Sk senosti s di tancn m vzdel van m na KGP

1. Sk�senosti s di�tancn�m vzdel�van�m na KGP G.M. Timc�k, FBERG TU Ko�ice

2. �vodn� pozn�mky Elektronick� platformy pre di�tancn� vzdel�vanie sa zacali uj�mat v r�mci prechodu na �mass education�. V dne�nej dobe sa nutne zvy�uje pocet vysoko�kolsky vzdelan�ch lud�. Strategick�m cielom napr. v Brit�nii je mat 50% popul�cie s V� vzdelan�m. To konvencn� �kolstvo nezvl�dne.

3. �vodn� pozn�mky Nepr�tomnost fyzickej osoby pedag�ga/ andrag�ga vo v�ucbovom procese vedie k odstr�neniu mo�nosti adaptovania si vzorov (nezab�dajme, pedag�g by mal byt aj vzorom). Toto sp�sobuje aj nedostatok kult�rnej a soci�lnej kontextualiz�cie a t�m je potom o mnoho lah�ie vedomosti u��vat neeticky ci nevhodne. Vzdel�vanie nie je len transfer poznatkov.

4. �vodn� pozn�mky Rizik� s� v�ak dost velk�. V prvom rade nast�va depersonifik�cia vzdel�vania. Pedag�g, ktor� bol v dennom kontakte so �tudentmi je nahraden� e-platformou a e-mailom, kde na oboch koncoch s� si navz�jeom nezn�mi ludia. Ak m�me 30 �tudentov, a ak ka�d� t��den na web d�me (spr�stupn�me) 1 predn�ku, a ak na predn�ku nadv�zuj� cvicenia(�e-cvicenia� - zadania), potom m��eme ocak�vat aspon 30 e-mailov, ktor� treba zodpovedat. FAQ s�bor tomu nepom��e.

5. Why distance education There is a need for having higher educated workforce There is a need and market for DE It enables Better time management Better study management Better information maganement Gives more freedom to student and tutor alike Enables the use of up-to-date e-learning platforms

7. Strong points Study when convenient Study where convenient Study self-management More tutoring and couching possible More learning channels available Modern learning technology available The society is interested in getting this package and service from HEIs

8. Weak points Neded for self-study management Need to have financial resources Need to have family and workplace support Weak legislative support for the process of provision HEIs have less experience with this form Less homes have access to Internet than desirable for DE Network service slower than desirable at homes

9. What is needed for a DE BSc. Course?

10. Experience with DE course preparation, delivery and management Students The majority of the students do not have the necessary skills for e-learning. Thus a start-up course would be necessary for them to get the skills. Adult learners usually have access to Internet only at their workplace. The usuall home access is at present too slow for a system like eLern. Adult learners lack the necessary learning skills. A �Learning to learn� would be another start-up course needed.

11. Students Undergraduate DE students have problems in addressing the issue of learning self-management and time management. To make their DE success rate better and their feeling of satisfaction greater, far more on-line tutor support would be necessary. For that a greater availability of home internet access would be needed. That should be a State defined policy.

12. Projekt IDEP Ako sme zacali a k comu sme dospeli: Ked sme z�skali projekt IDEP na vypracovanie uceb. materi�lov 1. rocn�ka geopropag�cie, boli sme radi, lebo domovsk� in�tit�cia sa o RLZ alebo o financovanie v�voja nov�ch ucebn�ch technol�gi� star� v�c�inou len podnecovan�m k z�skavaniu grantov.

13. Project goals overview The aim of the project was to develop and provide the course through the uLern platform in School Year 2002/2003 to a group of 20 students. Then to compare the educational results with the results of a second 21 DE student group. This was achieved at the BERG Faculty, TU Ko�ice.

14. Target group The target group was the general public desiring to work for a degree course in tourism. Fourty-one freshers registered for the DE course. Their age ranged from 19 to 50 years. The majority had secondary education, some had already a HEI degree. From this group More than 95% of them successfully completed the 1st year, and 76% of the original number is now in their 3rd year.

15. Projekt IDEP Potrebovali sme Osnovu Autorov Poc�tace pre autorov a SW a pr�stup k Internetu �kolenie autorov a t�torov (m�lo ich chodilo na �kolenie) Platformu pre e-learning (uLern) Redaktorov e-learningov�ho materi�lu (1 pre p�vodn� text, 1 pre e-text) Administr�tora platformy T�torov

16. Projekt IDEP Dalej sme potrebovali: Know-how pre odborn� a andragogick� cast Motiv�ciu Cas Mana��ra DV Inform�cie pre �tudentov (obsahov�, casov� a form�tov� harmonogram) a jednoznacne definovan� pravidl� hry (pre t�torov aj �tudentov)

17. Projekt IDEP U� po nejakom mesiaci behu semestra nastali zauj�mav� procesy � e-learningov� �tudenti boli radi svojej volnosti, ale konzultoval s konvencn�mi DV �tudentmi, T�to teda hrali ak�si rolu mentorov. N� andragogick� experiment trval rok, preto�e tam projekt koncil a financovanie dal�ej casti sa neuskutocnilo. Jeden rok e�te mali Internetov� podporu a tento �k. rok koncia obidve skupiny be�nou DV formou.

18. Sk�senosti Autori: nie je jednoduch� nap�sat dobr� e-learningov� text. Nestac� previest konvencn� text. E�te st�le sa to uc�me. T�tori: Nie je jednoduch� osvojit si andragogick� princ�py. Mentori � ch�baj� Mana�ment DV � po projekte ch�ba Platforma: star� uLern, ako aj podobn� platformy nie s� pr�li� user friendly. Pri na�ej pedagogickej (resp. v�skumnej) z�ta�i je ta�ko kvalitne zvl�davat klasick� aj e-learning.

