Distance Education at the Commercial College of Iceland

1. Distance Educationat the Commercial College of Iceland Sigurlaug Kristmannsdóttir Chief Coordinator of Distance Education Program of the Commercial College of Iceland

2. Verzlunarskóli Íslands - VÍ • The school year consists of two semesters, fall and spring • Each semester students take courses worth 1, 2 or 3 credits each course, 16-18 credits per semester • At the end of each semester the students take exams and finish their courses • After two years of study the students graduate with a Commercial Diploma, which consists of 70 credits • After two more years of study, the students have added 70 credits and matriculate with an Icelandic matriculation exam, which is required for university admission

3. Distance Education • The school has set the goal to offer all its courses in distance education and the plan was to achieve the goal by fall 2008 • In fall 2005 we had: • 22 courses and 21 teachers and 227 students • In fall 2007 we had: • 127 courses and 49 teachers and 753 students • In fall 2008 we have: • 135 courses and 50 teachers and start to teach next week! • About 95% of all the school´s courses are available in our e-program • Most of the courses are in compliance with the national curriculum for Icelandic secondary education

4. e-School • Three terms of distance learning each year: • Spring term from January to May • Summer term from June to August • Fall term from September to December • The majority of the courses end with final exams at the end of the term • Exams are held: • in our school and other schools in Iceland • abroad in Icelandic Embassies, at Icelandic Consulates or in local schools • 55-80% of the e-students conclude their courses

5. e-Staff • In a full time job: • Chief Coordinator of Distance Education Program • Also serving the school during the day: • 50 teachers • Computer Administrator • Computer Assistant • Student Counselors • Cashiers • Office Staff

6. e-Teachers • are also teachers in the “day”-school • are all academically qualified • don´t need to be technological experts • must find their own way to e-teach • are responsible for the online material in the e-courses • can work without time or space limits

7. e-Teaching • The e-Teacher: • provides an organized, online learning environment • sets clear objectives • informs • directs and advises • gives assignments, evaluations, feedback • starts and keeps discussions going • answers questions quickly • motivates • encourages

8. Learning Environment • WebCT/Blackboard is used and there: • teaching is from the teacher to the class • the students can contact each other and the teacher • teachers try to establish a learning community in courses • Each course in the Learning Environment has: • course guidelines • study plans • learning material • assignments • assessments • communicative exercises • discussions • chat

9. e-Courses • are well organized and most of them in accordance with the National Curriculum of Iceland • have a clear plan provided with information on: • goals,  content, materials, evaluation and a plan for each part of the course • are divided into 10 parts and for each part the student receives: • study guidance, materials, assignments (some evaluated automatically and others by the teacher) • provide possibilities of communication with teacher and peers • end with written final exams ENS212 - Business English

10. e-Students • have left school without the matriculation exam and now they have the opportunity to conclude their study • have concluded the matriculation exam, but need more education to be able to attend university • are living in Iceland and some abroad • are young kids in elementary schools with good learning skills • are improving their qualifications for certain jobs • are studying as a hobby or just for the fun of it

11. The Students in fall 2007 • The oldest student was born in 1930 and the youngest in 1996 • The average age was 24 years • 64% were females and 36% males • 70% lived in the Greater Reykjavík Area, 25% in other parts of Iceland and 5% abroad • 16% were still in elementary school • The students were registered for 1 credit and up to 24 credits, the average was 6 credits per student

12. Hardware and Software • WebCT/Blackboard is saved on our servers • All the teachers are equipped with laptops • The laptops have all necessary software • A wireless net is in the school building • In the school we have a studio for producing study materials • Smartboard with software • Equipment to create audio files and slides with audio • Digital video camera

13. Examples of teaching materials • Material produced with Smartboard: • Math • Audio slides made with Articulate: • Geology • Understanding of foreign languages with digital video camera and Audacity: • Danish and Spanish • Recording from computer with Camtasia: • Informations for beginners • Recording with digital video camera: • The headmaster invites the e-students to the e-school

14. Problems • In general • A great amount of work is needed! • Technical • Students need help with the technology • Teachers need technological assistance • Pedagogical • Teachers don´t hear enough from their students • Teachers fear that many students are not active enough • Difficulties with talking exercices in language teaching • Difficulties with experiments in science teaching

15. Solutions for teachers • All the e-staff need to be highly cooperative and tolerant towards each other and there is a need for a lot of smiles  • The school offers courses and assistance in using computer technology • Instructions have been written for the teachers which describe how to use the technology • In the Learning Environment, we have a special teachers room and there we collect material to assist the teachers, such as technical support and pedagogical articles

16. Solutions for students • Students need to have all the information they need at a given time • E-mails from students are answered as soon as possible, at least within two working days • In the Learning Environment we have a special students´room where the students can get assistance • On our web page, we have collected answers to frequently asked questions: • http://www.verslo.is/verslo/fjarnam/afangar/webct

17. E-mail and internet addresses: • Sigurlaug Kristmannsdóttir, Chief Coordinator of Distance Education Program • sigurlaug@verslo.is or fjarnam@verslo.is • Verzlunarskóli Íslands • http://www.verslo.is • The Commercial College of Iceland • http://www.verslo.is/english • The Distance Studies Programme • http://www.verslo.is/fjarnam