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Untitled Document
Executive Summary
The E-Team reviewed research literature and conference proceedings and conducted
interviews to develop recommendations for College initiatives in online learning.
Our review concluded that e-learning can be as effective in delivering learning
as classroom-based formats, and that a hybrid format carries the greatest promise
in allowing access flexibility, high quality, and high student satisfaction.
Our review of the market and business environment indicates, however, that large
initiatives intended to recruit untapped student populations do not succeed
unless they are closely linked to institutional goals and the institution’s
perceived value in the community. We recommend that the College develop a number
of focused, well-supported e-learning projects that leverage the college’s
reputation for quality in its undergraduate and graduate programs. The goal
of these projects will be to provide revenue growth and to focus resources to
create the best educational experiences for students. Such projects can augment
the student-centered environment that Augsburg nurtures.
I. Introduction
The E-Team Project was convened in spring 2004 to develop expert advice for
the College in the area of e-learning, and to lay the groundwork for a rich
campus dialog about future e-learning initiatives. We were asked to determine
the most effective teaching practices using new technologies and to recommend
the best uses for these practices at Augsburg College. Our investigation has
drawn on information and ideas found in research literature, conferences, interviews,
and first-hand participation in online courses. Our discussions have ranged
widely, expanding our understanding of the interplay between technology and
teaching, and deepening our confidence that Augsburg College can employ e-learning
effectively to pursue its goals. Our work also drew on the findings of a group
convened in the summer of 2001 to explore many of the same issues. While our
group had a different focus and charge, the findings of the 2001 group are reflected
in several of our recommendations.
This report summarizes the work of many teaching professionals interested in
e-learning, and offers our recommendations for how this knowledge can be used.
We provide a working definition of e-learning, followed by a discussion of the
literature on the use of internet technologies in distance learning. Our review
of the Market/Environment considers how these innovations have affected the
organization of higher education in the United States, and how these changes
affect the regional and local market in which Augsburg competes. We apply our
findings to the specific mission and goals of Augsburg College, and conclude
with specific recommendations and ideas on how the College should use e-learning.
We feel that the best use of this report will be to initiate an informed conversation
on campus about the role e-learning should play in our teaching. There are no
cut-and-dried answers to the questions we are pursuing, but there are useful
principles to guide us, and valuable insights to spark our creativity in advancing
the work and mission of the College.
II. What is E-Learning?
Many terms have been used to describe the linking of information technology
to learning: web-based learning, computer-mediated instruction, virtual classrooms,
online education, e-learning, e-education, computer-driven interactive communication,
and distance learning. The lack of a standardized language is accompanied by
limited data on e-learning. The Weatherstation Project launched in
2001 at the University of Pennsylvania found that crucial data about e-learning
were lacking. For example, "no one knew how many students or workers were
taking e-learning courses in any given year, nor how much either businesses
or colleges [have] spent in pursuit of e-learning initiatives, nor what students
or employees themselves had spent" (Zemsky & Massy, 2004). Zemsky
and Massy argue that the lack of data is a result of the lack of a consistent
definition.
The term "distance education" or "distance learning"
has been applied interchangeably by many different researchers to a great variety
of programs and media (Sherry, 1996). There are, however, three generally agreed
characteristics of distance education: The separation of teacher and learner
in space and/or time, control of learning by the student rather than the distant
instructor, and noncontiguous communication between student and teacher, mediated
by print or some form of technology (Sherry, 1996).
Colleges and universities have responded to e-learning in ways ranging from
simple classroom enhancement to transformation into virtual universities. The
Educause Center for Applied Research uses the following definitions to describe
the level of e-learning integration into courses (Arabasz & Baker, 2003):
- Online distance-learning courses. The majority of, if not
all, instruction takes place online. There are no requirements for face-to-face
meetings between students and instructor, either in the classroom or via video
during the course.
- Hybrid courses. The instructor combines elements of online
distance-learning courses and traditional courses. Online forums or Web-based
activities may replace a portion of classroom sessions.
- Traditional courses with technology elements. The instructor
teaches all sessions in the classroom but occasionally uses technology, such
as Web-based activities, multimedia simulations, virtual labs, and online
testing.
The University of St. Thomas has established a five-level course development
continuum for their Blackboard course development (www.stthomas.edu/tlt/pedagogy/Continuum.cfm).
Their continuum is the basis for our definition and recommendations to the college:
- Repository Site. These sites are a place where faculty
can provide basic course information and house their materials, handouts and
presentations, including such elements as a syllabus, assignment descriptions
and technology requirements. Nothing on the site directly influences the student’s
grade.
- Integrated Site. These sites are not the primary method
of distribution, but may provide more opportunities for student interaction.
Students may post and retrieve documents and assignments, and the sites may
include materials beyond what is available in the classroom, providing additional
opportunities for learning. For example, an integrated site might include
an online quiz where students can check their knowledge.
- Hybrid Course. These sites are integrated into the instructional
design of the class, and contain materials upon which a substantial portion
of the student’s learning depends. Significant instructional components
of the course are dependent on the site, and its use is required. The level
of instructional re-design of the course increases substantially. Hybrid courses
often include reduced seat time.
- Fully Online Course. Full web-based courses provide all
or nearly all of their learning opportunities on the Web, and generally do
not require seat time except for orientation, laboratories, small group meetings,
or occasional special class sessions.
- Degree Program. These consist of groups of fully online
courses that comprise a block of a program’s curriculum or the entire
degree program.
These definitions suggest a perspective in which technology is considered an
additional tool in the faculty toolkit to be used whenever it offers prospects
of improved learning. We foresee an environment at Augsburg that uses a mixture
of e-learning and traditional approaches. We refer to such an environment as
a "hybrid environment."
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