USDLA Distance Learning Journal-Volume 4 Number 3 2007

Volume 4, Issue 3 Distance Learning i

DISTANCE LEARNING

FEATURED ARTICLES

01 SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM

CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

Nan Thornton and Sonja Irlbeck

9 THE NEXT GENERATION OF PLANETARY

UNIVERSITIES: A TWO-PART BIRD’S-EYE

REVIEW

Irving H. Buchen

17 DESIGNING DISTANCE INSTRUCTION

FOR THE ARAB WORLD: LINGUISTIC AND

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

Angelene C. McLaren

23 REVIEW OF CURRENT ISSUES IN QUALITY

E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Abed H. Almala

31 PITFALLS, PERILS, AND PROFOUND

PLEASURES OF LIVE E-LEARNING

Janice Wilson Butler and Michael Sullivan

37 EDUCATION LEADERS PERSPECTIVES:

PROS AND CONS OF DISTANCE

EDUCATION IN A SMALL CARIBBEAN

ISLAND

Noverene Taylor

47 WEB 2.0: NEW TOOLS FOR DISTANCE

LEARNING

Christopher Essex

55 AN OVERVIEW OF DISTANCE LIBRARY

SERVICES AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN

UNIVERSITY’S MAIN LIBRARYArlene Batson-George

59 TELEMEDICINE, URBAN STYLE

Keith J. Blair

CASE STUDIES

From the One-Room Schoolhouse to Virtual Education: A Perspectiveof What to do While the Transition Takes Place 64Arnaldo Ghersi

Mediasite TechnologyMeets the Needs of Both Students and Faculty at Drexel University 67

Wayne State University Takes the Lead in Information Science 69

York UniversityImproves theEducational Experience 71

INTERVIEWS

Conversation With aTrue Maverick:Michael F. Beaudoin 73María García andArnold (Noteh) Glogauer

If ITDE is Romeo, Who is Juliet? An Interview WithJeroen van Merrienboer 79Elias Garcell andDiane Hobson

COLUMNS

ENDS AND MEANS

Is Google Making UsDumber? 85—by Ryan Watkins

AND FINALLY …

Accreditation andQuality in DistanceEducation 88—by Michael Simonson

ii Distance Learning Volume 4, Issue 3

PURPOSE

Distance Learning, an official publication of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), is sponsored by the USDLA, by the Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University, and by Information Age Publishing. Distance Learning is published four times a year for leaders, practitioners, and decision makers in the fields of distance learning, e-learning, telecommunications, and related areas. It is a professional magazine with information for those who provide instruction to all types of learners, of all ages, using telecommunications technologies of all types. Articles are written by practitioners for practitioners with the intent of providing usable information and ideas for readers. Articles are accepted from authors with interesting and important information about the effective practice of distance teaching and learning.

SPONSORS

The United States Distance Learning (USDLA) is the professional organization for those involved in distance teaching and learning. USDLA is committed to being the leading distance learning

association in the United States. USDLA serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking and opportunity. www.usdla.org

The Fischler School of Education and Human Services (FSEHS) of Nova Southeastern University is dedicated to the enhancement and continuing support of teachers, administrators, trainers and others working in related helping professions throughout the world. The school fulfills its commitment to the advancement of education by serving as a resource for practitioners and by supporting them in their professional self development. The school offers alternative delivery systems that are adaptable to practitioners’ work schedules and locations. School programs anticipate and reflect the needs of practitioners to become more effective in their current positions, to fill emerging roles in the education and related fields, and to be prepared to accept changing responsibilities within their own organizations.

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INFORMATION AGE

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Visit http://www.usdla.org/html/resources/dlmag/index.htm

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EDITOR

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MANAGING EDITOR

Charles [email protected]

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COPY EDITOR

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ASSOCIATION EDITOR

John G. [email protected]

PUBLISHER

Information Age Publishing1600 North Community

House Road, Ste. 250Charlotte, NC 28277(704) 752-9125(704) 752-9113 Faxwww.infoagepub.com

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Volume 4, Issue 3 Distance Learning iii

DISTANCE LEARNING MAGAZINE

SPONSORED BY THE U.S. DISTANCE LEARNING ASSOCIATION

FISCHLER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

AND INFORMATION AGE PUBLISHING

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION GUIDELINES

Distance Learning is for leaders, practitioners, and decision makers in the fields of distance learning, e-learning, telecommunications, and related areas. It is a professional journal with applicable information for those involved in providing instruction of all kinds to learners of all ages using telecommunications technologies. Articles are written by practitioners for practitioners with the intent of providing usable information and ideas. Articles are accepted from authors with interesting and important information about the effective practice of distance teaching and learning. No page costs are charged authors, nor are stipends paid. Two copies of the issue with the author’s article will be provided. Reprints will also be available.

1. Your manuscript should be written in Microsoft Word for Windows. Save it as a .doc file and also as a .rtf file. Send both versions on a disk or CD.

2. Single space the entire manuscript. Use 12 point Times New Roman (TNR) font.

3. Laser print your paper.

4. Margins: 1” on all sides.

5. Do not use any subheadings, page numbers, or embedded commands. Documents that have embedded commands, including headers and footers, will be returned to the author.

6. Include a cover sheet with the paper’s title and with the names, affiliations and addresses, telephone, email, and fax for all authors.

7. Submit the paper on a 3½ inch floppy disk or CD that is clearly marked. The name of the manuscript file should reference the author. In addition, submit two paper copies. A high resolution .jpg photograph of each author is required. Send the disk and paper copies to:Michael R. Simonson

EditorDistance LearningInstructional Technology and Distance EducationNova Southeastern University

Fischler Graduate School of Education

1750 NE 167th StreetNorth Miami Beach, FL [email protected](954) 262-8563

The Manuscript

To ensure uniformity of the printed proceedings, authors should follow these guidelines when preparing manuscripts for submission. DO NOT EMBED INFORMATION. YOUR PAPER WILL BE RETURNED IF IT CONTAINS EMBEDDED COMMANDS OR UNUSUAL FORMATTING INFORMATION.

Word Processor FormatManuscripts should be written in Microsoft Word for Windows.

Length

The maximum length of the body of the paper should be about 3000 words.

LayoutTop and bottom margins: 1.0”Left and right margins: 1.0”

Text

Regular text: 12 point TNR, left justified

Paper title: 14 point TNR, centered

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Page Numbering

Do not include or refer to any page numbers in your manuscript.

Graphics

We encourage you to use visuals—pictures, graphics, and charts—to help explain your article. Graphics images (.jpg) should be included at the end of your paper.

iv Distance Learning Volume 4, Issue 3

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IN UPCOMING ISSUES

Triple O-CT: One-on-One Computer Tutoring Vartouhi Asherian

Operational Definition of Building a QualityE-Learning Course and Program

Richard Ihde

Watch out Distance Education, Here come the Marines! An Interview with the Dean of the Marine Corps College of Continuing Education

Julie A. Prommasit

Distance Education in the Public High School Sheryl Brenner

Microsoft/MIT: Collaborative iCampus/iLabs Projects

Sharon DeVary

Voice over Internet Protocol Jennifer Codling

Online High School Courses: Preventing Dropouts and Providing a Successful Learning Experience

Fern Entrekin

Wimba Live Classroom: A Case Study Christina Rogoza

Volume 4, Issue 3 Distance Learning 1

SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE

Capella University’s Instructional Design for Online Learning ProgramSuccesses in Preparing Future Leaders

Nan Thornton and Sonja Irlbeck

he Instructional Design for OnlineLearning (IDOL) specialization atCapella University is a dynamic

online graduate program that producesgraduates who are sought for their skillsand expertise. IDOL is a program that ispart of an accredited, online universitythat provides adult learners with high-

quality education in a flexible, online for-mat. What contributes to IDOL’s successeswith their learners and in the ID field? Asis often the case, the whole is greater thanthe sum of its parts. Capella has created astrong, energetic program by focusing onthe elements that contribute to the successof its graduates in the marketplace. This

T

Nan Thornton, Faculty Chair, Instructional Design for Online Learning, Capella University 225 South 6th Street, 9th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402. Telephone: 1-888-227-2736.

E-mail: [email protected]

Sonja Irlbeck, Core Faculty, Instructional Design for Online Learning, Capella University, 225 South 6th Street, 9th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402. Telephone: 1-888-227-2736.


2 Distance Learning Volume 4, Issue 3

article explores some of the factors thatexperience has shown are foundational toits success.

WHAT IS IDOL ATCAPELLA UNIVERSITY?Professionals with expertise in instruc-tional design for online learning are indemand and are important to the chang-ing learning environments made possibleby the rethinking about learning, the Inter-net, and other distance learning technolo-gies. Capella University, founded in 1993,offers graduate degree programs in busi-ness, education, human services, informa-tion technology, and psychology, andbachelor’s degree programs in business,information technology, and public safety.The IDOL specialization began in 1997with a master’s degree and was followedin 1999 with the PhD degree. The IDOLspecialization now has a decade of fine-tuning its graduate programs, and enroll-ment in both the MS and PhD programscontinues to grow.

WHO ENROLLS IN IDOL?Learners in IDOL are usually professionalsin their fields who are returning to schoolto gain additional skills and knowledgeabout instructional design in the onlineenvironment with a goal to lead the onlineeducation agenda within their organiza-tions. At Capella University, enrollees arecalled “learners” rather than “students.”The term learner more aptly describes theworking adult women and men enrolled atCapella and in IDOL. Capella is the onlyaccredited, online institution that providesIDOL degrees at the master’s level, and atthe current time, only one other institutionoffers an online PhD in this area.

The master’s degree in IDOL preparesprofessionals working in educational insti-tutions, corporations, the military, healthcare, and government agencies to achievea high level of competency in instructional

design in order to advance their careersand serve their organizations. The mas-ter ’s program focuses on the practice ofinstructional design and prepares instruc-tional designers to solve real-world prob-lems by applying theory and bestpractices. The goal of the IDOL master’sdegree is to create practitioner-scholarswho can implement systems and strategiesfor analyzing and resolving problems, syn-thesize theory into application of instruc-tional and performance interventions,implement methods for online delivery,manage projects, and have an understand-ing of software tools that make the processefficient and effective.

Extending the focus beyond the mas-ter ’s degree, the goal of the IDOL doctoraldegree is to create scholar-practitionerswho have developed research skills andcan apply theory and research strategies toimplement instructional and performancesolutions, and begin to share knowledgethrough scholarly research, publications,and presentations. The PhD degree inIDOL prepares professionals to lead andmanage instructional challenges in a vari-ety of online settings in various work set-tings as well. The focus is on the theory andleadership of instructional design. PhD learn-ers move beyond the master’s level com-petencies to consider the higher levels ofanalytical and critical thinking related toresearch, theory, and leadership in instruc-tional design.

HOW IS IDOL GROWING?Capella University is committed to aca-demic excellence and has grown to morethan 19,000 current learners from all 50states and 56 countries. Likewise, IDOLcontinues to grow in enrollment and toattract learners from a diverse populationand professional audience. Part of IDOL’sgrowth and success is due to the focus onsuccessful online interactions and buildingcommunity at PhD colloquia. A strongbenefit of the IDOL programs—the fully


online master’s degree and primarilyonline PhD degree—is that they are acces-sible to learners who otherwise may not beable to attend traditional learning environ-ments for advanced education.

The demand for training and develop-ment specialists and instructional design-ers is growing. The Bureau of LaborStatistics (http://www.bls.gov/) projects anincrease of nearly 28% in training anddevelopment specialists between 2002 and2012; this contrasts with the overallemployment growth rate projection of15%. Meeting this need for an educatedworkforce requires preparing professionalsin instructional design and development.

An estimated 29% of prospective collegestudents now have experience with onlineeducation, and an estimated 1.2 millionstudents are pursuing online higher edu-cation, according to Eduventures (http://www.eduventures.com/). At currentgrowth rates, by early 2008, 10% of post-secondary students will be enrolled in anonline program. Similar growth exists inK-12 and corporate e-learning, creating aneed for professionals skilled in designingeffective instruction for online delivery.The IDOL program is sought by profes-sionals who are hoping to meet this marketneed.

LEARNERS: THE HEART AND

FUTURE OF INSTRUCTIONAL

DESIGN FOR ONLINE LEARNING

Learners in the IDOL program, likeCapella learners overall, tend to be moti-vated, working adults from all walks of lifewho represent many professional paths.Capella learners are driven to advancetheir current careers or change careers.They often hold influential decision-making roles and work in a variety of set-tings, including corporate training, highereducation, K-12 education, health care,government, military, and nonprofit orga-nizations.

IDOL’s successful learners are a reflec-tion of the program’s effectiveness. Struc-tural elements in place at Capella andIDOL contribute to learner success,impacting and benefiting learners andtheir academic achievements. A strong cur-riculum, learner support, and coursedesign based on current theories of learn-ing and instruction, and dedicated facultycontribute to these successes.

SHARING IDOL’S SECRETS OF SUCCESS

Instructional design best practices dictatethat thoughtful program and coursedesign, implementation strategies, andongoing focus on quality and interactionhelp steer a program to successful out-comes. IDOL practices these elements forsuccess, through guiding design decisionsbased on research, working with instruc-tional design professionals within Capella,and building on the strategies that havebeen shown to bring success in the CapellaUniversity learning environment. Onceprogram-level decisions are made, the pri-ority is to create instructionally appealingcourses that utilize the appropriate mix ofactivities, media, discussions, and interac-tions to provide a robust, interactivecourse.

ENGAGING COURSE DESIGN

Courses at Capella are designed accord-ing to nine essential teaching and learningguidelines. These guidelines are derivedby the Capella course development andcurriculum leadership and reflect bestpractices and recent findings in the litera-ture. The guidelines are listed below, fol-lowed by examples of three of theguidelines:

1. Focus on professional impact.

2. Define learning outcomes as compe-tencies.


3. Define appropriate indicators of com-petence.

4. Develop grading rubrics.

5. Frame learning as a challenge-drivenprocess.

6. Provide a supportive structure at theunit level.

7. Integrate unit activities into finalprojects.

8. Add media enhancements.

9. Encourage learner-to-learner interac-tions.

Three of these guidelines—6, 7, and 9 —are instrumental in creating high quality,relevant, and engaging IDOL courses:

Provide a supportive structure at the unitleve: Each unit of instruction is a cohesivewhole that connects, like building blocks,to the final course outcome. This structureprovides learners with guidance, exam-ples, instructions, resources, activities, andassessments to enable them to successfullymeet challenges posed by learning objec-tives and achieve the course competencies(see Figure 1).

Integrate unit activities into a final project:In most courses, the learning activities ineach unit provide the building blocks of

the final course project or paper. Learners

receive formative feedback from their

peers and the instructor at project mile-

stones in order to revise and improve the

project elements throughout the course.

When unit assignments lead to the devel-

opment of a final project, the culminating

assignment is not an isolated activity that

learners scramble to complete at the end of

the course; instead, it is the result of a care-

fully planned sequence of milestones. This

course design strategy provides explicit

guidance and structure along the way,

often resulting in learners producing high-

quality projects and academic papers (see

Figure 2).

Encourage interactions: Many instructors

and learners feel that their involvement

with the content and learners and instruc-

tor is greater in a Capella courseroom than

in a typical on-ground classroom. The

expectations to be informed by the read-

ings and to integrate that new learning

into responses to discussion questions and

to peers means learners must integrate

ideas into their present knowledge and

share that new information. While it is a

different form of interaction, it is often

Figure 1: Each unit of instruction contains an integrated set of activ-ities and resources focused on the learning objectives.


more intense and more in-depth than typi-cal classroom discussion.

RELEVANT CONTENT AND

ACTIVITIES IN IDOLThe IDOL curriculum is competency-

based and is the result of integration ofthree sets of competencies: the competen-cies for instructional designers as definedby the International Board of Standards forTraining and Performance Instruction(ibstpi); the ethical standards for instruc-tional designers, also defined by ibstpi;and Capella competencies in research, crit-ical thinking, and scholarly writing estab-lished for the university.

Using ibstpi competencies as a guide,courses in the IDOL curriculum aredesigned to have meaning and relevanceto learners, either in current employmentor a future role. Examples include:

• In the introductory course in instruc-tional design, learners create a designdocument for a lesson or course.

• In the interface design course, learnerscreate a Web site that summarizes andillustrates the essential principles ofinterface design.

• In the theories and models course,learners study instructional design the-ories and work together to envisionchanges to existing ID models.

• In the course on evaluation and assess-ment of instructional design, learnerscreate a course evaluation plan, includ-ing six evaluation instruments devel-oped during the course.

• In the leadership course, learnersdevelop an action plan for a proposed e-learning solution.

FACULTY: QUALIFIED, PASSIONATE,

AND ACCESSIBLE The academic reputation of any univer-

sity rests on the quality of its faculty, andIDOL faculty are an essential componentin the overall success of the IDOL pro-gram. IDOL faculty are a diverse group ofprofessionals with experience in a widerange of settings who are recognizedexperts and have an average of 19 yearsexperience in instructional design. The fac-ulty bring experience and passion to theirteaching as both scholars and practitioners.

IDOL attracts outstanding faculty fromthe United Stats and the world who valuebeing able to engage in their professional

Figure 2: Activities and unit assignments are integrated into the final course project.

Course Project Building Blocks


practice as they also teach about it. Theyhave chosen to teach at Capella becausethey share a passion for teaching and forinstructional design, and they adapt wellto the demands of online instruction. Cur-rently, IDOL is comprised of a faculty chair,several full-time core faculty, and a stellargroup of adjunct faculty who supportlearners and share their expertise.

Learners enrolled in the IDOL programhave extraordinary access to faculty.Although all IDOL courses are asynchro-nous, modern communication tools enablefrequent and substantive interactionsbetween learners and faculty, as illustratedin the following examples:

Interactions in the courseroom. Coursesemploy discussion threads, in which learn-ers discuss content of course units andthrough which faculty provide commentsand guidance. Many faculty also provideunit summaries, pulling together thediverse ideas of the discussants andenabling the faculty member to share hisor her unique experience. The courseroomhas its own e-mail system and assignmentarea where faculty can provide individual-ized feedback on learner assignments. Fac-ulty establish their unique courseroomprotocols, such as frequency and quality ofposts, expectations regarding interactionswith other learners, encouraging participa-tion in teams and in peer reviews of assign-ments. Many faculty have expressed thethought that they interact more with learn-ers in their IDOL courses than in a typicalon-ground classroom.

Electronic communication. Outside of thecourseroom, faculty and learners commu-nicate chiefly via e-mail, instant messag-ing, and phone calls. Many faculty alsohold virtual office hours for their learners,which allows them to contact their instruc-tors at a time when they are likely toreceive an immediate answer to a question,and some courses may include an optionalsynchronous meeting so learners can expe-rience the range of possibilities availablewith today’s technology.

PhD Colloquia. At three stages duringtheir doctoral programs, IDOL learnerscome together for 5 days to meet with fac-ulty and other PhD learners from acrossthe university. The time at colloquium ismuch like a high-caliber professional con-ference, with keynote speakers, breakoutsessions, and networking events. Learnersspend nearly a week among an engagingcommunity of scholars, participating inworkshops and gaining exposure todiverse perspectives that challenge andexpand learner thinking. Colloquium ses-sions and social gatherings help learnersdevelop academic skills, establish peer net-works, strengthen doctoral competencies,and meet with faculty face to face. Supportservices, such as librarians and writingcenter personnel, are also available at thecolloquia to work with learners one onone.

LEARNER SUPPORT

An important element in the success ofIDOL learners is the level of services andsupport to help them accomplish theirgoals. The learner support system setsCapella apart from many other learninginstitutions. Capella learners are not outthere in cyberspace by themselves. Rather,there is a powerful support structuredevoted to helping learners have a suc-cessful, rewarding learning experience.Here are a few of the support structures inplace at Capella University for IDOL learn-ers:

• Enrollment counselors guide learners stepby step through the admissions andenrollment processes.

• Academic advisors provide support andassistance throughout the learner’s pro-gram. Advisors help learners plan theircoursework, navigate the bureaucracyof the institution, and understand therequirements for degree completion.

• Financial aid staff help learners explorefinancing options, including federal and


nonfederal loans, grants, and scholar-ships, and employee tuition reimburse-ment.

• iGuide is a personalized Web portalwhere enrolled learners can register forcourses, apply for financial aid, visit thelibrary, and view the academic calendar.iGuide gives learners secure access totheir courses and transcripts, as well aslinks to Capella’s interactive learningcommunity.

• Capella University Library offers a varietyof services to help learners and facultylocate information and resources theyneed. Librarians are available to assistlearners by phone, chat, or e-mail, andthe university library provides extensiveaccess to scholarly and professionalresources.

• Support personnel interact with learnerson all kinds of matters from administra-tive issues to coordinating reviews oflearner dissertations to smoothing theway to graduation.

• Faculty and mentors guide doctoral learn-ers through their educational journey,from their coursework to preparing forthe comprehensive examination tochoosing dissertation topics.

Learners entering the IDOL programreceive support from their very first con-tact with Capella. After the learner hasmade the decision to enroll, he or sheworks with an enrollment counselor to

develop a degree completion plan, whichlays out required courses. The counselorprovides guidance about which courses totake, in which order to take them, recom-mended course combinations, and whenthe learner will attend the three requiredcolloquia for PhD learners. All learnersbegin with the school of education’s orien-tation to the university, the school, and theIDOL specialization. The first course com-bines content with useful information andresources to provide new learners withknowledge and skills they need to be suc-cessful in their online degree programs,along with a writing assessment, criticalthinking skill development, and protocolsfor searching for appropriate resources,setting the tone for the remainder of theireducational journey.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Success is often seen as a serendipitouscombination of chemistry and events thatimpact the individuals involved in theexperience. At Capella and within IDOL,the focus is on strategies that help increasethe probability of creating that positivechemistry and energy, and designingevents and activities within the coursesand learner interactions to ensure the suc-cess of our learners. Faculty, learners, lead-ership, and well-designed curriculum andsupport mechanisms all help point theway to that success.



