finnland2008

Evidence-based distance learning?

Ásrún Matthíasdóttir [email protected]

Reykjavik University

mailto:[email protected]

04/12/23 Ásrún Matthíasdóttir 2

Outline

• Background information

• Development of distance education in Iceland

• Future outlook

Ásrún Matthíasdóttir• BS in computer science• Diploma in School Counselling• MA in open and distance education• Working on PhD thesis• Lector (Assistant Professor) at Reykjavik University

(RU) since 2001– In School of Health and Education and in School of

Computer Science– Administrating distance education programs

• Teacher in upper secondary schools for a long time04/12/23 Ásrún Matthíasdóttir 3

4

Iceland is 103.000 sq. km and has 319.355 inhabitants

Akureyri20.000 people

ReykjavíkCapital 200.000 people

Iceland: Educational

System


The situation in Iceland

• The number of distance students has grown enormously over the last decade at the university level and the upper secondary level (students from 16-20)

• More and more secondary school students (14, 15 years) are taking distance courses at the secondary level


University level Distance and campus based education

from 1997-2007

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Distance

Campus based

Nine fold2.730 students

Double14.719 students


Distance and campus based education at secondary level from 1997- 2007

0200400600800

100012001400160018002000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Distance Campus based

18 fold4.141 students

1.26 fold20.815 students


Examples of distance programs at RU• Diploma program at the university level for students with

vocational degree, 90 ECTS– carpenters, electricians and machinists

• LMS used for distribution and communication online• Teachers record lectures and other material

– record everything that is on the screen and what they say

• Students submit their projects electronically and receive electronic responses from teachers

• Discussion forum for questions and comments• Campus-based teaching two weekends (3 days) twice

each semester


Examples of distance programs at RU• This is a very popular program

– 160 applications this year• Students are happy to be able to study without

changing their life– Happy to control their own time– They do not generally miss the teachers but they

miss other students• Teachers were insecure at the beginning

– After they got used to the technology they were quite happy

– They miss the students


Examples of distance programs at the upper secondary level

• Most upper secondary schools are offering distance courses

• Usually teachers and students do not meet at all in the distance programs

• Learning management systems used for distribution and communication

Examples of distance programs at the upper secondary level

• Each teacher sends material, projects and exercises to students once a week– Mainly Word and PDF files– Online communication, e.g. E-mail, MSN, Skype– Good support for students to have to work on

something at least once a week in each course• More support -> less dropout


Upper secondary level• There have mainly been 3 groups of distance

students– Students that have no other alternative

• Small schools in rural areas can not offer many courses• Many schools can not offer the same course every semester

– Students that have failed the course before– Older students

• Some are drop-outs that are trying to finish school• Some taking a whole study program• Some are taking 1-2 courses


Upper secondary level

• New group of distance students• It is a trend now that students in their last

year at compulsory education start taking one or two courses in upper secondary schools– Distance education is often the only alternative

they have


Upper secondary level• New forms of education have been developing• A variety of blended and distributed learning

programs are running– Mix together campus based methods and online

methods– Each school offers its own version– One school was designed from the beginning based

on this ideology



Example from the public service• Life Long Learning Centre for the Public Sector

provides programs for different groups of employees– Not a school, uses programs and courses that are

already running or ask for new programs

• Use video conferences and project work– The teachers may be situated outside Reykjavik

area

• Too much technology seems to scare away older people (over 35)


Private sector• Lack of facts and figures

• Very little research done in adult distance education in the private sector

• They have started distance education but many employees are not ready to be distance students– Employees are not used to independent

study


Examples from the private sector• Kaupthing Bank (largest commercial bank)• Distance teaching facilities

– Video conferences, recorded lectures, learning management programs…

• Educational division that offers distance programs– e.g. English for banking and finance

• Other banks (Sparisjóðir) also offer distance learning programs


Examples from the private sector

• Actavis (5th largest generic pharmaceutical company in the world)

• Offers employees distance courses– e.g. E-mail writing course (4 weeks)

• Well equipped with new technology– Video conferences for meetings


Examples from the private sector

• The Open University Division of RU

• Offers distance courses for everyone– e.g. Business writing English

• Developing blended learning courses– Mix together campus based and distance

teaching

Characteristic of good e-learning course

Good support

Active teachers/tutors


Who will be our future students?

