Expansion in e-learning: Online technologies enabling access to the upper

secondary level for a more diverse student group

Sólveig Jakobsdóttir

Þuríður Jóhannsdóttir University of Iceland – School of Education

Content

• Background

• Method

• Results

• Summary and consideration

Iceland

From: Icelandic Met Office http://www.vedur.is

Iceland

Capital area: Reykjavík

Residents ca.:

200.000

almost 2/3 of the

total population.

Akureyri

Town w ca.

17-18.000

Focus

• Why do learners at the upper secondary level

want to take advantage of distance education

(DE)?

• How do they estimate the value of having this

opportunity?

• Is the advent of online learning enhancing

equity in access to schools?

Background: VMA

• 1994 Akureyri Comprehensive College (VMA),

located in North Iceland was a pioneer in

offering distance education (DE) - online

courses (via e-mail).

• Vision: enhance equity in access to secondary

ed. for people in sparsely populated areas.

• For ca. 8 years the largest provider of DE at the

upper secondary level in Iceland.

Background: More schools

• Increased demand for DE – Reykjavík schools

follow suit e.g. FÁ 2001, VÍ 2005.

• Educational policy (2001, 2005): increase in

DE– students to study regardless of location

• 2009: 8 schools offer DE, 4-5000 DE students

enrolled.

• After 2008, heavy cuts, quality of DE under

scrutiny – Evaluation report in 2010

Method

• Evaluation study initiated and supported by the

Ministry of Education, focusing on 3 leading DE

schools at upper secondary level: FÁ, VÍ, VMA*

• Interviews with administrators, teacher &

student surveys, 36 course webs analysed.

• Focus in this paper on part of the student data

gathered with surveys

*FÁ=Comprehensive College at Ármúli

VÍ=The Commercial College of Iceland

VMA= Akureyri Comprehensive College

Method – Participants, N, F:M, age

School N of DE students

Gender ratios,

F:M

Mean age

N of survey participants

(participation rate)

FÁ 1816 70:30 25.1 517 (31%)

VÍ 916 61:39 23.6 271 (30%)

VMA 491 63:37 29.1 292 (41%)

Total 3223 66:34 991 (31%)

Method – Participants, age distribution

Method - questionnaire

• Online survey spring 2010

• 46 questions in 5 sections

– General background

– Study background

– Experience and evaluation of DE courses

– Comparison of DE program/courses and „regular“

Results – courses and study

• Overall, students usually registered for 6-7

courses in spring semester (DE+regular)

– most (86%) taking 1-3 DE courses

• 42% 1; 27% 2; 16% 3 DE courses

• Mean number of total credits: 13.9 (full credit

load= 17-18)

– Mean number of DE credits: 6.4

Results – registration data

Additional type of study than the DE course(s)

FÁ %

VÍ %

VMA %

Total %

DE course(s) at a different upper secondary school

8 9 8 8

Dayschool in the same upper secondary school

7 8 18 10

Dayschool in a different upper secondary school

25 27 23 25

University 1,2 2,2 0,5 1,3

Lower secondary/Middle school 13 10 0 10

Results – registration by school

Results – students‘ residence

• 6% abroad

• In the Reykjavík schools in southwest Iceland

FÁ, VÍ: ca. 58% live in or close to the capital

• In the Akureyri school in Northern Iceland VMA:

52% live close to Akureyri+17% in close areas.

Results – work employment

• 35% did not have a paid job

• Ca. 25% worked 1-20 hours per week

• Ca. 25% worked 21-40 hours

• Ca. 16% 41 hours or more

Gender: More M‘s than F‘s 41 hours or more (25

vs. 12%); similar % wo paid job: 37 vs. 34%

Results – work employment

Results: Need and value vs.

Convenience & comfort

• Need: 61%: high/very high need for DE (51+,

and youngest less than middle groups)

• Value: 70% report DE study have high/very

high practical value

• Enjoyment: 52%: enjoyed DE studies

much/very much (F>M)

• How suited: 72% felt DE suited them well/very

well, 22% OK; similar with convenience

Results: main reasons for DE –

big age differeces

Main reasons

Age groups % choosing each reason

(in parenthesis for the most popular reasons)

-15 16-20 21-25 26-40 41-50 51+

Advance credits 70 (1.) 31 (4.) 25 14 4 6

Need the credits 4 44 (1.) 56 (1.) 52 (3.) 39 (5.) 28

Flexibility in time 18 35 (2-3) 48 (2.) 55 (2.) 41 (3.) 46 (4.)

Convenient 27 35 (2-3) 41 (3.) 43 (4-5) 40 (4.) 50 (3.)

Can work with study 2 22 40 (4.) 57 (1.) 66 (1.) 66 (2.)

Flexibility in location 3 28 38 (5.) 43 (4-5) 35 (6.) 32 (5.)

Add knowledge 29 19 24 40 (6.) 57 (2.) 80 (1.)

Study at home w

family/children

0 6 22 37 (7.) 16 4

Number of main reasons

chosen by 30% or

higher ratio

1 4 5 7 6 5

Results: main reasons for DE –

gender differeces

• Gender differences in fewer reasons

• Highly significant gender difference in being

able to stay at home with children or family.

– 19% of F‘s and 8% of M‘s identified that reason

– In the age group 26-30: 48% of the women and

17% of the men.

• More F‘s than M‘s: convenient to study via DE,

flexibility in location, social reasons/problems

Summary - discussion

• Opportunities for taking courses at a distance

have enabled access to schools for people that

otherwise would not have been able to finish

upper secondary diplomas.

• ODEL has contributed to supporting groups that

for different reasons are in danger of dropping

out of regular schools and is in that way

contributing to social justice.

Conclusions

• Students in the regular day-school can organize

their studies to get ahead, catch up or make up

for lost time due to various reasons.

• People have access to school regardless of

location or circumstances including physical or

social problems or illness and can have more

control of their own studies.

Conclusions

• The drop-out rate for the DE courses the

schools involved in this study was reported to

be fairly high or 24-40%.

• However, DE can help students to graduate

from regular programs (where drop-out is also

high), so – DE option can help lower drop-out

rate overall.

Conclusions

• Students who have dropped-out at this school

level can pick up where they left off and enter

the school system again even if they have

increased responsibilities as adults regarding

family and work.

• Older adults have used the opportunity to

acquire knowledge in different areas.

Conclusions

• However, ODEL is not a magic solution for

everyone.

• Text-based to more use of social media and

multimedia.

• A growing number of immigrants – how does

DE work for them? – Opportunities for cross-

border education.

Acknowledgements

• This paper is based on an evaluation of DE in

Iceland for the Icelandic Ministry of Education,

Science and Culture. We thank the Ministry for

giving permission for the presentation of results

in this paper. We thank all the staff and

students participating in the evaluation study.

• And thanks also to you dear audience!