The Next Generation of Planetary UniversitiesA Two Part Bird’s Eye Review

Irving H. Buchen

PART ONE: FUTURE GLOBAL CURRICULUM MODELS

ften in the last century the finalstage of academic preparationoccurred after graduation. Many

graduates of Oxford and Cambridgeembarked on the European grand tour asthe finishing academic experience. To besure, its roots are much older. Its earliestversion appropriately took place at theAcademy, where young philosophers inancient Greece sat at the feet of Socratesand engaged and developed the learning

exchange of Platonic dialogue. Rome oftenfavored more distant travel to such hal-lowed and exotic cities of learning in itsempire as Alexandria. Holy pilgrimages toJerusalem, Mecca, and Constantinople(later Rome) were the appropriate rites ofpassage for clerics, even to this day. AfterWorld II, the middle class entered thescene with study abroad and/or govern-ment sponsored programs of internationalservice such as the Peace Corps. Part of theprogressive difference of modern collegegraduates from their parents was the lattergranting them the means to enjoy whatformerly was restricted to the upperclasses or the titled.

There are a number of distinguishingcharacteristics about the above pattern.First, travel was broadening. One had toleave one’s native shores to directly experi-ence difference. In today’s parlance, itinvolved leaving face two face (f2f) for dis-tance education. Second, learning wasregarded as incomplete and unfinishedwithout acquiring an international per-spective unavailable at home or on cam-pus. Third, although it was a particularlyvaluable experience for future heirs andlords, especially if they were involved inempire building and maintenance, now itprepares future managers and leader formanaging and leading global businesses.Finally, although historically the geograph-ical preference initially was for Europeansettings, this began to change after WWII.

O

Irving H. Buchen, St. Clements University, 8650 Kilkenny Court, Fort Myers FL 33912.

Telephone: (239)561-3750.E-mail: [email protected]


A postwar educational immigrationemerged. Initially hundreds and ulti-mately thousands, especially from currentor former empire countries, came to Euro-pean, English, and American universitiesto study. Foreign students became a famil-iar sight on campuses and because theygenerally were from exotic lands, adminis-trative arrangements often featured eve-nings of native dress, art, and food asgestures of recognition. Indeed, for manyAmericans planning to study abroad, theseforeign students introduced new destina-tions, especially in Latin America, Africa,and Asia.

The coexistence of the two directions ofstudy abroad—going there and cominghere—had a number of immediate andlong-term effects on curricula. Perhaps themost important was the emergence of areastudies and area experts. Whether it wasMiddle Africa or the Middle East, special-ists also had to be generalists as well. Andwhether or not separate departments ofareas studies were created, a new or atleast unfamiliar curricula standard of holis-tics began to appear.

The need to be aware of and communi-cate the complex and interactive compo-nents of a particular region resulted in agreater emphasis on multidisciplinarityand team teaching. Many departments ofareas studies indeed were cobbledtogether by borrowing the needed exper-tise from traditional disciplines anddepartments. In some instances, it was aprofessor’s independent choice of anextended interest; in other cases itinvolved the persuasion or the attraction ofan administrative, financial, or researchcarrot. But whatever the means, it createdfor the first time a standard for teaching,inquiry, and research that significantlypushed the academic range beyonddepartmental borders. Although such mul-tidisciplinarity often failed to achievewider or mainstream recognition andadoption, it introduced an interactivemodel of internationalism that has

remained a selective rather than a broad-based model generally unfulfilled untilrecently.

The next stage of the evolution of inter-national education cannot be understoodwithout the introduction of two major for-mative institutions: one group of academicnewcomers and another from outside theacademy. The former is represented byemergence of online for-profits, the latterby the corporate universities of multi-national companies.

Almost all the new universities createdafter WWII were for-profit and online—anew correlation and benchmark. Theyoffer degrees ranging from associate tobachelor’s to master’s to doctoral, enrollstudents from all over the world, andalmost all do so by distance education. Thelargest university in the United States—theUniversity of Phoenix—enrolls over350,000 students, hires 500 faculty eachmonth, is regionally accredited, and regu-larly makes money for its owners andshareholders. The distinctive focus of for-profits big and small is threefold: develop-ing quality courseware for self-directedadult learners; providing strong studentcustomer support services including stu-dent recruitment marketing; and identifi-cation of and designing programs foremerging career areas. In many ways thesesuccessful institutions share much of theentrepreneurial vision and mission of cor-porate universities which are also for-profitand, of late, online.

Operative during the same post-WWIIperiod and paralleling educational devel-opments, multinational companies cre-ated their own corporate universities. Nownumbering over 100 and ranging fromMcDonalds to Toyota, these for-profitextensions had less difficulty developingcross-disciplinary competencies, especiallyfor cross-training, than their academiccounterparts. They already were multina-tional. Besides, they also were tasked tocreate an international teamwork cultureand ethic to serving the common bottom


line. In addition, they were quick to imple-ment e-learning and employ coursewarebecause of the relative ease and lower costsof enriching the mix with overseasemployees in different time zones. More-over, what gradually began to emerge butwhat generally eluded academic institu-tions was a shift in student perspectives.The different expertise and expectations ofsuch employees when they became stu-dents enrolled in traditional graduatedegree programs generated a change-forcefrom within.

Generally, when employees from multi-national companies trained by their owncorporate universities became universityenrollees, they impacted the status quo inmany ways. First, such students placed ahigher value on the interoperability of dis-ciplines than their professors or coursesdid. Happily, that sin of omission oftenwas redeemed in large part by more stu-dent-generated than instructor-designedexchanges in chat rooms. Then, too, typi-cally their research assignments or cap-stone projects took the form of case studieswhich replicated in miniature the moreholistic range of their employment andprevious training. Second, diversity ofrace, ethnicity, and gender became too visi-ble and important to be ignored. Althoughoften initially only token, adjustmentsbegan to appear. The most serious effortsto extend the traditional range and defini-tion of diversity involved the adaptiveareas of learning diversity and implemen-tation variety. Such culturally driven forcesrequired instructional design to engage theissue of cultural determiners of both learn-ing and country adaptation. How a culturelearns and thinks became as critical to rec-ognize and value as how one adjusts thedelivery of MBA solutions and systemsoverseas to another culture.

Finally, and most important, was thegradual recognition that these studentswere embryonically new kinds of leadersand managers. Their range, the focus, thereach was global. Even team-based train-

ing had to factor in cross-cultural commu-nication and negotiation. Reinforcement ofthe trend surfaced in other ways. For thefirst time, non-Americans were chief execu-tive officers (CEOs) of American compa-nies. Reports of earnings routinely werebroken down into domestic and overseassources. Investment brokers increasinglyoffered the greater returns and risks of glo-bal securities. Many American companieswere stampeded into going global, only tohave to tap their domestic earnings tomake up for their international losses.Indeed, sophisticated executive headhunt-ers and recruiters quickly entered theinternational scene and began to secure anew niche by seeking CEOs who werereally GEOs—global executive officers.

Although academic institutions oftenoperate glacially and are not known to beentrepreneurial, that is no longer thenorm. A number of significant signs ofcatch-up and even transformation havebeen taking place. The example of corpo-rate universities; the identification of newcareers and career areas by online for-prof-its; the needs of students from multina-tional companies; and the internationalreach and universal access of the Internethave all converged to signal a major trans-formation of a number of twenty-first cen-tury universities into new models of globalvision, curricula, and delivery systems.That requires separate examination, butthe emphasis will be on the operationalversion of such institutions aspiring tobecome planetary universities.

PART TWO: FUTURE OPERATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL MODELS

The attempt here is not to definitively sur-vey or examine all that is going on. Rather,the focus is to identify and examine a rep-resentative sample of those emergingfuture institutions and practices which dis-play sufficient and significant typicality,durability, and variety to document the


future structural transformation of aca-demics as global enterprises.

At least three different institutional pro-totypes and strategies have appeared andcan be profiled. One type seeks explicitlyand often exclusively to address globalityin terms of workforce needs. Anotherambitiously changes its mission and rede-fines and restructures the entire enterpriseas a global university. The most extensiveand varied versions achieve global rangethrough structural alliances, extensions,and even outsourcing.

The Fuqua School of Business of DukeUniversity provides an excellent exampleof the transformation of the traditionalMBA executive program. The target audi-ence is now future global executives. Typi-cally, an average of 20 countries isrepresented in each class. Residencies arerotated on four continents. Often held atcorporate sites, global business leaders andexperts are invited to supplement the per-spectives of professors. Blending f2f withe-learning, the global MBA also structurescollaborative team building across manydifferent cultures. In the process, studentnetworking supports later alumni connec-tions after degree completion and becomesa critical referral system of innovativedevelopments and personnel.

Highly ranked by Business Week, USNews and World Report, and the FinancialTimes, the Duke program like many othersis an excellent example of accomplishingits shift to globality by focusing on devel-oping global leaders. Everything then fol-lows in the wake of this singled-mindedfocus: curriculum, business participation,international residencies, electronic team-building, student and alumni networking,and so forth. There is no indication thatDuke’s emphasis on global leadership hasbeen orchestrated as part of a campus-wide revision of mission. Indeed, thatapproach, which has been elected by anumber of institutions, provides a separateillustration of going global.

Rutgers University, the State Univer-sity of New Jersey officially revised its mis-sion to reflect its future role as a globaleducational institution. To accomplish thisuniversitywide change, three approacheswere identified and implemented. First,five divisions of area studies covering allcountries were identified. Second, recur-rent international themes were defined,monitored, and often supplemented by astanding committee of faculty. Third, theglobal program was to embrace andinclude all disciplines (including the cre-ative arts) and all campus institutes andcenters.

Unlike the limited focus of Duke, Rut-gers like a number of other like-mindedinstitutions opted for total change via dif-fusion. But lest such comprehensive inclu-siveness be lost or fall between the cracks,the president and his senior staff werebuilt directly into the hierarchical chain ofcommand. In addition, the development ofthe university’s strategic plan was man-dated to reflect and incorporate the newglobal mission. Understandably, as a stateuniversity, Rutgers also has to factor inencouraging foreign investment in NewJersey as well as serving and supportingthe international operations of New Jerseycorporations.

The Rutgers example, like many otheruniversitywide policy changes, representsnot just a shift in mission but in vision. Thepresident and his or her governing boardacknowledge the emergence of a differentworld in the twenty-first century and amajor shift in the future employment of itsgraduates. Assessing the degree to whichthe university is moving toward globality,the Rutgers leadership calls for a funda-mental change in direction and commit-ment, but they recognize that it is aformidable task. Universities, like sover-eign countries, operate internally with ter-ritorial borders of their own. The changestrategy has to be appropriately indirectand even peripheral. Like a series of con-centric circles which move from the


outside hopefully to the inside, basic struc-tural fiefdoms are not directly addressed.Rather, a series of overlays are developedand promulgated, sometimes enrichedwith various attractive incentives, andallowed to work their trickle-down magic.Has or will it work? It has to because it isboth future- and student-driven andbecause universities are playing catch upto functioning like world-class multina-tional institutions.

An interesting confirmation and varia-tion of the Rutgers example, but with animportant difference, is provided by NewYork University. Like Rutgers, NYU pro-mulgated a new initiative that “requiredthe positioning of global operations withinthat vision.” Toward that end, a new anddistinct Web site has appeared which bearsin large letters “Global University,” withNYU appearing below it in smaller font,and which responds to search engines as aglobal entity in its own right. But unlikeRutgers and many other universities thatessentially just added globality to the jobdescription and portfolio of existing direc-tors of international programs, NYU hascreated a new and separate Office of Glo-bal and Multicultural Affairs, appointed avice provost to head that office and hasjust advertised for an executive director ofglobal operations.

Lest one conclude that this new title iscosmetic, add-on, or token, the job descrip-tion could be that of a GEO running aninternational business. The executivedirector will supervise NYU’s six globalacademic and business operations includ-ing its six international centers and futuresatellites; mange all logistics of f2f as wellas virtual delivery and all capital invest-ments and expenditures; and provide pol-icy development for input into overallstrategic planning and development. Hereperhaps is a clear instance of how thedevelopment of a new direction carrieswithin it the creation of new executive andmanagement careers.

The third type of global academics istotally different from the direct approachof Duke or that of the diffused mission-vision of Rutgers and NYU. Because itinvolves the greatest number and widestvariety of institutions and programs, it hasabout it both the substance of a separatepattern as well as the transitional prospectthat it may serve as the optimum solutionto facilitate and bridge gradual crossoverby many into global fields. If so, then to thenotion of multiculturalism has to be addedthat of multiple institutional alliances.

Not unlike the internal academic pro-cess of linking different departments anddisciplines to create multidisciplinary areastudies, various institutions have negoti-ated partnerships to accomplish their glo-bal educational ends. But in all cases citedbelow, the more familiar business versionof mergers or acquisitions is not involvedor pursued. Rather, the participating part-ners remain distinct and separate; the pre-ferred configuration is decentralized ratherthan centralized. What thus is often struc-tured is a series of satellites linked to thesupplemental strengths of each other butorbiting around a common global educa-tional goal. Separate identity and controlare maintained through retention of exper-tise. Even the descriptive languageselected to describe the negotiated rela-tionships preserves the relative autonomyof interdependent entities.

Here, then, is a brief capsule version ofa number of such global alliances:

• The Global University Alliance (GUA) iscomposed at this point of six partneruniversities; three from England, twofrom Australia, and one from the UnitedStates (University of Wisconsin, Mil-waukee). Undergraduate and graduatedegrees are offered at GUA Centersexclusively in Asia. The favored studyareas are information technology andbusiness administration. The degreeprograms seek to fuse both global rangeand application through its partnership


with developing Asian information andbusiness companies. All programs are inEnglish and use a blended delivery sys-tem of f2f and virtual courses taughttutorial through Platonic dialogue.

• George Mason University through itsCenter for Global Education has com-mitted itself to an expansion of its stu-dent international programs. Bearingthe significant title of “Global Connec-tions,” the university has established orenlarged special undergraduate andgraduate degree programs in globalaffairs and systems, world religions,peace studies, and international com-merce and policy. Equally as importantthe university has structured throughmemos of understanding with universi-ties all over the world the acceptance oftheir courses toward GMU internationaldegrees. The result is now a two-way,study-abroad program which justifiesits being offered under the umbrella ofGlobal Connections.

• The Intercultural Management Instituteof American University offers a totallydifferent approach. It is an institute andthus does not offer academic degreeprograms. Rather it is an entrepreneur-ial global business consulting andresearch services. Specifically, it special-izes in two areas: assisting the adjust-ment of employees and their familieswith overseas assignments as well astheir return; and preparing and trainingindividuals and teams working in multi-cultural settings to excel in internationalenvironments. Its university justifica-tion is maintained by publishing aresearch journal, the Intercultural Man-agement Quarterly, and hosting annualconferences of intercultural experts. Itsinclusion here is justified in part bydemonstrating the research andemployment possibilities of globaldegrees.

• Probably one of the most ambitiousexamples of global inclusivenessappears in the Global Derivatives Doc-

toral Degree Program (GDDDP). Thefocus is the highly specialized area ofglobal quantitative finance. The range istotally international and includes nearly50 PhD programs from the United King-dom, United States, Canada, Australa-sia, and Europe. It lists and facilitatesdifferent concentrations of the field.Thus, Stanford’s PhD in finance offersdynamic asset management; Vander-bilt, differential mathematics; HongKong University, risk management; Uni-versity of Valancia, econometrics. Then,too, the standard designation of financenow reflects global variety. PhDs areoffered in Management science, mathe-matics, business administration, and soforth. In short, what emerges is a globalconsortium approach to a particularfield which in fact has been dramaticallyimpacted and even created by increas-ing international interoperability. Aworld community of specialists, in thiscase of quantitative finance, now bindsacademic institutions together.

• The University of Texas has created theGlobal Business Accelerator (GBA). Itsmission is stimulating wealth creationand economic growth through technol-ogy-based ventures. Unlike other aca-demic arrangements which exclusivelyand only linked universities together,GBA has created a coalition of partnersthat include government agencies,regional development centers, interna-tional technology incubators, universi-ties, and sponsoring corporate partners.The mission is to assist technology start-ups with consulting and mentoring sup-port services and to inculcate a globalvision. One of the GBA programs isProject Caribbean.

• Michigan State University has concen-trated its efforts in assembling a GlobalAccess Data Base. Compiled by MSUinternational experts, this portal isunique because it is searchable not justby one but a combination of categories.It also can accommodate special inter-


ests by identifying Web sites that deal,for example, with the environment inLatin America or labor in Mexico. Uni-versities like MSU thus are supplement-ing domestic now with globalinformational links and sources. Indeed,if one were to search for internationalengineering programs, one would findover 50 programs all over the world thatare part of an international consortiumof Global Engineering EducationExchange Program.

One could multiply the examples, butthey would only confirm the extent, cre-ativity, and variety by which academicinstitutions have reinvented and reconfig-ured themselves, their mission, and deliv-ery systems to become global institutionsand partners. One of the most immediateyields is the creation of new executive- andprofessional-level titles and job descrip-tions or a significant expansion of thatrange and systemic complexity. Thus, thetraditional CEO is now increasingly aGEO—global executive officer. The familiarchief information officer (CIO) is now aGIO; the standard chief finance officer isnow a GFO, often with a PhD in deriva-tives; and even basic engineers are nowlisted as global engineers (GEs).

On a broader policy level one even canclaim that the diversity and substance ofthese various new academic forms notonly generally exceed the mission andvision of current corporations and theirtraining units, but also that the academicworld globally is becoming a major forcefor planetary consciousness and coopera-tion. As such, it may be our new best hopeof championing the notion of one worldand serve as an academic version andclearinghouse for the United Nations.

A more ordinary claim but ultimatelyperhaps maybe finally more transforming,rests on what may gradually occur in cur-

ricula. Currently, many academic coursesare given a prefix to symbolize the exten-sion and enhancement of e-learning. Thus,catalogs list e-economics, e-finance, andeven e-composition The next step may beto add the addition of a new prefix: g-eco-nomics, g-finance, g-engineering of thedouble hybrid: eg or ge. Such signaling ofchange in context may provide currentand future students with a new lens withwhich to view, study, and engage theworld as whole.

Finally, the value of the above exam-ples may provide guidelines and modelsto academic institutions contemplatinggoing global. How would they benefitfrom the knowledge of the prototypes?What directions, models, structures areavailable for the institution to follow?Clearly, one of the first choices is whetherthe university should be broad-based orselective, mission/vision-centered, orworkforce-focused. Another key consider-ation is whether it should be based locallyor abroad or both? How to manage theirlimited expertise and resources would beanother concern. Should they be restrictedby their own extent or can consortiumpartners and alliances be used to over-come such limitations? Above all, what hasthe creative forging of new global struc-tures, curricula, and relationships done forthe participating university? Has it ener-vated or recharged students, faculty, andadministrators to a new sense of missionor even vision? Will the amplified pro-grams produce the next generation of glo-bal engineers, finance experts, andexecutives? Even at this early stage ofwhat is shaping up as a major twenty-firstcentury trend, the answer is already clear:global universities provide the distinctionof offering not only competitive edge, butalso moral advantage. And that doubling,like sustainable ecology, may become theworld standard.


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Designing Distance Instruction for theArab WorldLinguistic and Cultural Considerations

Angelene C. McLaren

INTRODUCTION

he job of the instructional designeris to create sound instruction thatwill lead to appropriate learning.

However, the instruction design processhas, traditionally, not taken into consider-ation the variables of language and cultureand their impact on learning outcomes.Prior to the demands of today’s globalmarketplace, this approach did not proveproblematic. Today, however, the need for

sound global instruction in English is onthe rise—especially in the Arab world—with no end in sight.

What, then, is the job of the instruc-tional designer? Should it be to continuewith business as usual? Or should demandprompt changes in how the design of glo-bal instruction is undertaken? What is themarketplace demanding, and what shouldbe the response of those who are responsi-ble for creating these learning modules?This article discuss the rise of distance and/or virtual higher education in the Arabworld, will look at their modes on instruc-tion and at linguistic and cultural interfer-ence and, finally, will examine thenecessity of including culture and diversityin the design of global instruction if we areto affect positively learning outcomes andcompletion rates in the Arab world.

Before beginning this discussion, it isnecessary to define the terms culture andlanguage as they will be used in this con-text. Culture here is defined as “whatever itis one has to know or believe in order tooperate in a manner acceptable to its mem-bers, and to do so in any role that theyaccept for any one of themselves” (Ward-haugh, 2002, p. 19). Language is defined as“what the members of a particular societyspeak” (Wardhaugh, 2002, p. 1).

T

Angelene C. McLaren, Instructional Technolgy Department, Wayne State University, 20091

Avon, Detroit, MI 48219.Telephone: (313) 537-0683.E-mail: [email protected]


DISTANCE HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE ARAB WORLD

Over the past 20 years, Arab higher educa-tion institutions have made large strides inthe area of distance education. As a result,several distance education institutionshave been established. Their modes ofdelivery vary from being completelystand-alone virtual universities, to beingoff-shoots of traditional universities. TheArab world has adopted the worldwidetrend of having traditional universitiesprovide conventional and distance educa-tion simultaneously. One example of this isthe Open Learning Centers in Egypt(Mohamed, 2005). There are also examplesof single mode distance education univer-sities, where the purpose is solely distanceeducation. One example of this model isthe Arab Open University, which wasestablished in 1999, with the main campusin Kuwait and branch campuses in Bahr-ain, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and SaudiArabia (Mohamed, 2005). In terms of vir-tual universities, the Syrian Virtual Univer-sity is the first, and only, online universityin the Arab world using this model(Mohamed, 2005).