• I see roughly two groups– The Net Generation– My generation +/- 10 years

• What is the difference?



The Net Generation• People born after 1980 have grown up in an

environment of computer technology– Also called Digital Generation, Millennial,

Generation Y, The Multitasking Generation...

• Experienced in using online systems such as Blogs, Skypes, MySpace, Facebook, Wikis….– New possibilities turning up every week or day

• They have positive attitudes to the use of technology in learning– Information and communication (ICT) is a part of their life


• The Net Generation is a challenge to the way we provide teaching and learning

• We need to be aware of their skills and experience– We must make use of these skills and attitudes

• They are a challenge for (many) teachers


My generation +/- 10 years• We have spent most of our “adult” life

chasing and adjusting to technology and new opportunities– Some are eager some are not

• We have often thought we have seen it all– But been totally wrong

• For how long are we ready to adopt to new technology?

• Different knowledge

• Different attitudes

• Different views

• ....


Found at http://www.jesslaccetti.co.uk/labels/new%20media.html

How do we teach these two groups together?

• Learning is a lifelong goal for both young and old

• We must offer the Net Generation all the new opportunities that technology offers– They are not so young any more

• However: do not overdo it for the older part


• The focus has been on technology• Some teachers are always looking for better

tools and are eager to try out new methods• Some never find technology that suites them,

always want to do things little bit differently• Some are resistant to technology in

education

Teachers - technology


• But the fact is that most teachers, even the distance teachers, are only using a small proportion of what is available– They can do a good job with only part of what is

there

• But they do also need to look around for new possibilities and new methods– Many don’t recognize the possibilities at hand– Distance teachers must be open for the

opportunities that are already there and look for new

• We must offer teachers and tutors good opportunities to update

We still have this



From http://designsmarter.typepad.com/rob_rodriguez/images/kemesh_interview_1_1.jpg

This is our target group


• Can we guess how technology will develop?

• .....and what methods we should use to ensure good quality and best practice in education with technology on our side?

The Silent Boom

Percen

tage o

f Ow

nersh

ip

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

01009080706050403020101 110 120

Electricity(1873)

Telephone(1876)

Automobile(1886)

Television(1926)

Radio(1905)

VCR(1952)

Microwave(1953)

Cell Phone(1983)

Reference: Forbes

PC(1975)

Internet(1975)


Development of bandwidth

E-mail

Internet Music

Video (low quality)Voice


VoIPVOD

All material

Internet, TV, phone...

Development of bandwidth


• Email• Web browsing• Simulations • Podcasting• RSS• MSN/Skype• Wikis• Blogs• Web conferencing• Online workspaces • Social network• File sharing• Serious games• Virtual worlds• ….

• Pool resources • Search• Remix• Create• Review • Publish• Share• Recommend• Connect• Network• Reassess• Chase• ….

• Explore• Investigate• Discuss • Track• Meet• Converse• Follow• Chat• Build• Observe• Plan • Design• Collaborate • Find•...

What is there to use and do?


Image provided by Stabilo Boss.

Some of the Web 2.0 sites

http://flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/

http://www.videojug.com/interview/stephen-fry-web-20

http://www.videojug.com/interview/stephen-fry-web-20

http://sites.google.com/site/technologyenhancedlearning/site-files/web2-big-745097.jpg?attredirects=0

What should we choose?

• Education desiners /developers have to take notice of:– The teachers – The aim of the courses– The technology– The student group– .....


We “know” them

We can deside this

We can adjust to this

Who are they??

Challenge for educators

• How are we to prepare for our future students?

• How do we motivate them to take active part in lifelong learning?

• How do we use all these tools to encourage critical thinking and creatively?

• ?????


finnland2008

Technology

distance students employees

number of distance students

examples of distance

distance learning programs

secondary school students

upper secondary level

year students

semester students