ICT • Is the pedagogic model suitable for the learning outcomes (regardless of the medium used)? • Use of ICT in itself does not change the model of learning in a particular context • If learners have inappropriate expectations of learning, these must be explicitly addressed

We need to appreciate: • Differences in learners • Differences in teachers • Different media affordances • Engaging students while using media technologies involves • Balancing these factors • A complicated design process A Holistic View of Course Design

Engaging Learners • What is understood by the term student-centred learning? • Are learners well prepared and supported for working independently? • Learners need to know not only what they are supposed to do, but also why they are expected to do it – how engaging with activities and/or resources will help develop their learning

Engaging Learners • Materials must be transformed for the Web to enable effective pedagogical use with ICT, e.g. • Avoid materials looking like ‘books on screen’ – difficult for learners – often printed out (costly!) • Exploit the interactive and dynamic potential – reduce linear presentation • Supporting ‘Transmissive’ or ‘Constructivist’ pedagogy?

Increasing Use of ICT for Education • Educational institutions need to achieve ‘more with less’ • Many educational institutions are attempting to • Attract a more diverse range of students • Encourage lifelong learning • Extend the participation of ‘non-traditional’ students

Increasing Use of ICT for Education • Increased use of ICT in teaching and learning • Largely as a supplement to existing practices • Much remains to be done in terms of exploiting ICT for • Rich pedagogical use, and • Serving learners in different target groups (e.g. Collis and van der Wende, 2002)

Changes in Learner Characteristics • Blurring of distinctions between • Full-time and part-time learners • Studying ‘on-campus’ or ‘at a distance’ • ‘School leavers’, ‘mature entrants’ and ‘lifelong learners’ • ‘Work-based learning’, ‘professional development’ and ‘community learning’

Changes in Learner Characteristics • For an increasing number of post-school learners, studying is not their primary concern • Many are in part-time or full-time employment & domestic responsibilities • Studying has to be fitted in • Learners need to develop and apply self-management skills, e.g. • Time management strategies • Self-direction and motivation • Prioritisation and selectivity

Contexts of ICT Use • Innovations should not driven by characteristics of technology, but by • The pedagogic models and processes they have to serve • The contexts within which learners engage with ICT • Educational purposes and pedagogy must provide the lead

Determine Learners’ ICT Experience • Learners with ICT experience from other contexts are likely to exhibit fluency in ICT use in their studies • Those without such experience will expect course providers to demonstrate the potential and guide their use of ICT

Few learners will have high levels of competence across a wide range of applications, e.g. • Familiarity with e-mail does not imply expertise in rigorous on-line debate and discussion • Familiarity with a Web search engine like Google does not indicate sophisticated information handling skills Determine Learners’ ICT Experience

On-line Communication • Electronic communication can support both academic and socialintegration–helping overcome independent learners’ feelings of isolation • For contact with tutors and with fellow students • Developing a learning community – sharing understandings & experiences

On-line Communication • Asynchronous communication offers learners the opportunity to consider and reflect upon • A posted question or statement & their own response to it • The responses of fellow students • A record of the dialogue and of how it developed • Synchronous communication needs to be more highly structured for novice users as there is limited experience of its use in society in general

Tutoring On-line • New skills are required for both tutors and students • Professional development is necessary not just for the technical aspects • An understanding of the educational practices appropriate for e-learning is even more important

Tutoring On-line • Dependence or independence in learning? Individual or collaborative learning? • What is the pedagogic purpose? • Is it explicitly stated & understood? • Students and tutors need to have explicit and realistic expectations about • The frequency of contacts made (when & how often) • The response time that is reasonable

In Conclusion • What educational outcomes are learners expected to achieve? • Why as well as how • Process as well as product? • Students are unlikely to use materials and activities unless they are embedded in the course pedagogy • Constructive alignment of learning activities, assessment methods and learning outcomes

In Conclusion • Materials that are not linked to the assessment strategy are unlikely to be used and the potential benefits remain fallow • Educational benefits that students perceive as gains from using ICT are more significant than the intrinsic characteristics of the technology • What really matters is how ICT is creatively exploited for teaching and/or learning

E-Learning or E-Teaching? What’s the Difference in Practice?