MODES OF INSTRUCTION

Although the delivery methods differ, theone common denominator between allthese types of distance learning institu-tions in the Arab world is that the languageof instruction is almost unanimouslyEnglish. Whether the mode of delivery isprinted materials, videos, audio lectures, orinteractive user interfaces, the language ofinstruction is English. This is especiallytrue in the areas of technology and science(Findlow, 2006). The reasons for choosingEnglish over Arabic are varied: lack ofinstructional materials in Arabic, the needto fit into a global learning environment,the need to appear modern and forward,the lure of economic and social prestige, aswell as need to suppress Islamists andIslamist rhetoric within higher education.

To this end, Arabic language in higher edu-cational institutions in the Arab world isroutinely relegated to areas of cultural andreligious studies (Findlow, 2006).

THE TRADITIONAL STANCE OF INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

At the first stage of the instructional designprocess, analysis, instructional designersare encouraged to take into considerationthe learners for which a piece of instruc-tion is being designed. Traditionally, thishas meant knowing such things as: age,gender, level of education, socioeconomicstatus, and learning style and preferences.At no time have language and culture vari-ables been considered in the makeup ofthe learner. Maybe that was due to lack ofdemand, but that no longer is the case.With more and more companies going glo-bal, and the rise of distance education asthe preferred method of instruction formany learning communities, language andculture must become a part of the equationif the goal is to produce sound instruc-tional materials that meet the needs ofevery learner.

Traditionally, instructional technologyhas taken a linguistic and culturally neutralposition in the creation of instructionalmaterials (Thomas, Mitchell, & Joseph,2002). However, theorists have now begunto consider that culture (and language)may play a greater role in the conveyanceof knowledge than previously thought.Because knowledge is socially mediated,and socialization is grounded in culture(and language), it follows that education isseen not as a process of conveying knowl-edge, but rather as a coconstruction of edu-cation within sociocultural (and socio-linguistic) contexts (Thomas, Mitchell, &Joseph, 2002).

In the Arab world, instructional materi-als are not produced by Arab instructionaldesigners within the countries of instruc-tional delivery, or even by external instruc-tional designers with knowledge of the


language and/or culture of the Arablearner. Rather, the trend thus far has beento import instructional modules “as is”from abroad—usually from the UnitedStates, Canada, and Great Britain(Mohamed, 2005). This has resulted ininstructional modules that have a decid-edly Western worldview, and do not takeinto consideration linguistic and culturalinterferences that may impede the transferof knowledge and result in learner dissatis-faction, high attrition rates, and low learn-ing outcomes.

LINGUISTIC CONSIDERATIONS

Language has significant roles in the waylearning occurs in the Arab world, whereEnglish is not the primary language. TheInternet is the center of e-learning, withmost of its resources in English. One wayto address this issue is to accelerate theconversion of online and instructionalmaterials into the Arabic language, butmany find this approach impractical(Akinyemi, 2002). The other answer wouldbe to address the problem during the anal-ysis, design, and development stages ofinstructional preparation. Linguistic con-siderations within these stages couldinclude: the reading and comprehensionlevel of the learner in English, payingattention to text density, and ensuring thatsentence complexity matches the level ofthe learner for whom the material isdesigned (Akinyemi, 2002).

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

What counts as “learning” from one situa-tion to another depends largely on cul-tural, socioeconomic, and political factors.The process begins with what each societydeems desirable knowledge, and indeedwhat counts as knowledge at all. This leadsto the society producing an educationalsystem in its image, whether this is in theform of an informal situated learning sys-tem or one that models more the Western

model of dedicated educational institu-tions (Atherton, 2005).

Because culture is a part of the socialfabric of a society, it therefore cannot beexcluded from one of society’s most impor-tant institutions—education. Arabic lin-guistic and cultural variables are often atodds with traditional Western approachesto teaching and learning. Without due con-sideration to culture and cultural learningstyle, distance education designed from acompletely Western worldview may hand-icap non-Western learners’ adaptation tothe distance, virtual, and/or online learn-ing experience (McGee, 2002).

With regard to Web-based instruction,there are five cultural dimensions thatmust be addressed: power distance, collec-tivist/individualist, masculine/feminine,uncertainty avoidance, and time orienta-tion (McGee, 2002). Power distance (PD)addresses the extent to which less-power-ful members expect and accept unequalpower distribution within a culture. Low-PD cultures have less hierarchical differ-ence in authority, while high-PD culturesplace higher emphasis on leader andexpert rather than user. Traditional Arabiceducation relies on the expert model;therefore, introducing collaborative learn-ing, active learning or constructional learn-ing strategies in these environments mayprove problematic for these learners(McGee, 2002, p. 6). Collectivism vs. Indi-vidualism refers to the degree to whichindividuals relate to society or values theirown achievement and status (McGee, 2002,p. 7). Masculinity versus femininityaddresses gender roles and their variabilityfrom culture to culture. Feminine culturestend to allow cross-gender behavior, whilemasculine cultures are more likely to main-tain strictly defined gender roles. In highlymasculine cultures like Arabic, employinglearning strategies that included femininequalities such as role-playing and collabo-ration may not be successful (McGee, 2002,p. 7). Uncertainty avoidance states that cer-tain cultures vary in their avoidance of


uncertainty. In such cultures it is impera-tive, for instance, to make sure that learnerinterfaces are structured in such a way thatthey prevent learners from getting “lost”and that they contain consistent and repet-itive visual cues (McGee, 2002, p. 8). Longversus short-term time orientation refers tothe fact that cultures with long-term timeorientation believe that stability requireshierarchical relationships and view thefamily as the model for all organizationswith elders and males having moreauthority (McGee, 2002, p. 8).

Culture, traditions, and conventions of asociety go a long way in dictating its edu-cational practices. Cultural values play alarge role in the way different societiesteach and learn in schools. It thereforeseems incongruent to design instructionfrom a Western worldview, superimpose iton Arab learners, and then to insist thatcultural interference does not occur.

In Arab countries, in particular, religionis held in high esteem. In many Arab coun-tries there is separation between the sexesall levels of the society, which includesinstitutions of learning (Akinyemi, 2003).This is a phenomenon that is not experi-enced in the West. Therefore, Westerninstructional designers would not take thiscultural variable into consideration whendeveloping learning strategies. This sepa-ration of the sexes in higher education isthreatened with the advent of Western-designed e-learning modules. A culturalconflict may thus emerge as the interactionpatterns cannot be easily controlledbetween the male and female students.Also, religious barriers tend to dissolve inthe virtual realm (Akinyemi, 2003).

Web-based learning is usually social andcollaborative in nature. The social andinteractive process of virtual learning,according to the Western model, oftenoversteps the cultural and religious bound-aries that exist in most Arab countries(Akinyemi, 2003). For many students, theseinteractions (e-mail, discussions, chats, andbulletin boards) offer them the first oppor-

tunities of interacting with counterparts ofthe opposite sex. Because the cultural,social, and religious practice of the Arabsand, indeed, the Muslim/Islamic world for-bid gender interactions or socialization,this is seen as a major cultural interference(Akinyemi, 2003).

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?There are inherently different ways oflooking at the world depending of linguis-tic and cultural variables. By taking intoaccount these variables, instructionaldesigners may reduce the cognitive loadand stress for English second-languagelearners, thereby contributing to positivelearning outcomes (McGee, 2002).

It seems clear that if language and cul-ture are at the heart of meaning-makingand cognition, then instructional designersmust use a design process that is linguisti-cally and culturally grounded. Instruc-tional design cannot stand outside oflanguage and culture. Attention to linguis-tic and cultural variables will no doubt leadto improved designs and designers as well.Moving forward, instructional designersmust critically analyze the linguistic andcultural dimensions of learners in order tostrengthen the instructional design process(Thomas et al., 2002).

CONCLUSION

In an effort to provide flexible enrollmentand lifelong learning availability, Arabhigher educational institutions have joinedin the global frenzy of providing distanceand/or virtual higher education learningenvironments for their learners. The trendhas been to import learning units fromabroad, mainly from the United States,Canada, and Great Britain. Unfortunately,these instructional models have a decid-edly Western worldview, and do not takeinto account linguistic and cultural vari-ables that my cause interference and thusdecrease learning outcomes and increase


attrition. Going forward, instructionaldesigners must design instruction withdiversity in mind. The marketplace is a glo-bal one. In order to accomplish the job ofcreating sound instruction that will lead toappropriate learning, instructional design-ers must take linguistic and cultural vari-ables into consideration. This is the onlyway to meet the learning needs of alllearners in the growing global classroom.

REFERENCES

Atherton, J. S. (2005). Learning and teaching:

Cultural considerations in learning. Learning

and Teaching. Retrieved October 12, 2006,

from http://www.learingandteaching.info/

learning/culture.htm

Akinyemi, A. (2002). Effect of language on e-

learning in the Arab world. In G. Richards

(Ed.), Proceedings of world conference on e-learn-

ing in corporate, government, healthcare, and

higher education 2002 (pp. 1109-1112). Chesa-

peake, VA: AACE.

Akinyemi, A. (2003). Web-based learning andcultural interference: Perspectives of Arabstudents. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings ofworld conference on e-learning in corporate, gov-ernment, healthcare, and higher education 2003(pp. 1858-1862). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Findlow, S. (2006). Higher education and lin-guistic dualism in the Arab Gulf. British Jour-nal of Sociology of Education, 27(1), 19-36.

McGee, P. (2002). Web-based learning design:Planning for diversity. USDLA Journal, (16)1,1-16. Retrieved October 12, 2006, from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/MAR02_Issue/article03.html

Mohamed, A. (2005). Distance higher educationin the Arab region: The need for qualityassurance frameworks. Online Journal of Dis-tance Learning Administration, (VIII)1, 1-10.Retrieved October 12, 2006, from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring81/mohamed81.htm

Thomas, M., Mitchell, M., & Joseph, R. (2002).The third dimension of ADDIE: a culturalembrace. TechTrends, 46(2), 40-45.

Wardhaugh, R. (2002). An introduction to sociolin-guistics. Malden, MA: Blackwell.



Review of Current Issuesin Quality E-learning Environments

Abed H. Almala

INTRODUCTION

any institutions of highereducation, educational orga-nizations, the business com-

munity, and learners are embracing e-learning for a variety of reasons and needs.These parties refer to key factors such asflexibility, using mixed interactive multi-media, Internet research, archiving, elec-tronic networks, telecommunications, andcost to support the idea that e-learning canserve as a viable and qualitative learningalternative. Some educators and learners,

however, believe that e-learning cannot—and should not—replace classroominstruction, pointing out that the quality offace-to-face education must not be com-promised by e-learning. Nevertheless, pro-fessional and scholastic individuals withsuch reservations often recognize thate-learning can be a valuable supplement totraditional learning, and an effective learn-ing tool for mature and responsible stu-dents, and should be pursued. Hence,quality of learning is a deciding factor as towhether e-learning should be consideredas a total and effective learning environ-ment.

Quality e-learning is a Web-based learn-ing environment designed, developed,and delivered based on several dynamicprinciples, such as institutional support,course development, teaching/learning,course structure, student support, facultysupport, and evaluation and assessment(Phipps & Merisotis, 2000). Recent educa-tional statistics and forecasts have revealedthat e-learning is gaining ground in com-munity colleges and universities nation-wide. Investigating and assessing theplanning and implementation processes ofe-learning courses and programs at theseinstitutions of higher education is neces-sary to determine the quality of a Web-based learning environment. Ensuring aquality e-learning environment is essential

M

Abed H. Almala, Campus Dean and Online Professor, Fredericksburg Campus,

Strayer University, 150 Riverside Parkway,Suite 100, Fredericksburg, VA 22406.

Telephone: (540) 374-4310.E-mail: [email protected]


to provide students with the full range ofbenefits that e-learning entails.

DISTANCE LEARNING REVIEW

AND STATISTICAL TRENDS

E-learning is a component of the tele-communication model of distance learn-ing. Distance learning can be defined inseveral ways: (a) separation of instructionand learning in time and place, (b) connec-tion (participation, communications, com-munity) through educational media, and(c) a learning process driven at-will by thelearner (Palloff & Pratt, 1999). Distancelearning in which students and faculty arejoined by technology and educationalmedia, rather than a traditional classroomenvironment, is becoming a viable alterna-tive to common teaching methods, and ispoised for larger growth over the next sev-eral years. One of the recent comparativestudies on students’ satisfaction with dis-tance learning in comparison to face-to-face classrooms found that “students showlittle preference for a live classroom to dis-tance education” (Allen, Bourhis, Burrell,& Mabry, 2002, p. 93). Other recent studiesand statistical reports have witnessed thatdistance learning has a stable place in thehigher education arena.

Distance learning is growing rapidly.According to the U.S. Department of Edu-cation (2003), the number of students tak-ing distance learning classes doubledbetween 1997-1998 and 2000-2001. Forinstance, the University of Phoenix Online,an accredited 4-year private institution,has experienced 70% enrollment growthfrom 2001 to 2002 in its undergraduate andgraduate e-learning degree programs(Shea, 2002). Another example is IowaCommunity College Consortium (ICCC),where the growth of e-learning classes andstudents is clearly significant: The ICCCsystem is expecting a growth of 25% in stu-dent enrollment (Neises, 2003).

Additionally, community colleges anduniversities in the Washington, DC metro-

politan area have experienced significantgrowth in distance learning. According to areport published by The Scholar, the stu-dent and alumni journal of Strayer Univer-sity, a Washington DC-based, for-profit, 4-year institution, “the Fall of 2000 enroll-ment of online students was 2,000 with 121classes offered online” (Strayer University,2001, p. 5). In fall 2001, the number of stu-dents enrolled in Strayer University’sonline program increased to more than3,600 students and 240 classes due to intro-ducing new e-learning software and otherrelated technological infrastructure(Strayer University, 2001). An online pressrelease by the Virginia Community CollegeSystem (2003) stated that “enrollment indistance learning courses at Virginia’s 23community colleges increased by morethan 12 percent last year, surpassing over-all enrollment growth.”

Due to this increased enrollment, orga-nizations, community colleges, and univer-sities nationwide have embraced andexperienced different modes of distancelearning, such as satellite, Internet, WorldWide Web, TV, video, audio and print.However, the Internet and the World WideWeb are shifting this mode of distancelearning to the forefront. Recent data sug-gest that most distance learning coursesoffered by the Virginia Community Col-lege System are Web-based (Virginia Com-munity College System, 2003). A reportpublished by the U.S. Congressional Web-based Education Commission (2000) statedthat “[today’s] U.S. colleges and universi-ties [alone] offer more than 6,000 accred-ited courses on the Web” (p. 77).Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Edu-cation (2003) reports that 90% of institu-tions that offered distance educationcourses indicated that they offered Inter-net courses using asynchronous (notsimultaneous) computer-based instructionand 43% offered Internet courses usingsynchronous (simultaneous) computer-based instruction as a primary technologyfor instructional (e-learning) delivery.


Many other educational and trainingorganizations are expected to experimentwith this fairly new Web-based learningmode on a regular basis to offer effective e-learning courses and workshops. Forinstance, the State University of New York(SUNY) Learning Network offered morethan 2,500 Web-based e-learning courses atthe beginning of the 2003 academic yearwith 38,000 enrolled students, compared to8 courses and 119 students in 1995 (Lee,2003).

E-learning, a type of distance learning,is a widespread and dynamic learningenvironment that allows instructors, learn-ers, and course materials to be placed atdifferent locations so all parties can inter-act at the same or various time frames,using well-designed, Web-based technol-ogy tools to facilitate the learning process.According to Dabbagh and Bannan-Rit-land (2005), online learning—another com-mon term for e-learning—is “an open anddistributed learning environment that uti-lizes pedagogical tools, enabled by Internetand Web-based technologies, to facilitatelearning and knowledge building throughmeaningful action and interaction” (p. 15).This dynamic and flexible mode of e-learn-ing is in demand by individuals and thebusiness community. More people, evenbaby boomers, are looking to be trained viathe Web on the latest computer programs,either for work or for recreation. Gartner, aleading global technology advisor, predictsthat “e-learning will be the most used cor-porate application on the Web by 2005”(EPIC, 2002).

Web-based e-learning is also changingthe teaching and learning culture in insti-tutions of higher education. In fact, it hasincreased and intensified communicationby connecting the globe in an unrelentingmode of informational availability. Khan(2001) describes the Web as “well-suited foropen, flexible, and distributed learning”(p. 76). Web-based technology is becominga primary tool/environment to satisfy theeducational and training needs of both the

nation’s workforce and many individualswhose personal and professional demandsmake it difficult for them to attend tradi-tional colleges and universities. Accordingto the U.S. Congressional Web-based Edu-cation Commission (2000), the Sloan pro-gram director stated that “the onlinelearning model has as much potential forworkforce learning as for traditionaldegree programs” (p. 80).

E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

There are two models of distance learn-ing: correspondence and telecommunica-tions-based (Elder, 1997; Meyen, 1998;University of Idaho, 1995). Correspon-dence includes self-contained studyguides, contract and project learning, indi-vidualized courses, modular courses, andcourses in CD format. Telecommunica-tions-based distance learning comprisesinteractive television, teleconferencing,Internet-mediated instruction, and Web-based e-learning.

E-learning is a form of the telecommuni-cation model. The e-learning environmentprovides several instructional activities toenrich the learning process. For instance,the discussion areas enabled by the syn-chronous and asynchronous Web featuresin an e-learning course or program allowstudents to work collaboratively, read criti-cally, reflect, and look at and share differ-ent viewpoints and ideas, which givesongoing feedback and support to alle-learning participants.

E-learning students need to assume anactive role in the e-learning environment.These learners should be provided withvarious learning opportunities and neces-sary technology tools to discuss, investi-gate, reflect, and ask questions (Conrad,2002). E-learning discussion areas providean ideal platform to do so. Hearing andcritically reading others’ points of views,and witnessing different interpretations ofthe same information, help learners todigest, reflect and fully comprehend a


piece of information emanating from dif-ferent perspectives (Aragon, Johnson, &Shaik, 2002; Thurmond, Wambach, Con-nors, & Frey, 2002; Vrasidas & McIsaac,1999).

Drivers to build an effective e-learningenvironment need to be established andplanned for in order to create qualitye-learning courses and programs. Barriersto establishing this environment should beremoved. A timely and constructive evalu-ation system for these courses and pro-grams based on the most recent andeffective e-learning research should be inplace in all institutions of higher educationthat design, develop, and deliver qualitye-learning courses and programs.

DRIVERS OF QUALITY E-LEARNING

Strong pillars for building a qualitye-learning environment need to be in placebefore implementing successful and qual-ity e-learning courses and programs. Thesurging enrollment in e-learning coursesand the growing demand on e-trainingsessions by employers have encouragede-learning developers to continue deliver-ing these quality and cost-effective coursesto students through both the private andpublic sectors. For instance, Gartnerasserted that “by 2003, over 50% of allhigher education institutions globally[will] be offering e-learning programs tostudents” (EPIC, 2002). The InternationalData Corporation (IDC) predicted that by2004 the United States would account for65.2% of the world’s $23.1 billion corporatee-learning market (EPIC, 2002).

Access to technology is an importantdriver for successful e-learning courses.Employees and even ordinary citizens,residing in rural and urban areas, arebecoming more familiar and skillful withthe Internet and its various applications.Henry (1999) reported that ScarboroughResearch of New York, a service of theArbitron Company, surveyed 170,000adults in 64 major markets from February

1998 to February 1999 and found that59.9% of Washington, DC metropolitanarea adults had access to the Internet—thehighest in the country. Steve Case, thenchief executive of America Online, and cur-rent chairman of AOL Time Warner—thelargest of a cluster of online technologycompanies in Northern Virginia—statedthat “the world is ushering in the InternetCentury, and Washington is really at theepicenter of this change” (as cited inHenry, 1999).

Another driver for successful e-learningcourses is the Department of Education’sdecision to amend the “12-hour Rule” inNovember 2002, after it had been ratifiedby Congress. The so-called “12-hour Rule”required nontraditional learning pro-grams instituted at colleges and universi-ties to offer a minimum of 12 hours ofinstruction a week to their full-time stu-dents so those learners could be eligible forfederal financial aid. Today, the rulerequires only 1 day of instruction a weekfor both face-to-face and distance learningstudents. Amending this rule encouragesmany students to enroll in distance learn-ing programs, particularly those that offerquality e-learning courses (Carnevale,2002), and increased enrollment is impera-tive to develop cost-effective, qualitye-learning courses. Further, on August 1,2001, the U.S. House Committee on Educa-tion and the Workforce encouraged devel-oping and designing quality e-learningcourses and programs by passing H.R.1992, the Internet Equity and EducationAct. The amended act eliminated the “50%requirement,” which had mandated thatinstitutions of higher education offer 50%of their instruction in a traditional class-room-based learning environment (Dis-tance Learning Resource Network, 2001).

Other important and specific drivers forquality e-learning courses include plan-ning early; effectively providing user-friendly technology delivery systems;building and maintaining a strong e-learn-ing infrastructure; establishing high stan-


dards for developing, designing, andimplementing these courses; increasingappropriate and qualitative interactiveclass activities; providing prompt and con-structive feedback to students; focusing onlearning outcomes; strengthening studentand faculty support systems; and evaluat-ing courses regularly based on solid dataand high standards.

