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Students’ Need for and Satisfaction with Support Services in e-Learning

Supporting the Learner in Distance Education and e-Learning

3rd EDEN Research Workshop, Oldenburg, March 4-6, 2004

Torstein Rekkedal, Professor, Director R & D Svein Qvist-Eriksen, Director Student Support Services

NKI Distance Education

Norway

Definitions and Terms

The Project: Student Support services in e-Learning

E-Learning? What is it?“E-learning is the collection of teaching – and information packages – in further education which is available at any time and any place and are delivered to learners electronically. They contain units of information, self-testing batteries and tests, which allow a quick self-evaluation for quick placement. E-learning offers more lower level learning goals. Higher order goals like understanding, reasoning and (moral) judging are more difficult to achieve. They require an individualised interactive discourse and can hardly be planned” (Dichantz 2001)

E-Learning defined in the project: ”…the provision of education or training electronically, via the Internet”

Student support services: ”…those part of adistance or electronic learning system, which areadditional to the provision of course content.”

NKI

The NKI Group – a non-profit foundation in education:

NKI Distance Education: Each year around 15,000 active students 100 programmes and 400 courses 60 programmes and 380 courses on the Internet

The Norwegian School of Information Technology (NITH) The Business Training Centre (NA) NKI Publishing House NKI Distance Education

NKI and Online Education

NKI Distance Education/NKI Internet College Online distance teaching since 1987 In continuous operation Integrated research/educational development/technological

development ’Mainstream’ technology

5800 students in 40 countries

  380 courses/60 study programmes  

4 phases of development

The Development of NKI Internet College – 4 ’Generations’ of Systems

1987 -1994: 1. Generation – based on the ’EKKO’ conferencing system

1994 -1995: 2. Generation – ’The Open Electronic College’: Philosophy: Constructing a

system as ’open’ as possible in relation to external networks and services, based on the Internet, e-mail and Listserve conferencing system

1996-2000: 3. Generation – ’from small scale to large scale’ and permanent operation based

on the WWW

2001- : 4. Generation – Introduction of a fully integrated system for development and

administration of teaching/learning, logistics, invoices and salaries to handle ten thousands of students in flexible learning on hundreds of courses, programmes and tutors

Systems Integration for Optimal Student Support Solutions

NKI basic philosophies concerning distance learning

Student autonomy and flexibility

Flexible and individual distance teaching with the student group as social and academic support for learning

Overall didactical solution:

Individual studies, exercises and emphasis on tutor support Support from the learner group through Forum interaction Social constructivist learning theory? Learning is a socially supported individual process Colleagues, friends, family and other resource persons as support for learning Great need for support and continuous concern for students

Student Support in the NKI Online Distance Education System

Prospective phase – information/guidance

Student Support in the NKI Online Distance Education System

Start-up phase

Student Support in the NKI Online Distance Education System

Learning phase

Student Support in the NKI Online Distance Education System

Graduation and after graduation

Survey

Needs for and satisfaction with support services

Research methodology:Qualitative and quantitative survey

Data collection

Selection of interviewees

Data processing and interpreting answers

Survey

Needs for and satisfaction with support services

Results: Prospective phase Direct personal contact with advisors important

Registration/start-up phase Technical support services important, but little used, introduction to study techniques important and should be improved

Learning phase Most important quality of feedback/quick turn-around time

Survey - Statistics

Survey - Statistics

Relationship between “Usefulness/Importance” of the support elements and“Satisfaction” with the support elements.

Conclusions

The studens find all support services provided to be important, and they are generally satisfied

Recommendations:Priory should be given to:

           Close follow up and support during the start-up phase concerning how to get started and how to make personal progression plans.

           Introduction to efficient techniques for online learning, specifically for students with little experience from independent learning.

           Follow-up and guidance of tutors who do not satisfy requirements concerning turn- around time and quality of comments/feedback to students.

           Developing course forums to function better for students who want more interaction with fellow students, without requiring too much participation for students who prefer more individual studies.

Thank you!

NKI Internet College: http://www.nettskolen.com/

Powerpoint Presentation: http://home.nettskolen.com/~torstein/Student SupportOldenburg.ppt

Presentation http://home.nettskolen.com/~torstein/Student SupportOldenburg.doc

Torstein Rekkedal home page: http://home.nettskolen.nki.no/~torstein/