19. Sk�senosti Pre e-learning by mali byt e-pedag�govia alebo e-andrag�govia. Pre pr�pravu textov na e-learning by mali byt �peci�lni poradcovia. RLZ je kl�cov� faktor pri skvalitnovan� pedagogick�ch a andragogick�ch ako aj e-learningov�ch schopnost� ucitelov/t�torov. Zvl�davanie nov�ho SW je casovo n�rocn�. Pri vysok�ch �v�zkoch a �iadnych �lav�ch to ta�ko zvl�davat.

20. Sk�senosti �tudentov tie� treba tejto forme ucit. Ide�lne by bolo aspon mesacn� vzdel�vanie: Poc�tacov� gramotnost (HW, SW) Spr�stupnit notebooky pre �tudentov Jazykov� gramotnost Di�tancne �tudijn� zrucnosti Mana�ment casu Mana�ment �loh

21. In�titucion�lne sk�senosti K �spechu v e-learning treba ucelen� strat�giu, ktor� by vytv�rala: Jasn� definovanie cielov a cesty ved�cej k ich dosiahnutiu HW, SW a procesn� r�mec Znalostn� r�mec Harmonogram zmien Podporu procesu �pecialistami.

22. Other IDEP projects Within the IDEP project initiative of the OSF we are working and has been working on a number of distance education projects. Some of the projects are presented elsewhere, so we will deal only with the following ones: KGP � DV: BSc course at the BERG Faculty, TU Ko�ice (completed) EVAPRO: Evaluation of educational programmes and courses (in progress) I2DV: Internet based innovation of distance education (completed)

23. The project consortia The projects were managed and worked out by project consortia. They included ILLE TU as a key member. In case of the KGP DV project, the Dept. of Geotourism is the key partner. In the other two, ILLE TU is the leading partner.

28. The EVAPRO project This 1,5 year long project aims at the creation of a course for teaching educational programme evaluation. The course will give to programme designers, secondary school- and HEI managers information and knowledge on: �������� What evaluation is and how to use it for the improvement/upgrade of teaching and management of courses. �������� How to design evaluation plans, how to select the appropriate evaluation type �������� How to implement the evaluation procedure �������� How to process and present the evaluation results �������� How to work with people and information in the framework of evaluation.

29. Project goals The EVAPRO course is designed as a 3rd generation DE course. It combines on-line and off-line study with asynchronous ans synchronous on-line communication. Apart from the 3 module of the course the participants will receive the following tools: a glossary of basic terms in educational course evaluation ans a set of tools for the implementation of the evaluation procedure. The EVAPRO course ends with a Final Project that has to be defended. The study is composed of the following parts: �������� Introduction � 8 hours �������� 3 modules of study, assessments and a case study � 72 hours �������� FTF meeting � 8 hours �������� Preparation of the Final Project - 28 hours �������� Sum total � 116 hours Thus the course is one semester equivalent.

30. Experience with DE course preparation, delivery and management Students The majority of the students do not have the necessary skills for e-learning. Thus a start-up course would be necessary for them to get the skills. Adult learners usually have access to Internet only at their workplace. The usuall home access is at present too slow for a system like eLern. Adult learners lack the necessary learning skills. A �Learning to learn� would be another start-up course needed.

31. Students Undergraduate DE students have great problems in addressing the issue of learning self-management and time management. To make their DE success rate better and their feeling of satisfaction greater, far more on-line tutor support would be necessary. For that a greater availability of home internet access would be needed. That should be a State defined policy.

32. Student support The personal interaction of the tutor with the learner or a group of learners can be managed in a FTF manner or virually through virtual classrooms. The lower interpersonal contact level is a disadvantage of the DE system. The danger of providing knowledge without positive personal examples of application (ethics) is getting greater. Knowledge gets dissociated from its social and ethical context (responsibility for ethical use of knowledge).

33. Teachers HEI teachers usually do not have the necessary skills in andragogy. They sometimes fail to be able to develop successful learning cooperation with adult learners. HEI teachers often do not have the skills to work with more complex learning SW environment and lack the skills to utilise the possibilities that such SW offers.

34. Teachers HEI teachers, HEI managers and decisionmakers often do not have sufficient knowledge about the strategies needed for making eLearning programmes successful. One of the other IDEP projects (VAT � Virtual DE authoring team) contributes to the solution of that point. HEI teachers lack knowledge about the work of a VLE tutor. They apparently do not see what is their new role in such a position. This tends to decrease the success of the courses.

35. Institutional level At HEIs, the approach to DE and VLE often lack wider coherence and a unified strategy. The HRD of HEI teachers is heavily neglected. The preparation for their role in e-Learning /VLE (as authors, tutors, learning process managers, counsellors, etc.) is greatly inadequate.

36. Institutional level HEIs do not seem to care for benchamrking or testing their learning products. The products are usually not modified for the needs of the various target groups. This can cause lesser customer satisfaction. In case od undergraduate or graduate study, the course designer and tutor is not infrequently less skilled in work with the Web environment or eLeraning than the student. That gives a strong psychological disadvantage.

38. Conclusions 1 The KGP project for DE is up to now a success The row between the Ministry and the HEIs caused unforeseen problems. It is difficult to predict all the effects of this process. The KGP will continue in its effort to provide quality undergraduate DE courses in geo-tourism.