BARRIERS TO QUALITY E-LEARNING

Specific institutional barriers to developingquality e-learning instruction in institu-tions of higher education need to be con-sidered before creating e-learning coursesand programs. Although still in the infancystage of applications, standards, mission,and focus, educating the community elec-tronically and at multiple sites hasemerged as a major issue facing commu-nity colleges in the new millennium. Thecost of developing e-learning courses, hir-ing and training experienced technicalsupport staff and faculty, technical devel-opment, infrastructure, and policy devel-opment are considered high (Muilenburg& Berge, 2001; Meyen, 1998). In a surveyconducted with 64 technical support staffat the University of Texas (UT) System,36% of the technical support membersexpressed dissatisfaction with the appro-priated budget to support and manage theuniversity’s e-learning courses and pro-grams (Cheurprakobkit, Hale, & Olson,2002).

Other significant barriers to institutinge-learning courses and programs in highereducation include quality control, instruc-tors’ attitudes, faculty time and compensa-tion, intellectual property, enrollmentprocedures, and changing traditional poli-cies (Meyen, 1998; Muilenburg & Berge,2001). Additionally, adapting curriculumsto meet technological communicationbroadcasts, as well as advancing teachingtechniques to incorporate growing stu-dents’ needs and learning styles, should beaddressed nationwide.

There is no question that students whopreviously would not have considered e-learning are finding that it adapts to theirneeds. The majority of students also seemable to handle the differing requirementsthat are imposed on them by this flexiblelearning mode. However, based on myexperience as a former online instructor,many new e-learners are shocked at whatit takes to complete quality e-learningcourses or degrees. Further barriers thatmay affect an e-learner’s success in a qual-ity e-learning environment include timemanagement, motivation, cultural andpersonal circumstances, educational back-ground and prior experience, financial aid,level of communication with instructorand peers, technical and administrativesupport, instructional design and delivery,and level of isolation and loneliness(Galusha, 1997; Muilenburg & Berge, 2001).

Despite the ongoing competitionamong institutions of higher education,there is a critical need for communicationand collaboration in planning high qualitye-learning among public and private com-munity colleges and universities located inthe same geographical area. Lack of coop-eration among colleges and universities isconsidered an institutional barrier toachieve a successful e-learning environ-ment. Carefully planned coordinationshould also help institutions share costsand various resources, offer variety, andprevent overlapping e-learning coursesand programs. For instance, distance learn-ing has the potential to alleviate manyinstitutions’ woes, such as freeing class-room space for an increasing influx ofincoming college students, reducingtuition and fees, and increasing access tolearning opportunities regardless of loca-tion and time.

As the physical distance between cam-puses takes on less significance, five areasthat need greater coordination are studentsupport, human and financial resources,governance, mission, and programs andinfrastructure (Dillon & Cintron, 1997). By


concentrating on these areas, students’needs can be effectively met with little con-fusion or overlap (Dillon & Cintron, 1997).For instance, the need for collaborationamong institutions of higher educationwithin the same state is becoming crucialin light of the ongoing technologicaladvancements in software programs andcomputer equipment. According to Marraand Jonassen (2001), “online courses areoften criticized for their emphasis onreproductive learning. We argue thatlearning outcomes are limited by the lackof pedagogical affordances in the popularcourse delivery and management systems”(p. 303). To overcome this barrier, commu-nity colleges, universities, and educationalsoftware companies need to work togetherto produce well-designed and user-friendly technological tools and productscapable of delivering various instructionalactivities designed for quality e-learningcourses.

Strengthening the drivers for, andremoving barriers to, quality e-learningexperiences requires effective planningand persistent support. Focusing on andconstantly evaluating the total experienceof institutions of higher education thatoffer e-learning courses and programsshould be given priority by distance learn-ing researchers.

Due to the lack of sufficient resourcesand the growing demand for quality e-learning courses from on-campus stu-dents, local employers, and busy individu-als, two-year public institutions of highereducation are being affected by e-learn-ing’s fast-growing development. Com-pared to 4-year universities, communitycolleges have fewer monetary and techno-logical resources. A major concern facingall U.S.-based institutions of higher educa-tion is how best to respond to this boomingeducational opportunity with fewerresources and without decreasing or com-promising quality. In response to the boomof e-learning in various educational arenas,the U.S. Congressional Web-based Educa-

tion Commission (2000) called “upon allthe public and private sectors to join forcesin developing high quality content andapplications for online learning” (p. v).Due to rapid changes in technologicaldevelopment and evolving e-learninginstructional strategies, the related issuesof accreditation, quality standards, policyissues, educational equity, assessment andevaluation, designing courses and pro-grams, integrating curriculum and tech-nology, student needs, and learning stylesneed to be reexamined to render anddeliver e-learning courses of the highestquality.

There are other challenges and tremen-dous educational and training opportuni-ties presented by this evolving, flexible,and dynamic e-learning approach for poli-cymakers and academic leaders, learners,employers, and local and regional commu-nities (New Dominion Partners, 1998). Forinstance, issues of access, affordability andproductivity must be reevaluated and tack-led appropriately and constantly by educa-tion leaders and policymakers in alllearning institutions (U.S. CongressionalWeb-based Education Commission, 2000).

SUMMARY

E-learning courses and programs atnational institutions of higher education inthe United States are on the rise. This Web-based learning mode is in demand mainlyby business organizations and busy indi-viduals seeking flexible and quality train-ing and educational opportunities toenhance skills or earn academic or profes-sional certification. The accelerated growthof e-learning has prompted colleges anduniversities to provide e-learning to thoseemployees and students. It is essential toperform constant and timely evaluation ofthe quality of e-learning courses offered bydistance learning institutions of in thehigher education arena, using the mostcurrent research on e-learning, personalexperience in e-learning, and the experi-


ences of those colleges and universitiesthat are considered leaders in developingand delivering distance learning coursesand programs.

REFERENCES

Allen, M., Bourhis, J., Burrell, N., & Mabry, E.(2002). Comparing student satisfaction withdistance education to traditional classroomsin higher education: A meta-analysis. TheAmerican Journal of Distance Education, 16(2),83-97.

Aragon, S. R., Johnson, S. D., & Shaik, N. (2002).The influence of learning style preferenceson student success in online versus face-to-face environments. The American Journal ofDistance Education, 16(4), 227-244.

Carnevale, D. (2002, November 1). 12-hour ruleexpires today; distance-education providershad long sought its demise. The Chronicle ofHigher Education. Retrieved November 1,2002, from http://chronicle.com/free/2002/11/2002110101t.htm

Cheurprakobkit, S., Hale, D. F., & Olson, J. N.(2002). Technicians’ perceptions about webbased courses: The University of Texas sys-tem experience. The American Journal of Dis-tance Education, 16(4), 245-258.

Conrad, D. L. (2002). Engagement, excitement,anxiety, and fear: Learners’ experiencesofstarting an online course. The American Jour-nal of Distance Education, 16(4), 205-226.

Dabbagh, N., & Bannan-Ritland, B. (2005).Online learning: Concepts, strategies, and appli-cation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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Elder, R. W. (1997). An executive guide to imple-menting instructional technology in institutionsof higher education. Unpublished doctoral dis-sertation, George Mason University, Fairfax,VA.

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Galusha, J. M. (1997). Barriers to learning in dis-tance education. Interpersonal Computing and

Technology: An Electronic Journal for the 21stCentury, 5(3-4), 6 -14.

Henry, S. (1999, October 17). D.C. region leadsnation in net access. The Washington Post, p.A1+.

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Meyen, E. (1998) Design and delivery of instruc-tion using educational communication, T &L 798c (correspondence e-learning course).Class Lecture. University of Kansas.

Muilenburg, L. Y., & Berge, Z. L. (2001). Barriersto distance education: A factor analyticstudy. The American Journal of Distance Educa-tion, 15(2), 7-22.

Neises, C. T. (2003, April 2). Ruling allows onlinedegrees at SCC. Retrieved April 2, 2003, fromhttp://www.msnbc.com/local/bhe/ms12219.asp

New Dominion Partners, Inc. (1998). Distancelearning in Virginia: Trends and policy issues for1998 and beyond. Retrieved January 9, 1998,from http://www.schev.edu/Reportstats/Pre1998ReportsHtml/dlreport.asp?from=x

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student characteristics. The American Journalof Distance Education, 16(3), 169-189.

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tutions. Retrieved August 18, 2003, fromhttp://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/072003/07182003.html

Virginia Community College System. (2003).Growth in distance learning outpaces traditionalenrollment growth in Virginia community col-leges. Retrieved July 22, 2003 from http://www.vccs.edu/aboutvccs/news_releases/distancelearning2.htm

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Pitfalls, Perils, and Profound Pleasures ofLive E-Learning

Janice Wilson Butler and Michael Sullivan

IMBA. The name alone wasexciting to hear—evokingvisions of loud drumbeats as

we made a virtual Conga line through myonline class, sharing applications andseamlessly collaborating with peers. Thereality was quite different: learning to useWimba was full of challenges as westretched the technology to perform asadvertised. One of several similar pro-grams offering live virtual classrooms,Wimba supports audio, video and applica-tion sharing. Breeze and Elluminate are

two other popular programs offering simi-lar features. After evaluating several prod-ucts, the University of Texas TeleCampussystem chose to pilot test Wimba and thechallenge began.

In the live e-learning environment, stu-dents see a desktop interface that includesa whiteboard for sharing applications, Websites, and even other desktops. During aWimba session, students and instructorscan use text to chat with the group or indi-vidually. A side screen lists current partici-pants and allows students to “raise their

W

Janice Wilson Butler, Assistant Professor, Uni-versity of Texas at Brownsville, Curriculum & Instruction, 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, TX

78520. Telephone: (956) 882-6713.E-mail: [email protected]

Michael Sullivan, Associate Professor,University of Texas at Brownsville, Curriculum & Instruction, 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, TX



hands” if they want to speak, interactthrough online polling, etc. This type of e-learning interface allows faculty and stu-dents to build relationships while provid-ing a sense of community as studentsparticipate in online classroom activities.

Through the semester, my studentsstruggled weekly to make a “cool tool”something to bridge the isolation studentsoften feel in online courses. Ultimately,despite our complaints about the chal-lenges in using live e-learning tools, whenasked if we would recommend that thecontract be renewed for another year, ouranswer was an unequivocal “Yes.” UsingWimba, our faculty found this form of livee-learning promotes social interactivityand feelings of connectedness more thanany tool previously used. However,despite our unequivocal support for thistype of tool, it is worth noting some of thepitfalls and inevitable “workarounds”using Wimba entails if instructors and stu-dents are going to revel in its truly baccha-nalian pleasures and enhanced learningfeatures the system can provide.

Distance learning students must feelconnected. Research indicates that improv-ing online interactivity is critical to ensur-ing that students stay connected, enjoy theonline experience, complete and continueenrolling in online courses. Results from alarge-scale (N = 1,056) factor analysisstudy of student barriers to online instruc-tion suggest that the single most importantbarrier to students learning online is lackof social interaction (Muilenburg & Berge,2005). Obstacles include lack of interactionwith peers or the instructor, feeling thatthe environment is impersonal, lack of stu-dent collaboration online, lack of socialcontext cues, and feeling isolated. Increas-ing social interaction in online courses canbe a major contributor to students’ deci-sions to continue in an online course orprogram.

While this new tool (Wimba) is excitingand offers incredible potential to increasesocial interactivity and collaboration, new

users will encounter some challenges asthey endeavor to use the features. In thehopes of making your journey less frus-trating than ours, we would like to sharesome experiences that we encounteredthrough the semester while trying tostretch Wimba to become state-of-art.

SOME EARLY PITFALLS

Room size: Evidently, size does matter, atleast as far as communications technologyis concerned. Early in the semester, wefound Wimba works better with a smallgroup as opposed to a group of 12-20 par-ticipants. Although we were unable todefinitively determine the optimal numberof students, all features experiencedsmaller delays in VoIP when communicat-ing in smaller groups. If you are the type ofonline instructor who consistently usespolling, “pop” quizzes, “raising hands,”etc., as a form of interactivity, then, as arough guideline, five students in a group isoptimal, simply because the existing inter-face necessitates constantly scrolling upand down to view responses from a largergroup of participants. This is a seeminglysimple limitation before you have to startscrolling down the interface. Thus, usingthe polling features, the raising hand fea-ture, and being aware of who is in theroom is easiest with five students. Interac-tivity ran relatively smoothly until wereached about 15 students. With more than15 participants in the room, a “lecture”type of Wimba environment worked best.Depending on the size of your class, youmay find that some of the features soundgreat, but are just not feasible to use forlarge classes.

Sharing applications: Sadly, we gave upon sharing applications. The premise isgreat, but we found when everyone triedto “use” the application, chaos reigned. Wespent one hilarious hour with the follow-ing conversation bouncing around in theroom as we tried to share applications:“Can you see the application?” “No, I just


see a box.” “I see the application—no, wait,it disappeared.” “I have it now.” “Can yousee it?” “My screen is bouncing all over thedesktop.” “I can see somebody’s desktop.”“My screen is bouncing all over the place,too.” “Can anybody see it?” “It just disap-peared.” Well, you get the idea. We did,however, have a great opportunity to prac-tice talking back and forth, which servedus well later on.

We can sum up the solution in threeNike-like words: “Don’t do it.” While intheory being able to share applications isgreat, the reality was ineffectual. If youwant a group of students to work on aPowerPoint together, have one studentmaintain control of all the changes whileothers provide input; yet, even this doesnot work effectively. Trying to do anythingmore than this resulted in lost time andfrustration on everyone’s part.

Presentations: Wimba, like other livee-classroom programs, has a nice featureallowing anyone to upload PowerPointpresentations. PowerPoint presentationscan be loaded reasonably quickly; transi-tioning from one slide to another runssmoothly even with 15 students in theroom. The caveat is that you lose all anima-tions, hyperlinks and transitions in a pre-sentation. This can be frustrating whensomeone wants to jump from the Power-Point to a Web site and then back to thepresentation.

AVOIDING THE PERILS IN AN INTERACTIVE ENVIRONMENT

Wimba worked flawlessly when theinstructor led the class, lectured for theallotted time using PowerPoint, then askedfor questions. This “sage on the stage” ped-agogy of direct instruction was not satisfy-ing and we wanted to find ways to use thepower of Wimba for building an interac-tive and collaborative class. Still, eachweek, nervously anticipating new technol-ogy glitches, we wondered what we wouldface in Wimba-land. But, each week, we

also become more confident as studentsbonded, learning to accept and even laughat the latest technology challenge. Thus,through the semester “playing” withWimba weekly, we found ways aroundmany pitfalls. By semester’s end, class ranmore efficiently each week as we made ouruneasy peace with Wimba. While nothingcan help the learning curve better than justjumping in and “getting your feet wet,”perhaps others will benefit from the tacticswe developed and have a less frustratingjourney using live e-learning tools.

Getting ready: Wimba takes time to setup the first time, so make sure your stu-dents go online several hours before thefirst class to ensure their computers areready. Students need to set up only once.Active programs, like Instant Messenger,running in the background cause Wimbato slow down tremendously. The interac-tive features need memory to run effec-tively; we found that Wimba worked betterwhen everyone restarted their computersjust before class and turned off any mem-ory-draining applications running in thebackground.

Headsets: Everyone must use headsetswith microphones, readily available forabout 20 dollars. If speakers are used, oth-ers in the class will hear a hideous echo.You will know when this happens. In oneclass, the students complained about theecho. Class halted; we asked who wasusing speakers; someone “pleaded thefifth” and turned the speakers off. Thatwas the last time we had a problem. Let-ting students know in advance that thisproblem can occur will usually prevent itfrom happening.

Talking: To talk, individuals have to holddown the talk button. This takes gettingused to, especially when switching backand forth between Web sites, PowerPointpresentations, the white board, and otherapplications. We found, however, that bythe end of the third session, we werejumping back and forth, remembering tohold down the talk button with ease. It is


also possible to lock the talk feature whenyou are presenting rather than clicking onthe talk button.

Also, the time lag when people arespeaking takes getting used to. This delaycaused several people to stumble over eachother trying to talk, particularly when classwas interesting and several studentswanted to provide input. Thus, it is a goodidea to establish protocol early. When stu-dents presented, we let them moderateand call on people in the order of “hands”raised. We moderated during “lecture”time and found a system in which wetalked briefly, then asked for questions,and paused to wait for “hands” going up.Since students had to think about whatthey were going to say, then wait for thetime-delay of Wimba, “wait time” had to beextended. A longer pause than you have ina typical classroom took getting used to,but it paid off with opportunities for every-one to participate. The times we ended upstumbling over each other tended to workthemselves out much like students in aface-to-face class learn to communicate.

Students have the option of calling in tothe Wimba room instead of using theaudio feature. Several students used thisand also logged into Wimba to participatein the activities. This seemed to work well,although we have no experience with 15calling in at once, rather than using Wimbaaudio. One drawback to using this optionis that the call incurs long distance charges.

Text chatting during class: A nice featureof Wimba, and something that mightdeserve more formal research in multimo-dal communications in virtual classrooms,is the ability to chat with others throughtext at all times during the session. Stu-dents used this tool to ask questions dur-ing a presentation without interruptingthrough audio. The presenter was thenable to read comments and respond appro-priately without having to stop the presen-tation. This feature was also useful whensomeone had technical difficulties andcould type in “Can you hear the speaker?”

instead of interrupting class to ask. Stu-dents used it to let others know when theyhad to leave early without disrupting theentire class. They also used chat to alert uswhen another student was unable to makeit to class. We noticed we began to chatduring those inevitable down times wait-ing for presentations or Web sites to load.Although some instructors immediatelydisable this feature during class, we foundthe benefits greatly outweighed any disad-vantages.

Web sharing: Sharing a Web site withothers in the class is a powerful tool. Youhave three choices: you can share the Website as a new window, in the content frame,and in the content frame (just for yourself).We recommend sharing the site as a sepa-rate window because then you do not loseyour content frame if you have a Power-Point loaded. You can certainly go backand forth, but remember—this will slowthings down when presenting. The pre-senter may want to use the content frame(just for yourself) feature as it reduces thestress of going back and forth to press“Talk.” Currently, this works most quicklyif you share only the first page and tell oth-ers where to go on the site as you followlinks. Several students commented thatthey preferred having control of the Website once it was loaded because they couldvisit the links at their own pace. Pleasenote, loading a Web page takes time(depending on how graphic intensive it is),so everyone must be patient while thepage loads onto all desktops.

Presentations: When we turned Wimbaover to the students to begin presenting,we began to see the richest interactiveexperiences. Here are some things we fig-ured out:

• Practice before your first presentation. Ittakes some experience before becomingcomfortable with moderating a presen-tation. An option to lock talk is available,but let everyone know they need toturn off the TV and put the dog outside


when presenting or run the risk of shar-ing more about their household thanthey intend.

• If students have an interactive Power-Point presentation, make it availablebefore class for others to download;then, individuals can follow along usingthe downloaded PowerPoint and usehyperlinks as needed. This is certainlynot necessary for all presentations, sincethe straightforward, no-frills Power-Point works nicely in Wimba.

• Let everyone know there will be downtime as you move from one slide toanother, pause for others to raise theirhands, go to a Web site, or use thewhiteboard to emphasize a point. Myclass fell into calmly waiting for thingsto happen and we suspect the patiencehad to do with those first scary days ofus all “Wimba-ing” together.

Additional features: Toward the end ofthe semester, we began looking at addi-tional features. We discovered that wecould easily create a quiz and flawlesslyadminister it at the end of class. Althoughwe used the feature only once, we will beusing it more extensively in the future.Quiz results are provided in spreadsheetformat which provides a reasonabledegree of certainty that students do theirown work. “Move users to another room”offers an excellent tool for meeting as awhole, then dividing the class into groupsand sending students elsewhere to collabo-rate on projects. Jokingly, one studentcommented that she felt like she was tele-ported to another location.

THE PROFOUND PLEASURES WILL COME

Most students (and one instructor) wereapprehensive about using this new tech-nology, so I had no agenda for the first twoclasses. This took the pressure off as westumbled around, seemingly wastingalmost three hours of class learning to

Wimba. We will continue to do this, eventhough we are now familiar with the sys-tem, since it gives students a chance tomake mistakes with no negative conse-quences.

Whether you are using Wimba or one ofthe other live e-classroom programs, youwill find roughly the same challenges.While very sophisticated products areavailable, education cannot yet afford anonline environment that will provide a“holodeck” experience. However, just 2years ago, all that was available was anachingly slow no-frills text chat environ-ment, so we have no doubt that in fiveyears we will be collectively laughing atour frustrating beginnings with interac-tive live e-learning. As our experiences andour solutions grow, so will our demandsfor better applications, and this increaseddemand will result in stronger, more effec-tive products in the future.

So where does the pleasure come from?Our last night of class eliminated anydoubts we had about the value of usinglive e-learning. Admittedly, had we experi-enced that type of class the first time usingWimba, we may have abandoned itentirely. It began as most nights, with stu-dents trickling in and talking before class.But, it was a night in which almost everyconceivable technology glitch occurred.Sandra was scheduled to present, but herpresentation was unavailable in the con-tent folder, although she had uploaded itthe day before. So we just had another stu-dent present while she attempted toupload again. Sandra kept us informedabout the status of her uploading throughthe private text chat without interruptingthe presentation in progress. She was notable to upload her presentation so weasked her to e-mail it to us for uploading.During this interruption, others in the classused the interactive white board to playtic-tac-toe. Some were chatting back andforth using text; still others were usingaudio to discuss the upcoming final exam.Maria, scheduled to present that evening,


was having technical difficulties at homeand used Instant Messenger to let Markknow she was unable to log on. Students,weary of playing tic-tac-toe began drawingcollaborative pictures on the white board.Mark used text chat to tell us that Mariawas having technical challenges andwould just e-mail her presentation toeveryone after class.

