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The economic implications of using simple approaches in distance learning. Brian Mulligan Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland Ray Schroeder University of Illinois at Springfield
| Date post: | 05-Dec-2014 |
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The economic implications of using simple approaches in distance
learning.
Brian Mulligan Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland
Ray Schroeder University of Illinois at Springfield
A little story about a low-cost approach to developing online
learning
Evening Classes
online
Instructor-led online learning“faculty-centric”
Live classes over the Internet
• Listen and watch live
• Ask the instructor questions
• Recorded
textbook
Handouts + websites
Course Webpage for asynchronous work
independent learning
Assignments, support, feedback
Assignment Submission
Good online communication
Peer Support
Bring ‘em in if you have to!
Characteristics of this model• Minimal investment (and risk)
– Significant running costs (currently)– Viable at low enrolment levels
• Agile and Responsive (short lead time)• Attractive to instructors and students
– Convenient, social, effective, autonomous• Versatile (can be augmented)
If we give faculty the freedom to innovate...
• What low cost tools are available?• Will they respond creatively?
Web 2.0 Teaching Tools
(free unless otherwise indicated)Diigo – Web highlighter, sticky notes, bookmarksWikispaces – Robust wiki for education usersTwitter – Messaging students / micro-blogBlogger – Effective class blogging Prezi – Better alternative to PowerPointVoiceThread – Modest annual cost – effective
audio/video/text for online classes
Web 2.0 Teaching Tools (2)
VUE – Visual Understanding Environ (mind map)SharedSpaces – 50 cool tools from Google LabsText-the-Mob – Clickers on cell phonesVimeo – Includes super video editorYouTube – Includes awesome auto captioningJing – Free version of camtasia video screen
capture
Faculty Creativity /Responsiveness
Giving control to faculty members often results in some spontaneous, highly-relevant and “authentic” learning experiences.
Rather than designing a class in its entirety prior to the start of the semester – faculty members draw upon new research, news events, moments of opportunity
Examples of Faculty Creativity
• Incorporating analysis of the environmental disaster at the nuclear power station sites into an environmental studies class
• Utilizing the iPad 2 as a case study in a human – computer interface class
• Assigning students to identify current business case studies and to produce blogs that include their comments/predictions on the studies
Further Examples of Faculty Creativity
• Reviewing a newly released online art exhibit, then skyping an interview with the artist
• Studying the federal budgeting process, then skyping with the Senator about to cast a vote
• Groups report on technology use and plans in school districts – both rural and urban – with groups comprised of in-service teachers from Chicago and from downstate Illinois
Costing 3 approaches
• Faculty-centric• Content-centric• Designer-centric
A model for costing
• Spreadsheet• Used to estimate breakeven enrolment • Assumptions for today
– 20 students per section– 1st section taught by tenured faculty– Other sections taught by adjuncts (50%)– 10 year lifespan– 13 weeks– Academic course load: 9– No labs, materials etc.
Fixed and Variable Costs• Investment costs
– Amortised over several years• Fixed costs per delivery
– Variable costs per student enrolled
Enrolment
$
Where do variable costs come from?
• Teaching / Tutoring• Overheads / Administration
– How are these calculated
Enrolment
$
Content-centric online learning
• Diagram of main view of the economics of e-learning content: Invest in content and increase the number of users.
Enrolment
$
Design-centric
Courtesy ofTony Bates
www.tonybates.ca
Common assumptions
The merits of teamwork– vs. Individual work
• The impact of sophisticated pedagogical approaches – vs. simple good teaching practices
• The impact of high investment –on operating and maintenance costs
• The reliability of deterministic approaches– vs. continuous improvement approaches in
changing environments
• The merits of high quality
“Excellence is the enemy of the good!”
• The value of content– vs. Communication– “Content is King?”
• We have the right people.– Distance learning experts– Educational researchers– Instructional designers– Information technologists– Multi-media specialists
What further research do we need to do?
Thank you for your attention!Brian Mulligan
[email protected] Schroeder