We finally got Sandra’s PowerPoint by e-mail and uploaded it into Wimba. Since itwas uploaded from our computer, shecould not move to the next slide. So, muchlike a face-to-face presentation, she pre-sented and an instructor clicked to the nextslide. When Sandra began, the white boardactivities and chatting stopped as studentslistened to her share some of the activitiesshe uses in her early childhood classroom.Despite much shuffling and down time,her voice rang out clearly as she discussedone slide. “I sing this song to the tune ofThree Blind Mice.” And she sang to all ofus:

“It’s two o’clock, two o’clock

Short hand on the two. Long hand onthe twelve.

60 minutes go by and the time willchange.

We’ll move the short hand and rear-range it to three o’clock, three o’clock.”

The silence after her song did not justcome from a Wimba time lag. We collec-tively experienced a depth of sharing inter-

actively online that could only occur withlive e-learning. That evening, our class hadall the components that students say theymiss in online classes with a high level ofsocial interaction that typically occurs onlyin a face-to-face class. Restless studentsplayed games when the technology failed,they “wrote notes” to each other by textingbetween presentations, they stopped talk-ing to listen when others presented, andthey experienced a deeply emotional tugwhen Sandra sang for all of us—somethingI question she would have felt comfortabledoing in front of a face-to-face class.

At the end of the course, I asked stu-dents for feedback on Wimba. They alladmitted it was challenging and frustrat-ing at first, but were glad that we persistedin using it each week. Some had alreadyrequested that a live e-learning program bemade available at their schools. Severalmentioned the power of Sandra’s presen-tation the last night of class. Withoutexception, students said it was a positivecomponent of the class and recommendedusing it in every online course. If you planto continue teaching online, we stronglyurge you to begin using live e-learning inyour courses with this type of tool.

REFERENCE

Muilenburg, L. Y., & Berge, Z. L. (2005). Studentbarriers to online learning: A factor analyticstudy. Distance Education, 26(1), 29-48.


Education Leaders PerspectivesPros and Cons of Distance Educationin a Small Caribbean Island

Noverene Taylor

INTRODUCTION

ue to the rapid advance in com-puter technology and Internetaccess, the landscape of educa-

tion has changed drastically over the years.Because of this dramatic change, manyeducational institutions today have real-ized that teaching, and learning are nolonger confined to delivery models such asface-to face instruction, and are in the pro-cess or restructuring what goes on inside

their school walls. As part of their restruc-turing effort, distance education plays animportant role. Owing to the myriad ofbenefits for K-12 education offered by dis-tance learning technologies, schools areusing these technologies to reach all stu-dents, especially those in remote locations,and provide them with challenging andappropriate educational experiences.

This article examines education leaders’perspectives regarding the advantages anddisadvantages of distance education in theTurks and Caicos Islands. In order tounderstand these, it is important that read-ers have a basic understanding of theislands’ geography, people, and education.

THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

The Turks and Caicos Islands consist ofeight inhabited islands and about 40 cays.The islands are located at the southeasternend of the Bahamas chain, 575 miles south-east of Miami, and 90 miles north of theisland of Hispaniola. The islands are acces-sible by aeroplanes and boats. The nativepeople are of African descent. The expatri-ate community of British, American,French, Canadian, Haitians, Dominicans,and Jamaicans gives the islands someinternational influences.

Education is an important feature of theTurks and Caicos Islands and, as such, is

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Noverene Taylor, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands, B.W.I.



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provided for students up to the secondarylevel on most of the islands. With a studentpopulation of approximately 6,000 stu-dents, enrollment data shows that close to3,000 students are from culturally diversebackgrounds for the 2006-2007 school year.Similar trends in enrollment were alsoobserved for the 2005-2006 school year.Students completing their primary schooleducation sit for the Grade Six Achieve-ment Test (GSAT), while those after fiveyears of secondary school sit for the Carib-bean Secondary Education Certificate(CSEC) examinations.

Students who have completed elemen-tary education and do not have immediateaccess to traditional high school wouldnormally relocate to one of the otherislands where the necessary facilities foreducation are provided. With only twocommunity colleges on these islands, thesame can be said for students who havefinished high school and want to accesscollege-level education. With the hassle ofrelocation, costly airline tickets, and the

islands being multicultural in nature, dis-tance education technologies can offer agreat deal of flexibility, and convenience asto when, where, and how education is dis-tributed to students at the elementaryschool, high school, and community col-lege in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

DEFINING DISTANCE EDUCATION

It is important that definitions that are asso-ciated with this approach to instruction beexamined so that readers will have a betterunderstanding of the pros and cons of dis-tance education in the Turks and CaicosIslands. Distance education can be definedas: “institution based formal educationwhere the learning group is separated, andwhere interactive telecommunications sys-tems are used to connect learners, resources,and instructors” (Simonson, 2003, as citedin, Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, &Zvacek, 2006, p. 32). Traditionally, thisincludes a variety of activities from corre-spondence program using postal services;

Source: Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Gender Affairs (2007).

Figure 1. Enrollment by nationality in both government and private schools for the school years 2005/2006 and 2006/2007.


courses broadcasted using the radio, distrib-uted video lectures, or other materials toenhance instruction. Today, with the rapidincrease in technology, more attention isgiven to online distance education.

ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION

Distance education has been in existencefor at least 160 years (Simonson et al.,2006), and the medium has changed frompaper-and-pencil correspondence study toreal-time online education. The develop-ment of this “subfield” of distance educa-tion has become a central focus of thefield of education due to its flexibility,affordability, convenience, and attractive-ness. It is distinguished from other previ-ous paradigms of distance education byits ability to create critical communities ofinquiry (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer,2003). Many may still use distance educa-tion and online education interchange-ably, but it is believed that the distinctionis useful in helping us to see the develop-ment of this “subfield” of distance educa-tion in which technologies have played amajor role.

Online education is delivered over theInternet. It may be synchronous, in whichthe teacher and the student interact witheach other in “real time.” For example, withtwo-way videoconferences, students inter-act with “live” video of an instructor. Tele-phone conversations are also consideredsynchronous. Asynchronous delivery, onthe other hand, does not take place simul-taneously. In this case, the teacher maydeliver the instruction using video, discus-sion board postings, Web sites, or othermeans, and the students respond at a latertime. While adult students are benefitingfrom online distance education programs,the young and traditional students haveincreasingly begun to realize the newopportunities that are available to increasetheir academic achievement.

DISTANCE EDUCATION VERSUS TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTION

Distance education’s quality is often com-pared with that of traditional instruction.Most recent reports have shown that thereare no significant difference betweenonline learning and traditional instructionin terms of student grades, test scores, andother measures of student achievement(Worley, 2000). Phipps and Merisotis (1999)completed a review of distance education’seffectiveness and concluded that no matterwhat technology is used, distance educa-tion courses are as favourable as traditionalface-to-face learning.

ADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

In the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), edu-cation leaders consider some of the keystrengths of distance education to rest inits capacity to provide “anytime” and “any-where” education to students. Accordingto the views expressed by some of the edu-cation leaders, distance education affordsmany adults on these islands the opportu-nity to access education that would nototherwise be possible.

The director of education, Beatrice Ful-ford, who is presently pursuing her doc-toral degree, indicated that distanceeducation is a great learning opportunityfor individuals who have jobs and families,and do not want to interrupt their job to goback to school but really want to pursuehigher education. While distance educa-tion is different from the face-to face tradi-tional setting, she noted that it is veryconvenient, flexible, and affordable. Con-venience suggests that students do nothave to spend time commuting to classesduring the week or at a particular time ofthe day. As a distant learning student, shehas great freedom to study at times thatsuit her, be it early morning or middle ofthe night, and completes her assignments


when the time is convenient, whether dur-ing lunch hours or after work in the conve-nience of her home.

Thomas Joyner (personal communica-tion, March 20, 2007), the education psy-chologist, stated that, in these islands,distance education is of tremendous bene-fit to adult learners who have difficultschedules because they can learn at theirown pace and time. In other words, dis-tance learners control their learning envi-ronment; school is brought to the student,and not the student to school. Joyner alsonoted that certain learners, for examplethose who are shy, will find distance edu-cation suitable to meeting their educa-tional needs. Distance learning, he said,eliminates the need for some students tofeel judged or embarrassed by their class-mates.

Distance education can be a worthwhileexperience for learners. It can provide con-venient locations for both students andinstructors because many of the technolo-gies, such as the Internet, videotape, andtelephone, can be easily accessed at home,noted the education officer for the literacyprogram, Kaydeen Miles. She also pointedout that when you look at the benefits oflearning new technological skills in orderto adequately prepare yourself for the vir-tual environment, distance learners are atan advantage above the traditional stu-dent. She noted that distance educationoffers great potential for alleviating educa-tional inequity in these islands because theislands are multicultural in nature. Dis-tance education she believes, can also beless costly than that of traditional educa-tion. Books, course content provided bythe instructor, and other resources are onlya click away.

In order for students to move on to highschool, they have to achieve an average of50% or more on the Grade Six Achieve-ment Test. When results for the June 2006examination were analyzed, it was foundthat of the 292 students who sat the exam,approximately 188 students received a

score of 50% or more. This clearly indicatesthat these students could have benefitedfrom distance education, which could beused as a legitimate teaching method toprovide appropriate instruction for stu-dents to enhance their academic perfor-mance. Students who did not achieve ascore of up to 50% might not necessarily beweak students. They could be studentswith different learning styles, needs, andabilities. Placed in a different learningenvironment, such as a distance learningsetting, where they can work at their ownpace, they could show marked improve-ment.

Pass marks for the Caribbean SecondaryEducation Certificate (CSEC) examina-tions range from grade one to three, withone being the highest and three the lowest.On the May/June 2006 examinations, 88students received a grade one, 226 stu-dents received a grade two, and 338 stu-dents received a grade three. Therefore, ifthese students were provided with a dis-tance learning environment, where theycan collaborate and work together, and bemore actively involved in their own learn-ing, the possibility exists that the numberof students who receive a grade one couldincrease, thereby decreasing the number ofstudents who receive a grade three.

Several teachers who were interviewedagreed that, while adult learners are usingdistance education programs to achievehigher education, in the Turks and CaicosIslands, elementary school students, highschool students, and the traditional collegestudents should have access to the newopportunities presented by distance edu-cation. Indeed, distance learning repre-sents a network of technologies that canconnect the public school systems, andprovide greater motivation, reduced learn-ing time, and higher achievements, amongothers.

The community college offers associatedegrees to students who have completedhigh school education. Distance educationcould allow students studying at this level


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to pursue courses that are not available onthese islands. This educational approachcould also address growing populations,limited space, and permit students whohave failed a course to take it again. Thiscould eliminate the hassle of getting stu-dent visas, and transportation to and fromcampuses. In addition, students would nothave to worry about housing accommoda-tion or the expense of airline tickets toreturn home because they would not haveto go overseas to study. And even if theydo, traveling to the institutions campuswould not be for any extended period. Dis-tance education is not normally tailoredaround the schedules of traditional semes-ter schedules. Therefore, students wouldbe more flexible with their time in complet-ing courses.

In a multicultural society where studentsmay have language challenges, the distanceeducation environment would be quiteappropriate to make them feel more com-fortable and relaxed using the Englishlanguage without the fear of being embar-rassed or judged by their peers.Additionally, distance education can affordtraditional teachers the opportunity tomove away from a mechanistic style ofteaching where knowledge is imparted bythe teacher to students, to a more active andcreative process, one in which teachersdesign and facilitate activities that aregeared towards students using technologyto generate, discover, and build their ownframework of knowledge collaboratively.Montgomery (1998) argues that not all stu-dents learn the same way, and so usingmultimedia allows students to take anactive role in learning in ways that the tra-ditional classroom cannot afford. Thisimplies that distance education environ-ments can be designed in ways that meeteach student’s needs.

Students’ interisland interaction is lim-ited to inter-island school events, whereonly the competitors from each school getto interact with each other. Having estab-lished a platform for distance education,

this would open up the gateway for com-plete interislands interaction. All of theschools in these islands would be able tointeract with each other regardless of geo-graphical location. The adoption of dis-tance education here in the Turks andCaicos Islands, at the elementary, highschool, and community college levelscould also afford students the opportunityto interact with other students across theglobe. Imagine students collaborating witheach other, sharing research ideas, andforming study groups for the Grade SixAchievement Test or the Caribbean Sec-ondary Education Certificate. This couldbe a great motivator and a wonderfullearning experience!

Teachers believe that they could workcollaboratively in developing onlinecourses for students at the different gradelevels and share resources for the benefit ofthe students. This could be seen as anadvantage wherein, the teachers wouldnot have to develop courses on their own.The design of distance education coursesdoes take time, and much effort, and mustbe done properly for students to be suc-cessful.

Through the technologies of distanceeducation, students would be at an advan-tage in interacting with first world coun-tries classrooms that may be using cutting-edge technologies. Furthermore, the Turksand Caicos Islands, being a third worldcountry, could be brought to moderniza-tion, in order to become more productiveand inventive.

DISADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

Lack of vision and financial resources maybe considered two of the major factors thatcan disadvantage elementary school, sec-ondary school, and community collegestudents from distance education opportu-nities on these islands. Other drawbacksinclude, but are not limited to, lack of face


to face interaction, academic dishonesty,no campus atmosphere, stigma attached,and the requirement of new skills for boththe instructor and student.

The director pointed out that, with herexperience in a distance education envi-ronment, she believes that the “distance”aspect of distance education seems to havetaken away much of the social interactionthat is present in traditional instruction.She noted that distance learning may notbe for everyone. Those who do not have astrong desire to learn on their own canbecome easily distracted, playing onlinegames such as pool or simply chatting withfriends. In addition, when a student needsassistance with a particular assignment, itcan be very difficult for the instructor toassist without being physically present. Astudent working alone at times can alsofeel isolated and depressed. Therefore, it isimportant that distance learners feel con-nected one way or another to the learningenvironment.

The director stated that some studentsare at a disadvantage when participatingin certain activities for their distance edu-cation program. For example, for her pro-gram of study, the university offers weeklyand monthly on-campus workshops andseminars that are beneficial to her profes-sional development. But as a student in thedistance education environment she doesnot have these opportunities readily avail-able at her “fingertips.” She mentionedthat even though students are able to inter-act with people across the globe, the inter-action is not necessarily the same as whenyou are in a traditional setting. Mediatedcommunication takes away a lot of cuesand personalized attention. Fulford alsostated that some employers might notvalue certification through distance educa-tion. They tend to believe that the reputa-tion of distance education is questionable.Therefore, students pursuing distanceeducation courses must ensure that thecourse or program is accredited by a valideducational agency.

According to Joyner (personal commu-nication, March 20, 2007), when studentspursue online courses, it can be very hardto detect cheating. In the privacy of one’shome students can easily receive an Agrade by submitting another student’swork. Hence, this is a matter that must bedealt with by teachers who are consideringteaching at a distance. Joyner added thatteachers must ensure that instruction isdesigned so that each student submitsauthentic work.

Miles, the literacy officer, noted that ifyou are afraid of change or learning newtechnology skills, then online distanceeducation might not be suitable for you.She further claimed that if the instructor isnot adequately prepared to deal with thevirtual classroom, learners can becomefrustrated and drop the course. Therefore,in order for distance education to be suc-cessful in these islands, technical barrierswould have to be a nonissue.

Some teachers believe that the lack ofexposure to distance education settingswould put some students at a disadvan-tage. When asked the reason for drawingsuch conclusion, the teachers simply statedthat some students are already accustomedto the traditional classroom, and so expos-ing them to a faceless classroom environ-ment could prove difficult. They believethat the transition from a face-to-face class-room to a faceless classroom might not bean easy task for some students.

The teachers further indicated that stu-dents in the current school system who arenot yet exposed to the technological skillsneeded to succeed in a virtual environ-ment would have to be properly trained.Teachers would have to be equipped tech-nically and be trained to develop onlinecourses and implement them accordingly.Institutions would have to acquire andinstall the needed equipment, course man-agement systems, and other resourcesrequired. This could be very costly for theinstitutions, especially those operating on atight budget. The success of any distance


education program is dependent on theefficiency and effectiveness of a distanceinstructor and how prepared students arefor the virtual environment. Therefore, ifadequate training and support are not pro-vided, in the initial stage of participating indistance education programs the attritionrate could be very high.

It is also unrealistic to expect young chil-dren to attend distance education coursesat their own time and convenience. Some-one must be able to supervise them. Ele-mentary school students would not haverecess time to socialize and play, and ofcourse, social development is vital to thedevelopment of the whole child, especiallywhen preparing students to survive in ahighly socialized work environment. Notbeing able to attend important workshops,seminars, and special functions on campuswould disadvantage some distance learn-ers, especially those students who are justleaving high school.

Students who are weaker academicallymay be at a disadvantage in the distancelearning environment. Distance learnershave to be self-directed and intrinsicallymotivated. They also have to have goodreading and comprehension skills. Theweaker students may not be disciplinedenough to use their own initiative to besuccessful. These are usually the studentswho require face-to-face interaction in thetraditional classroom setting. Therefore,online education may not be for all typesof learners.

Being in a third world environment,access to computers may be difficult on thepart of some students. This would cer-tainly put some of these students at a dis-advantage where distance education isconcerned. The monthly cost of Internetaccess might not be affordable to some stu-dents.

Tradition affects a wide cross-section ofsociety. Most recent research demonstratesthat there is no significant difference interms of students’ course grades, rating of

course content and the instructor, andother outcomes. Therefore, it is incumbentof educators to make it clear to parents,and the wider community that distanceeducation has been proven to be just aseffective as traditional face-to-face instruc-tion. One point is of paramount impor-tance; if distance education is successfullyimplemented at all levels of the educationsystem in these islands, it will have apromising future!

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Distance education can be just as effectiveas any other category of instruction here inthe Turks and Caicos Islands because whenused effectively, learning occurs andknowledge is gained, which is the objec-tive of teaching. Distance education is alsocost effective, flexible, and convenient formany adult learners on these islands. Eventhough distance learning courses origi-nally catered to nontraditional students asits target group, students at the elemen-tary, high school, and community collegelevels can benefit from the new opportuni-

ties provided by distance education. Theteacher’s ability to create an interactiveenvironment is vital for quality online edu-cation. Not all students may benefit fromdistance learning opportunities. Studentswho are intrinsically motivated and self-directed are most likely to succeed. Dis-tance education may create feelings of iso-lation, and depression for some students.However, the advantages of distancelearning seem to far outweigh the disad-vantages. Therefore, by carefully identify-ing, and dealing with drawbacks that arewithin their influence, institutions on theseislands may very well find that suchactions are sufficient to provide studentswith distance education opportunities sothat they can become contributing citizensin a global, diverse, and technologicallyadvanced society.


REFERENCES

Garrison, R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2003).In M. G. Moore & W. G. Anderson (Eds.),Handbook of distance education. Mahwah, NJ:Erlbaum.

Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Gen-der Affairs. (2007). Turks and Caicos IslandsEducation Statistical Digest.

Montgomery, S. M. (1998). Addressing diverselearning styles through the use of multimedia[online]. Retrieved March 25, 2007, http://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/tid/resources/montgomery.html

Phipps, R., & Merisotis, J. (1999). What’s the dif-ference? A review of contemporary research on the

effectiveness of distance learning in higher educa-tion, Washington, DC: The Institute forHigher Education Policy. Retrieved April 11,2007, from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/11/6f/e4.pdf

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., &Zvacek, S. (2006). Teaching and learning at adistance: Foundations of distance education (3rded.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Worley, R. B. (2000). The medium is not themessage. Business Communication Quarterly,63(2), 93-103.



Web 2.0New Tools for Distance Learning

Christopher Essex

INTRODUCTION

ne of the challenges for distanceeducators is the need to keep upwith the steady stream of tech-

nological innovations. Yet, this is also oneof the great rewards of our positions aswell. The fact that we are doing our teach-ing online means that we can implementthese tools immediately and substantiallywith our students, if we deem them usefuland fitting with our instructional goals.This is an exciting time for Internet-basedtechnology, the era of Web 2.0, we are told,and we are provided with a wide range ofnew tools, tools with a user- (or student-)

focused nature that fits well with the socialconstructivist ideals that many of us share.

DISTANCE LEARNING:FROM PRE-WEB TO WEB 2.0The tools we use for distance learning havedeveloped over the past decade, since Istarted teaching online, and they havedeveloped in the distinct direction of stu-dent-centeredness and group collabora-tion. When I started in my position atIndiana University in 1994, we were stillusing the correspondence model, shippingout preassembled texts with articles,assignments, and course documentation.Other than a choice (sometimes) betweenarticles selected by the instructor, or anoption about how to respond to an article,the student was essentially trapped withinthe framework that the instructor had cre-ated. Oh, if we had a student who wasespecially creative, we might allow for avariation in the type of final paper for thecourse, but that was about it in terms ofcustomizability. That was the pre-Webworld.

Internet technologies changed distancelearning to a huge degree. Instead of rely-ing on a course packet that had been puttogether months or years ago, we couldassign our students the most up-to-dateinformation from the Web. Because ofe-mail, listservs, and chat, we could com-municate much more quickly and easilywith our students, and they could nowcontact each other. Much greater studentchoice in readings and activities was now

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Christopher Essex, Indiana University,Education 2002, 201 North Rose Avenue,

Bloomington, IN 47405-1006.


possible, and students could work togetheron assignments. We adopted learningmanagement systems (LMS) like Black-board and WebCT, which gave us commu-nication tools, gradebooks, quizzing andtesting features, and all sorts of studentstatistics. This, we now realize, was theWeb 1.0 world. Much more flexibility,increased communication, and more stu-dent empowerment. Still, however, thestructure was essentially teacher-centered.The instructor chose what content to putinto the LMS and how to arrange it, whichfeatures to use, and which to ignore.

The Web 2.0 world is the one we andour students now live in. The Web in thepast had been divided between authorsand readers. While authorship status wasfairly easy and inexpensive to obtain, thatjust meant another author had been cre-ated. With Web 2.0, the dividing linebetween the two statuses has been erased.Everyone can be an author, even on thesame document. Web 2.0 tools allow every-one access to the means of knowledge pro-duction. This distinction between authorsand readers is now beginning to be shownin our distance education courses, as thedistinction between teacher and student islessened.

Social constructivist theory (Vygotsky,1970) proposes that we learn best in collab-orative environments, in which students’ideas encounter and are enriched by thoseof other students. This is, of course, in con-trast with a traditional, teacher-led modelof instruction. Instead, most of the toolsprovided to us in the past have beeninstructor-centered, top-down systems,including our much-vaunted learningmanagement systems. O’Hear (2005)noted that

Like the web itself, the early promise of e-learning—that of empowerment—hasnot been fully realised. The experience ofe-learning for many has been no morethan a hand-out published online, cou-pled with a simple multiple-choice quiz.Hardly inspiring, let alone empowering.

But by using these new web services, e-learning has the potential to become farmore personal, social and flexible. (para.3)

In this article, I will describe my experi-ences with the most popular of “these newweb services”: podcasts, blogs, and wikis.

WEB 2.0 TOOLS FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

In the Web 1.0 world of distance learning,the discussion forum, and the chat room toa lesser degree, were the heart of mycourses. This was a tremendous improve-ment over just receiving typed papersfrom my students in the mail, of course.But the past 2 years have seen another seachange in the way I teach. Adopting theseWeb 2.0 tools has made teaching online aqualitatively different experience, and re-energized me as an instructor. From pod-casting to blogging to using wikis, theseWeb-based systems have all had a positiveimpact on the distance learning experiencefor both teacher and students.

PODCASTING

Podcasting is the Web 2.0 technologythat has gotten the most press. Podcasts aredigital audio files, usually MP3s or MP4s,that are made available online, often by freesubscription. Despite their name, they donot require an Apple iPod to be received;they can be played on almost all computersand portable digital audio players, andmany cell phones and PDAs. For mostinstructors, a quick look through Apple’siTunes podcast directory (part of the iTunesStore in the iTunes program) will beenough to discover a large number of edu-cational podcasts that could be incorpo-rated into one’s course. For those wishingto look further afield, Podcast Alley’s direc-tory (http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_genres.php?pod_genre_id=7) lists 1,320education-related podcast series, such as“12 Byzantine Rulers,” “Grammar Girl’s


Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing”and “ShakespeareCast.”

Even with all these existing podcasts,you may not find exactly the content youare looking for. Fortunately, podcasts areeasy and inexpensive to make. Free soft-ware such as Audacity (for Windows, Mac,and other platforms; http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) can be used to create theaudio files, and the RSS (Really SimpleSyndication) file necessary for subscriptionservice can be created with any text editor.Many laptop computers now have micro-phones built in, but if you need one, aquality microphone such as Blue Micro-phones’ Snowball (http://www.bluemic.com), my personal choice for its soundand retro-cool design, can be found foraround a hundred dollars. You undoubt-edly already have headphones and speak-ers.

“Coursecasting,” the recording of lec-tures and making them available in audioform online, is being implemented atmany colleges and universities (Read,2005). My university supplies the iStreamservice (http://www.indiana.edu/~video/stream/is .php) which, despite its name,also supports downloadable podcasts. Ourrival, Purdue, has its Boilercast system(http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/Boiler-Cast/). Coursecasts provide raw, unediteddocumentation of what happened duringthe class session, from the perspective ofthe microphone at the front of the room. Ifthey watched a movie, you hear thesoundtrack; if they had small-group dis-cussions, you hear distant mumbles. As adistance educator, you can record lecturesto be uploaded into these systems for yourstudents. This just one way of using pod-casts, though. I’ve used digital audio filesto supplement or enrich course material,to capture interviews with guest experts,and to provide feedback to students. Thelatter has been particularly well-receivedby my distance students. They like actu-ally hearing my voice as I comment ontheir work, and it allows me to provide

them with fuller responses to their work,as I am freed from the tedium and effort oftyping it. Also, the danger of being misun-derstood is lessened, as the full intonationsof my voice are captured. No more emoti-cons (smiley faces)!

BLOGGING

Blogs (archaically called Web-logs) are aspecific kind of Web site. They aredesigned for putting up content quickly,easily, and regularly—posting on the go. IfI have to update my regular Web sites, Ihave to fire up Dreamweaver (a slow pro-cess in itself), find the file, make thechanges, then preview the changes tomake sure I didn’t mess something up,then use the FTP functionality to uploadthe changed pages. And I had to learnDreamweaver’s complicated interface(and HTML) in the first place to do that.With a blog, you log in, type, and click sub-mit. Not much different than making aforum posting, no knowledge of codingrequired, and it’s free! I use Blogger (Figure1; http://www.blogger.com), but there areother blogging sites, too, like LiveJournal(http://www.livejournal.com) and Word-Press (http://www.wordpress.com). All areeasy to set up and get started with. ClassBlogmeister (http://classblogmeister.com/)is specifically developed for educationaluse, “explicitly designed with teachers andstudents in mind, where the teacher canevaluate, comment on, and finally publishstudents’ blog articles in a controlled envi-ronment”(Warlick, n.d., para. 4). I haven’ttried it out, but it seems promising.

My experience in podcasting led natu-rally to blogging. By this, I mean I neededsome place to put the citations mentionedin my podcasts, citations both to print andto online sources. I expect that my distancestudents are listening to the podcasts inmany places where they may not be able tostop and take note of a citation; the car onthe ride home from work, the treadmill,the kitchen. Any information that needs to


be written down, I provide to them in theblog; it’s an important companion to thepodcast. I can also provide extra informa-tion and additional resources that I didn’tinclude in the podcast, for time or forget-fulness or whatever reason.

You can choose whether or not youwant to allow comments on your blog, and(sometimes, depending on the system)who is allowed access to it; just your stu-dents—or the world? Blogs are organizedin reverse chronological order, with yourlatest postings always up front. And, likepodcasts, students can subscribe to theblog, so that it is delivered regularly to anRSS-capable Web browser, such as InternetExplorer 7 or Firefox. A new development,

microblogs, such as Twitter (http://www

.twitter.com), allow users to post up-to-the-

minute updates as to what conference pre-

sentation they are attending, or which

Starbucks they are at. Literally not much

more than a sentence or two.

Student-created blogs have the possibil-

ity of changing the distance learning class-

room dynamic, and can help to create an

authentic learning community. The fact

that the majority of blogs are essentially

online journals or diaries, and often

revolve around the personal issues of the

blogger’s life, has influenced how they are

used in courses. As Downes (2006) has

noted,

Figure 1. Free software such as Audacity can be used to create audio files for pod-casts.


Blogging is very different from tradition-ally assigned learning content. It is muchless formal. It is written from a personalpoint of view, in a personal voice. Stu-dents’ blog posts are often about some-thing from their own range of interests,rather than on a course topic or assignedproject. More importantly, what happenswhen students blog, and read reach oth-ers’ blogs, is that a network of interactionsforms—much like a social network, andmuch like Wenger’s [Wenger, n.d.] com-munity of practice. (para. 30)

For example, one of my online students,an American teaching at a school in Japan,would post about the course topics andreadings, but also, and even more impor-tantly, he shared photos and stories abouthis experiences being a teacher in a very dif-ferent type of school culture than he hadexperienced in the United States. The otherstudents, most of them Hoosiers teachingin local schools, learned a lot through hisblog—as did I. Another, a reading teacher,discussed early childhood writing throughexamples of her students’ writing boththrough photographs of the students atwork and of the work itself. It was a glimpseinside her classroom for those of us whocouldn’t physically be there, a much richerexperience than simply reading a paperfrom her would have been.

As for my own blog, “Teach with Tech,”(Figure 2; http://teachwtech.blogspot.com)it plays an important role in my onlinecourses. I frequently point my studentstowards it, either to the current entry or anarchived posting. I have a number of blogentries that provide links to resources andmy commentary. In the past, I would havejust posted this information in our learningmanagement system, but why not share itwith the rest of the world? I am also hop-ing, perhaps idealistically, that the stu-dents will get in the habit of visiting myblog and will continue to do so even afterthe course is over, so that it will continue tobe a professional development resource tothem. I am also inviting others into our

classroom in this way, and I’ll admit it, itfunctions as a bit of advertising for thiselective course—I have a prominent link tothe course Web site on the blog.

Of course, I’m not the only academicwith a publicly available blog. Back in 2003,the Chronicle of Higher Education had an arti-cle, “Scholars Who Blog” (Glenn, 2003),which cited 93 such blogs. A look today atthe blog directory Technorati (http://www.technorati .com) finds 256 blogs withthe tag “university professor” andundoubtedly this is not a complete list.Besides being a resource for students andothers interested in the subject being dis-cussed, a blog becomes another way to net-work, to communicate with colleagues.

WIKIS

Wikis perhaps best exemplify the socialconstructivist nature of Web 2.0 programs.Named after a moderately quick mode ofbus transportation in Hawaii (wiki meaning“fast” in the local language) (Wiki, 2007),wikis are collaborative environments bydefinition, allowing multiple users to workon the same documents, though not at pre-cisely the same time (the pages are lockedwhen they are being edited by anotheruser). The most famous example of this is, ofcourse, Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org), a collaboratively created encyclope-dia, but there are many others, includingWiktionary (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page), and Wikia (http://www.wikia.com), which provides a site for self-pro-posed “subject matter experts” on a giventopic, such as Hogan’s Heroes or breastfeed-ing, to create collaborative documents onthe area of their special interest. You canalso start a wiki from scratch using free toolssuch as PBwiki (http://www.pbwiki.com)and WikiDot (http://www.wikidot.com/).

Many people, I’ve found, when theyfirst hear of a system that allows for anyoneto write on a document, recoil in fear. “Mydocument! My precious document!” Butthe fact that each individual’s contribution


is kept track of, and that it is so easy to com-pare versions and revert to previous ver-sions of wiki documents, usually quicklyhelps to calm instructor worries about van-dalism and inappropriate content.

Educational uses for wikis include: pro-viding a place for brainstorming, decidingon a schedule of activities, or developingdefinitions of roles and/or terms. I haveused wikis to write conference proposalsand journal articles with colleagues. A col-league of mine, Faridah Pawan, uses thewiki tool in our LMS to provide a consen-sus-based record of each class discussion in

her course. The advantage of using a wikifor this sort of activity is that any studentcan help to flesh out the record, or to pro-vide a different perspective on whatoccurred. I’m seriously considering doingthis next semester—assigning one studentto start a summary of our Sunday nightchat each week, and inviting in the rest ofthe students to contribute.

THE FUTURE

Speaking of the future, the next step in mydistance teaching will involve taking my

Figure 2. My blog, “Teach with Tech,” on Blogger.


online classroom into a virtual world. Vir-tual online worlds have been around fordecades, and remain extremely popular inthe gaming world. You may have heard ofthe massively multiplayer online role-play-ing game World of Warcraft (WoW), a hugeonline world, open 24/7, in which playerssee themselves as avatars, 3D representa-tions of themselves within the game, whocan interact with others and work collabo-ratively on missions. The system has 8.5million registered members worldwide(World of Warcraft, 2007). But WoW is dis-tinctively Web 1.0 in that everything in theworld is created by the authors of thegame. Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com), on the other hand, is a multiuser vir-tual environment (MUVE), which is at firstvery similar to WoW, but with an impor-tant difference—players can modify theiravatars and bring new objects into theworld. There is also no game format tostructure their activities. They are free toroam and explore this new world, to inter-act with people and to see how thingswork, much as they did when they werecrawling along the floor as babies in thereal world.

My colleague, Sarah Robbins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Robbins),teaches freshman composition at Ball Statewithin the Second Life environment, but it’sa very different experience from the book-bound freshman comp I once taught. Asthe New York Times (Lagorio, 2007)explained, “Ms. Robbins doesn’t use SecondLife to impart textbook knowledge; shesends her students out to interact withother inhabitants to get them thinking andwriting ‘about our own identity, andrespecting the identities of others, andexploring the look of our own avatar.’ A500-word blog is due weekly.” As a dis-tance educator, I look forward to exploringthese virtual environments with my stu-dents. I see immediate possibilities forusing a virtual landscape. I might have myeducation students create their ideal tech-nology-enhanced classroom in the world.

Then we could all walk around in each oneof them and discuss how they would beutilized. Also, the common complaint ofdistance students—that they don’t get to“know each other” as well as in a face-to-face classroom—might be answered in animportant way through the use of avatars.It might even tell us more about each other,to see how we have chosen to present our-selves, than just seeing our flesh-and-blood faces would. Fascinating possibili-ties!

CONCLUSION

Even though it has taken extra time andeffort, the incorporation of Web 2.0 tech-nologies into my teaching has been verybeneficial. It has allowed for more studentinput and greater options for activities.While I don’t claim to have exhausted thepossibilities for integrating Web 2.0 into myteaching (there are many other Web 2.0applications than I have mentioned here), Ihope that reading about my “baby steps”into these new technologies will be of useto others.

REFERENCES

Downes, S. (2006). E-learning 2.0. RetrievedMarch 1, 2007, from http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=articles&article=29-1

Glenn, D. (2003, June 6). Scholars who blog.Retrieved March 1, 2007, from http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i39/39a01401.htm

Lagorio, C. (2007, January 7). The ultimate dis-tance learning. Retrieved March 3, 2007,from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/education/edlife/07innovation.html?ex=1175572800&en=9ca2aab9111bf8d8&ei=5070

O’Hear, S. (2005, November 15). Seconds out,round two. Retrieved March 9, 2007, fromhttp://education.guardian.co.uk/elearning/story/0,10577,1642281,00.html

Read, B. (2005, October 28). Lectures on the go.Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i10/10a03901.htm


Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. London:Harvard University Press.

Warlick, D. (n.d.). Landmarks Class Blogmeister.Retrieved March 11, 2007, from http://classblogmeister.com/

Wenger, E. (n.d.) Communities of practice.Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

Wiki. (2007, April 1). Wikipedia. Retrieved April1, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

World of Warcraft. (2007, April 1). Wikipedia.Retrieved April 1, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

Christopher Essex, frequent contributor to Distance Learning

and to the Quarterly Review of Distance Education,

passed away on April 17, 2007. He is memorialized at:

http://site.educ.indiana.edu/ChrisEssex/tabid/5390/Default.aspx


An Overview of Distance Library Services atNova Southeastern University’s Main Library

Arlene Batson-George

BACKGROUND

ova Southeastern University(NSU), located in Fort Lauder-dale, Florida, is the largest pri-

vate university in the Southeastern part ofthe United States, and the sixth largestnonprofit, independent university in thenation (NSU, 2007b). Total student enroll-ment for Fall 2006 was 25,960 (NSU, 2007c).The university offers associate, bachelor,

master, specialist, doctoral, and first-pro-fessional degrees in education, business,medicine, law, psychology, marine sci-ences, and a variety of other fields. Theuniversity has so far produced over 85,000alumni (NSU, 2007b).

NSU is rapidly gaining recognition as apioneer and leader in distance education,particularly at the graduate level. NSU wasthe first institution of higher education inthe nation to offer graduate programs inan online format (NSU, 2007b). “NSU hasbeen offering online programs and pro-grams with an online component since1983. NSU was also the first to use the Unixsystem to host online courses, and one ofthe first to use the Internet to supportinstruction” (NSU, 2007b, Distance Educa-tion at NSU section, para. 1). The majorityof NSU’s academic programs currentlyoffer courses online in addition to the tra-ditional on-campus courses (Quinlan &Tuñón, 2004). In addition to online courses,NSU administers many of its programsthrough academic centers and sites locatedacross the country and in internationallocations such as the Caribbean, Greece,Mexico, and the United Kingdom (NSU,2007b).

N

Arlene Batson-George, Copy Cataloging Coordinator, Technical Services Department, Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Informa-tion Technology Center, Nova Southeastern

University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314.Telephone: (954) 262-4616.E-mail: [email protected]


THE MAIN LIBRARYThe main library at Nova Southeastern Uni-versity is the Alvin Sherman Library,Research, and Information TechnologyCenter. The library officially opened inDecember 2001 and is the outcome of a col-laboration between the county (Broward)and the university. As a result, the library isa joint-use facility that offers an assortmentof public and academic services to membersof the NSU community and BrowardCounty (Lubans, 2002). At 325,000 squarefeet, the library is the largest library buildingin the state of Florida. The high tech-build-ing is open more than 100 hours each week,offers wireless service, a café, study rooms,fully equipped electronic classrooms, andnumerous print and online resources(Quinlan & Tuñón, 2004). Other libraries atNSU include the Health Professions Divi-sion Library, the Shepard Broad LawLibrary and Technology Center, and the Wil-liam S. Richardson Ocean Sciences Library.

The library’s collections and resourcesare impressive. Currently, the collectionconsists of over 700,000 volumes withroom in the building for 1.4 million (Marie,2007; NSU, 2007a). Users are also able tocheck out laptop computers to use in thebuilding. The library has 700 computer sta-tions, subscriptions to more than 200online databases, 20 classroom labs, seatsin the building to accommodate as manyas 1,000 users, conference/meeting rooms,a gallery for displaying art and otherexhibits, and a large parking garage(Marie; NSU). Numerous events open tothe public are held in the library includingbook discussions, library and technologyclasses, specialized exhibits, readings byauthors, book fairs, craft presentations,programs for children, student orienta-tions, and more (NSU, 2007a).

DISTANCE LIBRARY SERVICES AT THE MAIN LIBRARY

The library makes a variety of servicesavailable to NSU’s distance students. Stu-

dents have access to many online researchresources including the library’s catalogand over 200 research databases that pro-vide full-text access to many scholarly jour-nals, books, dissertations, and newspapers.The library’s Web site contains numeroushelp resources including an A to Z index,detailed subject/topic help pages, databaseand technology help sheets, tutorials, andFAQs. Students can view an online videoabout the library services available to dis-tance students or request that a version onCD be mailed to them (NSU, 2007a).

A comprehensive library handbook isavailable on the Web site in HTML, PDF,and Word formats. In addition, studentscan request that a print copy of the hand-book be mailed to them. The handbookcontains detailed descriptions of all thelibrary services and resources available tostudents, and contact information. There iseven a section explaining the research pro-cess and the steps involved. Other sectionsin the handbook include discussions oftypes of periodicals, primary and second-ary sources, peer-reviewed articles, data-base search guides, locating specific typesof articles, and citing sources using Ameri-can Psychological Association style (NSU,2007a).

The Alvin Sherman Library also pro-vides document delivery service for dis-tance students to borrow books anddissertations, and obtain copies of journalarticles not available full-text online. Thelibrary has lending agreements with vari-ous libraries throughout the country.Using online request forms, students canrequest up to 25 items per week throughthe document delivery services. Materialsare delivered to users through the mailand via electronic means (articles areposted to a secure Web site). Students keeptrack of transactions by accessing theironline document delivery account (NSU,2007a).

The main library provides distance stu-dents with various ways of receiving gen-eral, technical, and research assistance


from librarians. The reference desk, whichis open 7 days a week, is staffed withlibrarians for over 80 hours each week(Quinlan & Tuñón, 2004). Students can e-mail questions to the reference desk usingan online form and expect a response froma librarian within 24 hours. Students canalso call the reference desk with questionsusing a toll-free number regardless ofwhether they are in the United States,Canada, or the Caribbean (NSU, 2007a).

Another service available to NSU dis-tance students is live chat reference. Thelibrary provides students with access tochat reference through a service calledFlorida Ask a Librarian (http://www.askalibrarian.org). Librarians from all overthe state of Florida (including NSU AlvinSherman Library librarians) provide gen-eral reference and research assistance tousers. Students can sign in during thehours of operation and receive live helpfrom the librarians on duty. Chat referenceis available to students for over 80 hourseach week (NSU, 2007a).

A typical 2-hour shift at the referencedesk may require a librarian to “use e-mailto help an NSU doctoral business studentfrom Georgia, guide a walk-in distance stu-dent from a proximal academic institutionto a full-text database, and provide digitalchat reference to an unaffiliated collegestudent in Gainesville” (Quinlan & Tuñón,2004, p. 117).

Live help is also available to distancelearners in the form of individual librarytraining. Students can schedule anappointment for a one-on-one phone con-sultation with one of the Alvin ShermanLibrary librarians. Students then call a toll-free number at the scheduled time andreceive a 1-hour consultation with thelibrarian assigned to them. Students areable to sign up for additional sessions asneeded (NSU, 2007a).

Other services provided by the libraryinclude access to tools such as ThomasResearchSoft and EndNote for compilingand creating bibliographies, access to elec-

tronic course reserves, and informationabout local library resources in the variousareas where distance students live (NSU,2007a). NSU distance students visiting theFort Lauderdale area are always welcometo stop by the reference desk in person forresearch or other assistance.

Librarians at NSU’s main library are alsoresponsible for providing library trainingto many of the university’s distance stu-dents. NSU’s distance students are oftenlocated miles away from the main campusof the university and rely heavily on theonline library for their research needs. It istherefore essential that they receive librarytraining. According to Johanna Tuñón,head of the library’s Distance and Instruc-tional Library Services department, librari-ans regularly travel to the university’sacademic centers throughout the countryand the Caribbean to present libraryinstructional sessions to students (J. Tuñón,personal communication, April 17, 2007).In addition, they travel to the school ofeducation’s annual conference to providelibrary training sessions and assistance tothat department’s numerous distance stu-dents. Library instruction is also madeavailable through online training modulesthat students complete as part of courserequirements in their respective programs.Librarians also create and maintain theasynchronous training tools such as theonline tutorials, help sheets, subjectguides, and the print and electronic ver-sions of the library handbook (J. Tuñón,personal communication, April 17, 2007).

Future library instruction plans includethe use of technologies such as Captivateto create interactive online tutorial andother training tools that incorporate a vari-ety of media including audio and video.There are also plans to explore the offeringof library training during live synchronousclass sessions using software such as Ellu-minate or Horizon Wimba, and to furtherintegrate library training into the curricu-lum of the academic programs (J. Tuñón,personal communication, April 17, 2007).


CONCLUSION

The continuous development of new elec-tronic information technologies has led toan increase in the number of distance edu-cation degree programs available as well asthe number of institutions of higher educa-tion offering such programs. This rapidgrowth of distance education has allowedan ever-increasing number of studentsfrom a variety of locations to enroll in dis-tance programs. Since distance studentsdepend on the online library and librariansfor their academic needs, it is importantthat universities provide adequateresources and services for them. In 2004,50.7% of Alvin Sherman Library usersaccessing the online databases were dis-tance NSU graduate students (Quinlan &Tuñón, 2004).

According to the Guidelines for Dis-tance Learning Library Services providedby the Association of College and ResearchLibraries (ACRL), “library resources andservices in institutions of higher educationmust meet the needs of all their faculty,students, and academic support personnel,regardless of where they are located”(ACRL, 2004, para. 1). Nova SoutheasternUniversity’s Alvin Sherman Library,Research, and Information TechnologyCenter seems committed to providing dis-

tance students with the resources and sup-port essential for their academic success.

REFERENCES

Association of College and Research Libraries.(2004). Guidelines for distance learning libraryservices. Retrieved April 18, 2007, from http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/guidelinesdistancelearning.htm

Lubans, J., Jr. (2002). A portrait of collaborativeleadership: Donald E. Riggs and NovaSoutheastern University’s joint-use library.Library Administration and Management, 16(4),176-178.

Marie, K. L. (2007). One plus one equals three:Joint-use libraries in urban areas—The ulti-mate form of library cooperation. LibraryAdministration & Management, 21, 23-28.

Nova Southeastern University. (2007a). AlvinSherman Library, Research, and InformationTechnology Center. Retrieved April 16, 2007,from http://www.nova.edu/library/main/

Nova Southeastern University. (2007b). Institu-tional description. NSU Fact Book. RetrievedApril 16, 2007, from http://www.nova.edu/rpga/description.html

Nova Southeastern University. (2007c). Table 2:Fall 2006 enrollment by academic center orschool. NSU Fact Book. Retrieved April 16,2007, from http://www.nova.edu/rpga/fact-book/2007/forms/table2.pdf

Quinlan, N., & Tuñón, J. (2004). Providing refer-ence in a joint-use library. Internet ReferenceServices Quarterly, 9(1-2), 111-128.


Telemedicine, Urban Style

Keith J. Blair

mode of medicine traditionallyreserved for patients with limitedaccess to healthcare is now being

used in urban and suburban childcare cen-ters, and many of the centers are within afew miles of a healthcare provider. Tele-medicine is bridging the gap of geographyin Rochester, New York, childcare centers.A patient’s physical distance from a health-care provider is no longer the principaldeterminate for the mode of health careprovided. Telemedicine urban style isdesigned to enable treatment for commonmedical conditions that disrupt a child’sattendance at childcare. The University ofRochester Medical Center’s Golisano Chil-dren’s Hospital, in conjunction with Tele-Atrics, Inc., deployed a telemedicine net-

work in Rochester. The Health-e-Accesstelemedicine network is designed toreduce childcare and school absencesresulting from illness. By making health-care for urban and suburban childrenreadily available, the Health-e-Access pro-gram allows childcare centers and doctorsto work together to integrate telemedicineinto existing day-to-day healthcare prac-tices (Strong Health, n.d.).

WHAT IS TELEMEDICINE?The term telemedicine derives from theGreek tele meaning “at a distance” and theword “medicine,” which itself derives fromthe Latin mederi, meaning “healing.” TheAmerican Telemedicine Association (n.d.)Web site defines telemedicine as the “theuse of medical information exchangedfrom one site to another via electroniccommunication for the health and educa-tion of the patient or healthcare providerand for the purpose of improving patientcare.” A search of the literature reveals thattelemedicine as a practice has been in placesince the early 1960s. Until the mid 1960s,telemedicine was primarily conductedusing land-based technology. One of thefirst telemedicine programs in the UnitedStates to use more advanced technologywas established between MassachusettsGeneral Hospital and Logan InternationalAirport Medical Station in 1967. The coop-erative relationship provided occupationalhealth services to airport employees anddelivered emergency care and medicalattention to travelers. Physicians at Massa-chusetts General Hospital provided medi-cal care to patients at the airport using atwo-way audiovisual microwave circuit.

A

Keith J. Blair, Instructional Technologist and Graduate Student, Nova Southeastern

University, 3285 Waters Mill Dr,Alpharetta, GA 30022.



Evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of thepatients were made by participating per-sonnel and independent physician observ-ers. Analysis was also made of the accuracyof microwave transmission. Inspection,auscultation, and interpretation of roent-genograms and microscopic images werealso performed. Necessary hands-on pro-cedures were performed by the medicalstation nurse-clinicians (Brown, 1995).

The practice of telemedicine hasexpanded to include a full spectrum ofhealth sciences including rehabilitationoccupational therapy, physical therapy,speech-language pathology, audiology,pharmacy, health promotion, dentistry,nursing, as well as medicine. The technol-ogy of telemedicine can be subdivided intofour general areas: (1) medical support,training, and teleconferencing services fordoctor-to-doctor consultation; (2)involves a disparate set of applicationsusing communications for medical ser-vices such as centralized intensive careunit monitoring and shipping radiologyimages around the world for analysiswhich is also considered to be under theumbrella of telemedicine; (3) chronic carehome-monitoring technology; and (4)the telemedicine which can best bedescribed as a system platform applica-tion of telemedicine with all necessarysoftware based workflows and systemsupport for providing real-time and/orstore-and-forward capabilities for provid-ing acute care.

Two important factors influenced theexpansion of telemedicine beyond its earlyapplications for patients with remoteaccess to health services using telephonesor microwave circuit technology. First, thepersonal and professional use of high-speed, high-bandwidth telecommunica-tions systems has become common-place—low-cost, high-resolution, Internet-based video conferencing systems areavailable for purchase online or in elec-tronic chain stores. Second, there has beena significant change in the manner in

which American’s accept the practice ofusing the Web to provide and mediatehealth-related information. Research con-ducted by the Pew Internet & AmericanLife Project shows that, as more and moreAmericans come online, so too do moreAmericans rely on the Internet for impor-tant health information. In a March 2005survey, 12% of online adults—representa-tive of 17 million people—said the Internetplayed a crucial or important role as theyhelped another person cope with a majormedical illness. Fifty-one percent of adultssaid they had gone online for health infor-mation in the last month, versus 27% in 2001.Inexpensive technology and acceptance ofmediated health-related information haveenabled healthcare providers to provideservice to large numbers of people in vary-ing stages of life and geographic locations.

Companies such as Tel-e-Atrics, Inc. aretaking advantage of the new economies ofscale for hardware, software, and signaltransmission. Tel-e-Atrics has leveraged thenew economies by developing Telemedi-cine networks for urban and suburbanhealthcare providers. The comprehensivesystem platform application of telemedi-cine support service is designed to makehealthcare for common acute illness morereadily available. One of the primaryobjectives of Tel-e-Atrics is to reduceabsences resulting from illness in urbanchildren. Tel-e-Atrics programs haveallowed childcare centers and the regulardoctors of the children in the program towork together to integrate telemedicineinto existing day-to-day healthcare prac-tices. Tel-e-Atrics is staffed by technolo-gists and does not engage in providinghealth services, but has relationships withhealthcare organizations providing ser-vice. Tel-e-Atrics connects doctors, nurses,and other members of the healthcare teamwith their patients wherever they may be.Using high-quality videoconferencing, dig-ital medical cameras, and other diagnosticequipment, medical evaluations can becompleted and implications discussed


face-to-face, while providers and patientsremain miles apart. The Tel-e-Atrics applica-tion is secure Web browser-based and can beaccessed on the Internet from anywhere inthe world. The Tel-e-Atrics application runson the https protocol, which means that alldata that moves between the client Webbrowser and the secure Tel-e-Atrics serverapplication are encrypted. None of the cer-tified Tel-e-Atrics Assistants who are regis-tered to have access on the system actuallyknow their “user ID” or “password”; theyuse a biometric fingerprint reader which isbuilt into the telemedicine workstation'skeyboard access the Tel-e-Atrics application(Tel-e-Atrics, n.d.).

IN PRACTICES

In 1995 Tel-e-Atrics’ technology wasdeployed as a local experiment to have doc-tors diagnose children remotely using theInternet. The company was conceived byresearchers at the Golisano Children's Hospi-tal at Strong, who called the project Health-e-Access. The Health-e-Access program isthe first in the nation to offer telemedicineat childcare centers in low-income neigh-borhoods. Tel-e-Atrics’ computer equip-ment were installed at 12 childcare centers,10 city and suburban elementary schools,and a group home. These sites electroni-cally connect patients with doctors at 10private pediatric practices and the Univer-sity of Rochester Children’s Hospital. Two-way video teleconferencing establishesreal-time communication so that doctorsand children can interact with each other.The high-speed connection allows infor-mation to be transmitted from a special-ized camera that provides diagnostic-quality images of the ear drum, throat,eyes, and skin areas most affected by com-mon childhood illnesses. In addition, anelectronic stethoscope captures high-qual-ity lung and heart sounds. Devicesdesigned to measure weight, blood pres-sure, and pulmonary functions are indevelopment. Doctors at the remote loca-

tion then make a diagnosis, prescribe treat-ments, and provide a treatment report tothe child’s pediatrician when applicable.Prescriptions are delivered directly to thecenter the same day so that treatment canbegin even before a parent picks up achild.

To enter the Health-e-Access program,Rochester area parents sign up and pro-vide consent for participation in the tele-medicine program at the time the Tele-Atrics equipment is installed. Children areexamined by their primary physician orone of a number of participating pediatriccare providers available routinely everyday at hours requested by the childcarecenter or school. If a child is sick at thebeginning of the day, parents will be askedat drop-off to provide information describ-ing the illness; a parent has the option toremain behind for the telemedicine evalua-tion during the day. If the child’s illnesshas become apparent during the course ofthe school or care day, the tele-health assis-tant attempts to contact the parentsregarding the illness and will arrange forthe child’s physician or practitioner toexamine the child via telemedicine. Afterevery telemedicine examination, parentsreceive written instructions with the physi-cian’s diagnosis and recommendations fortreatment, and all components of the eval-uation including pictures of the key partsof the examination, such as infected ear orrecords of heart/lung sounds, become partof the child’s permanent record main-tained by the physician. Since its launch,Health-e-Access has produced astoundingresults during more than 2,600 long-dis-tance visits. For example, child absencesdue to illness plummeted by an average of63% at participating childcare centers.According to Neil Herendeen, MD, medi-cal director of Health-e-Access, citingresearch published in the May 2005 issueof Pediatrics, which shows parents andemployers benefit, “Research shows thatacross the country 40% of parentalabsences from work are due to child ill-


nesses. We know from our experience thattelemedicine significantly reduces parents’work absences.” While the parent experi-ences less stress and can remain on the job,employers are getting their money’s worthfrom an employee who can remainfocused on the task at hand. An impressive92% of the parents participating in the pro-gram said that Health-e-Access allowedthem to stay at work when they otherwisewould have taken their child to an unex-pected doctor’s visit. In addition, 94% saythe program helped avoid making a visit tothe primary care physician or emergencyroom. Participating parents said that 20%of the time they would have ended upwith their child in the emergency roomwithout the telemedicine visit. Theresearch survey revealed that each tele-medicine visit saves Rochester parents 4.5hours of missed work. Parents also saidthat the presence of a telemedicine servicewould sway their selection of a childcarecenter, with 94% saying they would choosea childcare center with telemedicine overone without the service (McConnochie,Wood, & Kitzman, 2005).

TELEDENTISTRY

The American Telemedicine Associationdefines teledentistry as taking and transfer-ring digital pictures of the mouth so thatthey can be reviewed by dentists and otherspecialists. The Access-e-Health and theUniversity of Rochester’s Eastman DentalCenter conducted a pilot program to rou-tinely check the oral health of low-incomechildren between the ages of 1-5 who missdental checkups. The program uses com-puters that are already part of Health-e-Access network. The pilot program wasconducted at target Health-e-Access loca-tions in low-income neighborhoods in thegreater Rochester area. The university con-ducted an initial study with about 50 chil-dren in 2003 to gauge the validity of theteledentistry program. After receiving$50,000 from the Aetna Foundation, the

program was expanded. Of 162 children,almost 40% had at least two cavities. Thestatistics validated that there were childrenwho needed treatment but were perhapsfalling through the cracks. AlthoughHealth-e-Access provides service to all eco-nomic brackets; however, the dentistrypilot program was initially targeted towarddisadvantaged children who might nototherwise get regular dental care. Screen-ing by way of digital photography allowsmany children’s cases to be reviewed in ashort period. Although most children inthe program had been to the dentist atleast once, many had not attended therequired follow up visits; the computerscreenings fill in any gaps and encourageparents to keep up on their children’s oralhealth. If a pediatric dentist reviews thepictures taken at Health-e-Access and seescavities, parents are referred to a dentistwho can take patients on Medicaid or whohave no health insurance. About 226 chil-dren were screened by January 2004(McConnochie, Wood, & Kitzman, 2005).

CONCLUSION

The potential for specific telemedicineapplications to enable quality healthcarehas been demonstrated using commer-cially available technology. The opportu-nity for a wider range of patients andhealthcare providers to gain from the accessand effectiveness proffered by telemedicinehinges on the continued proliferation ofTelemedicine networks. Collaboration isstrategically important for future exploita-tion and deployment of telemedicine solu-tions. In the case of the Rochester network,the collaboration between investors, inno-vative technologists, and visionary health-care professionals improved the healthand welfare of Rochester’s inner-city fami-lies. The United Statesis at a point in bothits demographic maturity and technologi-cal advancement to move beyond telemed-icine as an exception, toward evaluative,consultative treatment as the norm.


REFERENCES

American TeleMedicine Association. (n.d.).Retrieved April 13, 2007, from http://www.americantelemed.org/Forum2003/Presentations/Russo.ppt

Brown, N. (1995). A brief history of telemedicine.Retrieved April 13, 2007, from http://tie.telemed.org/articles/article.asp?path=articles&article=tmhistory_nb_tie95.xml

Strong Health. (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2007,from http://www.stronghealth.com/news/article.cfm?art_ID=776

McConnochie K. M., Wood. N. E., & Kitzman H.J. (2005, May). Telemedicine reduces absenceresulting from illness in urban childcare:Evaluation of an innovation. Pediatrics, 115,1273-1282.

Pew Research Center Publications. (n.d).Retrieved April 13, 2007, from http://pewresearch.org/pubs/220/finding-answers-online-in-sickness-and-in-health

Tel-e-Actrics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2007, fromhttp://www.teleatrics.com/index.html


CASE STUDY

From the One-Room Schoolhouse toVirtual EducationA Perspective of What to Do While the Transition Takes Place

Arnaldo Ghersi

hen “formal” education came toAmerica, it differed greatly fromthe English models on which

most new American ideas were founded.England had academic schools, but mainly forthe privileged. All other “students” trained as

apprentices, often starting as very young chil-dren placed in fosters-ship with a master whotaught them the trade or skill they would prac-tice during their lifetime.

The first schools in America, including thatof Joseph Cotton, established in Mass. in 1633,were more academically inclined but still lim-ited in content. Basic reading skills and memo-rization comprised the mainstay of thecurriculum, with Greek and Latin for scholarsin upper levels.

Formal schools started wherever space couldbe found, whether it be a meeting hall, barn, orspare room in a large home. Eventually it cameto be recognized that focus on the subjects athand, was better achieved in their own, stableenvironment, and the better established andricher settlements began building schoolhouses.

There were no examples to model theirschools after, and so they ended up being themost practical of shelters: one room, withbenches, and a stove. Desks would not appearfor many years yet, and blackboards wouldn’t beseen until the 1820s.

In the town or city where the teacher livednearby and so did the students, this kind ofinstitution was all very well, but in the countryit was a different matter. Teachers were chargedwith clearing away heavy snowfalls, and arriv-

W

Arnaldo Ghersi, Online Educational Solutions. Telephone: (954) 296-0568.



ing early enough to bring wood in from outsideand have the stove going before studentsarrived. There were no “snow” days, and theteacher was expected to be there, even if the stu-dents didn’t show up. In the country, that couldmean anything from a walk of several miles, toa horse struggling over roads blocked by snow-drifts.

There were no grades in the beginning, sim-ply children learning at their own pace, some-thing which may very well have been anadvantage over today’s system. Certainly, thebenefit of having children older or moreadvanced than others helping those strugglingor at lower levels of achievement, was preferableto some school situations now faced in citieswhere classrooms are overcrowded, teachersoverworked, and students under-assisted.(extracted from http://historyeducationinfo.com)

Since the Industrial Revolution, thenecessity to educate more people at afaster pace has not stopped. First, buildingbigger schools and larger classrooms toaccommodate more people; and recentlythanks to e-learning this capacity has beenmade unlimited. However, as exposed inthe previous paragraphs, this growth ineducation facilities and opportunities doesnot necessarily mean that the learning pro-cess has evolved in to an easier or moreeffective one.

The transition between in-class to vir-tual education will take some years. Limi-tations on the necessary infrastructure andchanging students’ behavior, among otherconsiderations, will graduate the speed ofthis process. The speed of change to a vir-tual education will depend mostly on thequality of the applications; the applicationsneed to speed-up the learning process ofthe individuals, and to adapt to their needsbetter than books or multimedia/onlinepresenters of content and exams.

Learning is a very individualized pro-cess, and facilitating this process hasbecome a very difficult art. Time con-straints limit the teacher’s ability, in class

or remotely, to provide personal attentionto each student.

Consider the learning process as a com-bination of different models, steps orstyles: cognitive, constructive, conductive,and collaborative, among others. The cog-nitive step requires special attention aswell as more time for developing, sincewithout knowledge it is much more diffi-cult to develop the rest of steps.

The cognitive heterogeneity of thegroup limits the teacher’s ability todevelop activities that achieve the othersteps. If we could provide teachers withcognitively more homogeneous groups ofstudents, participation in class willincrease, and the rest of the steps couldflow naturally and dynamically. The learn-ing process would be accelerated.

Imagine now a software application thataddresses this issue. A client-based oronline tool with the entire content of thecurrent books. A database filled with learn-ing objects that a teacher can sort andgroup according to lessons. This applica-tion uses multimedia in order to presentthese objects and students can take asmuch time as necessary in acquiring theseobjects. This application will also incorpo-rate a methodology to track and reinforceparticular objects in which the studentdemonstrates difficulties. The applicationwill also evaluate and provide immediateresults so students can address confusionsor difficulties immediately. Reinforcing isbased on reviewing the objects, dependingupon the student’s answers. Reviews aretaken to longer intervals of time each time.Objects are considered learned once thestudent can answer it correctly after a cer-tain interval of time. Students must alsotake the reviews before they begin new les-sons.

Now, combine this application with alearning management system. The LMSwill provide an intranet to validate the stu-dent’s identity through a logging routine.Also, during this routine, the student’sprogress is updated at the server and at the


machine where the application is beingused. The student’s progress captures allthe activities carried on by each studentwith the application: study date, studytime, lessons studied, objects studied,objects learned, lessons learned, lessonsunder review, objects under review, timeslessons have been reviewed, times objectshave been reviewed. The LMS will alsoprovide a means of interaction betweenteacher and student as well as reportsbased on each student’s metrics. Thesemetrics will provide the teacher with an in-depth look at each student. He/she will beable to: pinpoint objects that are causingdifficulty, address students who are notkeeping up with their lessons, as well ashave insight in to each students particularstudy habits.

Finally, combine the use of this applica-tion (at home) with the classroom.

The application will pretrain the stu-dents with the materials they will use inclass. The student will use a multimedia

book with bidirectional interactivity:student-CPU/CPU-student. The studentsare at home, where they feel no pressureabout making mistakes; some students cantake more time than others to completeassignments. The reinforcing methodologywill help students to develop long-termretention; lessons or objects with higherdifficulty will be reviewed more fre-quently, and objects previously learned ormastered will not be reinforced. This willmaximize efficiency in the study time.

Online Educational Solution (OES) hasbeen working at developing an applicationthat addresses the current issues facingeducation. Taking into account the greathurdles foreign language students need toovercome, OES has developed an applica-tion that subscribes to this formula: Pre-trained students + Educators with insightand time = More efficient learning experi-ence.

To learn more about OES please visithttp://www.theenglishteacher.com


CASE STUDY

Mediasite Technology Meets the Needs of Both Students and Faculty at Drexel University

ounded in 1891, Drexel Universityprovides a distinguished anddiverse academic offering for

undergraduate and graduate students andis home to the nation’s largest privatemedical school. As one of the top universi-ties in the country, Drexel is a recognizedleader in the integration of the latest tech-nological advances and has a long legacyof “firsts.” In 1983, Drexel became the first

university to require all entering studentsto have a computer. In 2000, Drexel becamethe first major university to operate a fullywireless campus. In 2002, Drexel launchedthe first mobile Web portal service for stu-dents, enabling them to access a range ofinformation via virtually any Web-enabledhandheld device, from anywhere in theworld.

CHALLENGE

As a leading university that prides itself oninnovation, Drexel desired to find a tech-nology that addressed the needs of bothstudents and faculty. Like many universi-ties, Drexel views online learning as a criti-cal component to its future growth, butconsiders it more of an evolutionary exten-sion to its tech-laced curriculum than arevolutionary departure from its proveneducation offerings.

“One of the functions we thought to bemost critical was a technology that inte-grated all the features and functions youneed into one complete, highly reliablesystem,” said John Morris, director of aca-demic technology innovation, at Drexel’sOffice of Information Resources and Tech-nology.

As a leader in education, Drexel offershybrid classes that feature both in-classand remote learning components. In an

F

University Contact:John Morris, Director, Academic Technology Innovation, Office of Information Resources and Technology, Drexel University, Korman

126, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Telephone: (215) 895-2369.



effort to support the greatest number ofcourses quickly and economically, the uni-versity sought a centralized approach to itsonline program that allowed it to scale tomeet increasing demand.

SOLUTION

By taking this centralized approach, ratherthan outfitting every classroom with acomplete Mediasite rich media recordingand publishing system, Drexel created amaster control center in the building thathouses the Office of InformationResources and Technology. All nine class-rooms in the IRT building are hard-wiredto the control center where all RGB con-tent, video, and audio is captured,encoded, streamed and archived.

“Mediasite has been so effective thatnow we’re trying to develop ways to doremote captures from classrooms on cam-pus that aren’t hard-wired by using aproxy machine that would communicatebetween the instructor’s laptop and aMediasite in the control room,” said JanBiros, associate vice-president for instruc-tional technology support at Drexel’sOffice of Information Resources and Tech-nology.

Using Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite richmedia systems, Drexel is able to provide acomplete and convenient online replica-tion of classroom course content necessaryto provide an optimal learning experienceto today’s tech-savvy students.

RESULT

Drexel University installed its first Media-site system in 2003, and then added asecond a year later to enable concurrentcaptures. The university now captures 30hours of rich media course content a week,and professors are now on a waiting list

for access to the recording classrooms.Courses range from 1-hour undergradu-ate to 3-hour graduate classes, and spandisciplines from English to chemistry. Allcourses are available live and on-demandand can be accessed by students enrolledin traditional or online learning sections.

“Mediasite makes it easy to do the classlive at the same time that you’re archivingit,” Morris said. “The number of classeswe’re capturing grows by 50% every 6months so it won’t be long before we top1,000 hours of recordings.”

All Mediasite recordings are archived inDrexel’s Blackboard Vista course manage-ment system, where students can accessthem anytime, anywhere for 1 year.Whereas traditional classroom-based stu-dents often use the rich media recordingsto review course material before exams,remote students stay fairly consistent intheir viewing habits.

“The goal for our classrooms is that fac-ulty can walk in and teach in a completelynatural way and not be encumbered by thetechnology. That’s one of the reasons theprofessors love Mediasite. There’s nothingextra or different for them to do, yet theyreap all the benefits,” said Morris.

BENEFITS

• Unobtrusively records educators intheir natural classroom environment;

• Automates capture, management, anddelivery of multimedia presentations;

• Supports in-class learning, as well asWeb-based, distance learning and inte-grates with Blackboard Vista coursemanagement system; and

• Provides distance learners with anonline representation of the classroomexperience, including audio, video, andsynchronized instructional materials,polling, and Q&A.


CASE STUDY

Wayne State University Takes the Lead in Library and Information ScienceUsing Mediasite

he Wayne State University Libraryand Information Science Programcan trace its origins to 1918, when

the Detroit Normal Training School beganoffering courses in school librarianship toelementary teachers in the Detroit PublicSchool system. After the training schoolbecame the Detroit Teachers College in1923, the library science program grew andit remains one of only only 57 American

Library Association-accredited degree pro-grams of library and information science inthe United States and Canada.. In recogni-tion of the growth of the program and theexpansion of its curriculum, the name ofthe program was changed to the Libraryand Information Science Program (addinginformation science) in 1993. The programhas 15 full-time and 60 part-time facultymembers.

CHALLENGE

Joseph Mika, then director of the Libraryand Information Science Program, soughtto take advantage of a technology thatwould enhance student learning. Theschool already had transitioned from a suc-cessful on-site program to four off-campussites to offering online courses using theBlackboard course management system.The next logical step seemed to be the inte-gration of live classes for remote students.

Mika discovered Mediasite whileattending a recruitment meeting for direc-tors and assistant deans more than 2 yearsago. At that meeting, he spoke with theassistant dean of the university businessschool, who raved about Mediasite, soMika went to see it in operation. About 2months later, the Library and InformationScience Program had its own Mediasitesystem.

T

University Contact:Joseph Mika, Professor in Library and

Information Science at Wayne State University,University Library System,

106 Kresge Library, Detroit, MI 48202.Telephone: (313) 577-6196.E-mail: [email protected]


SOLUTION

“I went after something I knew workedand had a chance to observe,” said Mika.“The equipment itself is very straightfor-ward and easy to use. It only took a matterof hours to get up and running afterwatching the demo by Sonic Foundry per-sonnel and using the technology our-selves.”

The Wayne State University Library andInformation Science Program utilizesMediasite to capture a minimum of 25-28recordings per month. Seven teachers cap-ture four lectures per week. Program fac-ulty have affectionately nicknamedMediasite “ECHO,” which stands for“enhancing courses held online.” “I loveMediasite,” said John Heinrichs, assistantprofessor in library and information sci-ence. “It’s a whole new way of teaching.Now I can stop, run polls to see if studentsunderstand the content. I can see if thereare any questions being keyed into themoderator function and answer thoseright away.”

Working students also are able to savetime that otherwise would be spent intransit between school and their places ofemployment. In fact, some employers areso appreciative that their student employ-ees can remain on-site, they allow them toview Mediasite classes at the office or atanother convenient location. “The stu-dents seem to really love it,” said Hein-richs. “They don’t have to travel duringtumultuous Michigan winters and are ableto review lectures—stop and replay, whichthey obviously can’t do in a conventionalclassroom environment.”

RESULT

Besides online course content, Mediasitenow is being used to capture new studentorientations. “We used to require students

to come to our campus for orientationclasses. Now we can capture orientationonline and provide a virtual orientation,”said Mika. Additionally, Mika recentlyreceived a grant that would allow depart-ment faculty to offer mediasite continuingeducation curricula to rural librarians notwishing to undertake a master’s degree.

Mediasite has changed Heinrichs’ veryown approach to teaching. Since the pro-gram purchased Mediasite, Heinrichs takescare to enunciate his words and to avoidmeandering around the classroom as hedrives home a compelling point. Heinrichsnow uses masking tape to corner off thearea in which he must remain so that hecan be sure to be visually captured byMediasite.

“It’s not a question of saving money. It’smore an issue of increasing the studentbody by reaching remote individuals whootherwise would not be in our program,”Mika said. “Mediasite is helping us expandthe benefits of our teachings as well asincrease our student enrollment,” said Hei-nrichs. “It’s not just a teaching and learn-ing tool; it’s a driver of growth.”

BENEFITS

• Provides faculty with immediate feed-back on student comprehension duringclass;

• Enables students to time-shift, allowingthem to maintain employment whilestill enrolled in school;

• Allows faculty to communicate with stu-dents who are geographically dispersedaround the state, particularly duringextreme winter driving conditions;

• Improves comprehension as studentsstop and replay lectures for review; and

• Increases student enrollment whileexpanding the benefits of instruction tonew audiences.


CASE STUDY

York University Improves the Educational Experience using Mediasite

ounded in 1959, York University isnow Canada’s third largest univer-sity and world-renowned for

attracting students who forge their ownunique paths. York’s top-ranked programsset international standards. The facultyexpands the horizons of its students, pro-viding them with a broad perspective of theworld that opens up new ways of thinking.York offers a full range of programs anddegrees and is setting the contemporarystandard in academic excellence, pioneer-ing research and innovative thinking.

CHALLENGE

As one of the premier educational facilitiesin North America, York attracts an increas-ing number of students worldwide. How-ever, its well-earned respect and popularitycame with a price: a swelling of the univer-sity’s classrooms. In addition, a growingpercentage of its students are adults tryingto balance career, family, and education. Afew years ago, the university began deliver-ing online lectures through audio players,and later added video, but it was dissatis-fied with the two-dimensional experiencethis provided its students. The school wasdesperate for a system that could combinethe audio, video, and graphic componentsof a typical classroom lecture.

“We sought a solution which wouldallow us to deliver students a richer aca-demic learning experience than just havinga professor stand up in front of the class-room and present the same lecture,” saidKelly Parke, senior multimedia designer atYork University. “We also wanted to makethe presentation as user-friendly as possi-ble, allowing our adult learners to view thecontent at their convenience.”

York’s professors and directors believeda multimedia online learning solutioncould address some of its growing painswhile improving the quality of students’education, but they needed a system thatwould not create additional work for thefaculty. In fact, that caveat was stipulatedin the faculty union contract. As a result,York assembled a research team to find an

F

University Contact:Kelly Parke, Senior Multimedia Designer, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON

M3J 1P3. Telephone: (416) 736-2100.E-mail: [email protected]


e-learning solution that: required little orno technical expertise or training; offeredlive and on-demand rich media via theinternet; eliminated the need for costlyand time-consuming postproduction, anddelivered the highest return on investmentin the shortest amount of time.

SOLUTION

The research team evaluated dozens oftechnologies and found many that met oneor more of the criteria, but none that metall four requirements. Finally, after 2 yearsof searching, York University found onethat did: Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite.

Educators instantly began envisioninghow the versatile Web communicationsolution could be incorporated into itsteaching curriculum to most effectivelyreach its rapidly growing student body.

“We uncovered immediately upon ourpurchase of Mediasite that having the righttools in place allowed educators to be moreeffective and reach a greater number ofstudents, while at the same time relievingsome of the pressure on our classroomsand parking lots,” said Parke.

Mediasite’s presenter-friendly designmeant that educators could continue tofocus on teaching, instead of having tolearn new multimedia technology or Web-casting software. They simply plug theirnotebook PCs into the system. There wasno new software to load. No new skills tolearn. No extra time required. No need tosubmit their slides ahead of time forencoding. Mediasite automates all the nec-essary processes—capturing, encoding,integration, streaming, and archiving of allthe audio, video, and graphic content inreal-time. Unlike other Web presentationsystems that limit users to PowerPoint,Mediasite gives York professors the abilityto use any teaching tool, such as documentcameras, graphics tablets or smart boards,and maintain the high-resolution of theiroriginal instructional materials.

RESULT

For York University students, Mediasitemeans the convenience of easily accessingcourses remotely anywhere, anytime usingtheir Web browser. Now, more studentscan continue their education online astheir schedules permit, reducing the prob-lems associated with overcrowded class-rooms and the headaches of commuting.Furthermore, Mediasite’s unique naviga-tion capability lets students quickly pre-view the content of archived lectures bysimply selecting a thumbnail.

The university has seen spikes in on-demand usage just before exams, indicat-ing students are using the archives toreview course material. Both professorsand students are giving rave reviews abouttheir experience with Mediasite, illustrat-ing the important role Mediasite hasplayed in enhancing the educational expe-rience at York.

Given the results to date, York plans toexpand its online learning program to abroader student population by offeringaudio and video podcasting to engage themobile learner. The university is in the pro-cess of outfitting most of its new class-rooms with robotically controlled camerasand state-of-the-art computer systems tomake them more Web-enabled. “We havelearned through our experience withMediasite that a well-designed, content-rich presentation is vital to a successful dis-tance education experience,” said Parke.

BENEFITS

• Addressed university growing pains torelieve pressure on packed classrooms;

• Delivers a richer academic learningexperience than traditional instructionalone;

• Allows adult learners balancing career,family, and education to view content attheir convenience; and

• Scales easily to meet growing demand.


INTERVIEW

Conversation With aTrue MaverickMichael F. Beaudoin

María R. García and Arnold (Noteh) Glogauer

INTRODUCTION

istory tells us “how the west waswon.” The advocating of a neworder, the establishment of fun-

damental principles was all achievedthrough the strong arm of the maverick. Arevolutionary renegade, he refused toabide by the stagnant dictates of the past.This independent logician exhibited thequalities that spun the wheels of change.Today we have changed the metaphor

from the image of the “lone gun” to Rog-ers’ (1962) diffusion of innovations changeagent—the “innovator.” Portrayed as theventuresome risk-taker, the innovator isthe revolutionary seeking to apply aunique skill set with the mission of effect-ing change in an exclusive environment. Inthe field of instructional technology anddistance education (ITDE) Michael Beau-doin is the quintessential innovator. Hav-

H

Maria R. Garcia, Associate Professor, Gradu-ate Studies and Director, MS in IT Manage-

ment Program, Franklin Pierce University, 670 North Commercial Street, Manchester, NH


Noteh Glogauer, Principal, Kesser Torah Col-lege, Sydney, Australia.

Telephone: 011 61 2 9388 2600, ext 108.E-mail: [email protected]


ing devoted his entire academic career tothe advancement and delivery of innova-tive programs, this trendsetter is a primeexample of leader in his field.

Beaudoin’s constant discourse on theneed for grounding the field in the litera-ture and on the importance of the peda-gogy over the technology of teaching at adistance has been an inspiration to manygraduate students. His experience is in linewith Boyer’s (1990) definition of a scholar.Boyer defines four functions of a scholar:teaching, application, integration, and dis-covery.

Scholarship of teaching. Teaching refers tosharing the knowledge with students andempowering them to continue to teachthemselves after school is over. Beaudoinhas been teaching primarily adult learnerssince 1963. In his quest, he has utilized var-ious pedagogical approaches and deliverymethods, and has served as mentor tohundreds of students.

Scholarship of application. Applicationrefers to the engagement as the scholarseeks a responsible way to apply knowl-edge to consequential problems, and waysof making it helpful for individuals andinstitutions. For 40 years, Beaudoin hasheld progressively demanding executive-level positions in academia, includingbeing the founding dean of a college. Hehas also been active in a variety of profes-sional service roles, including the U.S.Department of Education.

Scholarship of integration. Integrationrefers to making connections across thedisciplines. It implies interpretation, fittingone’s own research or that of others, intolarger intellectual patterns. It is the questfor the meaning of the findings. Beaudoinhas participated in over 50 invited presen-tations at state, regional, national andinternational conferences, including key-note talks, and best paper awards.

Scholarship of discovery. Discovery refersto research; the search for new knowledge:the quest for what is to be known, what isyet to be found. Beaudoin is a widely pub-

lished author. His publications surpass 40,and include articles in refereed journals,book chapters, reports, planning and eval-uation studies, and even two books. Hiswork has been widely cited by other schol-ars.

In addition to his contribution as ascholar, he finds enough time to travel, playsports, and other interests. Beaudoin hastraveled extensively throughout the worldand is a competitive master athlete. His hob-bies include jazz, classical music, antiquehouse restoration, and wine collecting.

During our e-mail interview, Beaudoinspoke with us about the present and futureof the ITDE field, what it takes to become ascholar in ITDE, and when will distanceeducation enter the mainstream.

INTERVIEW

Q: We understand you joined the instruc-tional technology and distance education(ITDE) field in 1985. What attracted you toit?

DE and IT are, of course, two differentthings, so I make a distinction here in

Michael F. Beaudoin


responding. Actually, I first becameinvolved in DE in 1980, as first dean of arapidly expanding DE program at a privatecollege in Maine, which was farsightedenough to recognize the potential of newDE enrollments to save the traditionalcampus-centric institution (Sometimes,people make the right decision for thewrong reason). The program grew to thenbecome one of the largest in the U.S. Myinvolvement with the IT end of DE beganin 2000, when I designed and taught myfirst fully online course for University ofMaryland University College; I still serveas an adjunct teaching in its Master of Dis-tance Ed program.

My entire career as an educator hasbeen focused on the development anddelivery of innovative programs intendedto serve adult students not served by tradi-tional programs. So, like many other DE-types, I first got involved in continuingeducation, then gravitated toward DE, as itwas a logical extension of my earlier work.Since then, I have moved back and forthbetween CE, DE and other forms of adulteducation, mostly at the graduate level.

Q: The field of ITDE has changed overtime with expanded research and new tech-nology, but how has the field of ITDEchanged you since you have been involvedwith it?

Since, as I indicated above, I havealways been sort of an educational maver-ick, I’m not sure getting into DE really didchange me, but rather just changed myfocus to the distance dimension of teach-ing and learning. I was able to utilize manyof the same skills acquired earlier (e.g.,planning, management, evaluation, coursedesign, etc.). But I suppose the focus on DEdid require me to play a stronger advocacyrole, often feeling like a pioneer trying tointroduce change into resistant settings. Ialso was forced to adapt to the online envi-ronment, having begun in DE using earliermodes; though I have always been moreinterested in pedagogy than technology.

Q: From your perspective, what are threeof the most noticeable trends in the field ofITDE?

One of the more obvious trends is thatmore faculty are now using IT, althoughthe majority do so by incorporatingselected elements into their face-to-facecourses. Many of these colleagues wouldnever admit to teaching via DE and in fact,most don’t. I might note that at my homeinstitution, I am the only full-time profes-sor who teaches entirely at a distance.

Another noticeable trend, of course, isthe rapid increase in online course enroll-ments, not only at mega-institutions likeUMUC, but even at more traditional andeven more elite colleges that were latecomers into DE. Frankly, much of this newinterest and activity in DE was not becauseof any genuine commitment to this newmode, but to generate new enrollments.

A third trend/tendency is for those get-ting engaged in ITDE to focus too much onthe IT aspect and too little on the DE aspectof the field. An example is that most folksdoing faculty training in ITDE assume it allhas to take place in a computer lab; when Ido faculty training, the first session neverhas a computer in sight.

Q: What are the most essential character-istics needed for a professional in the field ofITDE?

I think the key attributes for this fielddepend on the role to be played. If oneaspires to be a leader, then one needs a cer-tain repertoire of skills that differ fromthose of an instructional designer. How-ever, regardless of the role taken, oneshould always see him/herself as an educa-tor first and foremost. In the leadershiprole, one really must have a lot of persever-ance, as many wannabe DE venues stillrequire a near existential struggle againstthe forces of traditional teaching systemsand structures. I introduced DE at my cur-rent institution nearly 15 years ago, yeteven today, there remain far more in-house skeptics than supporters, despite


our success. Effective DE leaders musthave the capacity to manage change bycreating the conditions that support inno-vation, and they need to focus on bothmicro and macro elements of DE, i.e.,details as well as big picture.

Q: Currently, what is your biggest concernwithin the field of ITDE on a nationalscale?

One concern I have is that there aresuddenly too many ITDE “experts”around, especially on campuses and atconferences. At my university, the IT dept.is always assumed to provide the expertise,but quite frankly, they don’t really have aclue as to what teaching with technologyin this digital age is really all about!Another example is that a colleague in mydept. developed and taught her first onlinecourse ever, and was then immediatelyseen as the dept. expert in all matters re:online teaching and course design. I seethe same phenomenon played out at con-ferences that tout themselves as major DEsessions. Sadly, it seems that far too manypresenters are like my colleague men-tioned above—limited practice in the fieldand no knowledge of the theory, so theyare reduced to a “show and tell” sessionthat contributes nothing to the audience orto the field.

Q: Is this concern also of internationalimportance, or are there other more pressingconcerns at the international level?

I am just completing a major research/writing piece on the diffusion of e-learningin Sub-Saharan Africa, and for sure, thereare many issues at the international scene,though perhaps different from what I noteabove. Perhaps my greatest concern is thatthere is much talk about ITDE in Africa,but with the exception of a few promisingactivities, little real progress is being made.There is plenty of dual-mode DE going on,primarily print-based with face-to-face ses-sions at regional study centers, but move-ment to the next generation of ITDE is

slow. Most folks here say the problem islack of resources (specifically money andcomputers), but I believe a big part of theproblem is overdependence on externalgrants, lack of leadership, lack of planning,lack of IT systems management. I also havea real concern that once IT finally becomesa more prevalent delivery mode for DE inAfrica, it will simply overlay the traditionalcolonial era mode of instruction that is notvery learner-centered.

Q: You have said that distance educationhas the potential of providing better accessto learning opportunities and can poten-tially impact an entire country. In whatways do you think that ITDE has the capa-bility to contribute to the globalization ofeducation?

I fear that the predicted globalization ofeducation, primarily through IT-based DEis somewhat overoptimistic. The barriers tothis happening in the near-term are enor-mous, as noted in my prior response, andincludes high cost of bandwidth, unreli-able power, slow service, lack of comput-ers, etc. DE certainly provides broaderaccess to learning in developing countries,but it is still limited to selected individualsand groups, and does not necessarily havea transforming impact on an entire nation.My piece on e-learning diffusion is notespecially sanguine regarding the future ofan electronically connected world commu-nity. My colleagues in Ghana often use thephrase “Ghana has a long way to go” andfrankly, when it comes to ITDE, they arequite correct.

Q: What is the challenge of dealing withcultural beliefs? How may we make surethat we respect cultural beliefs when design-ing online classes?

Spending time in Africa has providedme some insight into how strong cultur-ally-driven barriers against online teachingand learning can be. For instance, as notedearlier, instruction in most of postcolonialAfrica is a very teacher-centered activity,


which is contradictory to DE pedagogy.Also, the lack of effective planning, manag-ing, and sustaining of DE initiatives makesif very difficult to move to the next genera-tion of DE, so old means and methods pre-vail. There seems to be a lot of attentiongiven to ITDE concepts, but when it comesto the actual implementation of these,complacency with the status quo, as wellas an attitude that “Africa has so manyproblems” seems to stall any real progresstoward innovation and change. The waythat day-to-day business on a universitycampus in Africa is conducted is verymuch culturally-driven, and it is the samein a classroom or online course.

Q: What are some important contribu-tions the field of ITDE has made to educa-tion?

One of the most significant, but unantic-ipated, consequences of DE has been toenhance face-to-face practices. It tookmany teachers a long time to get involvedin ITDE, but when they do, most are posi-tive about the approach and often end upapplying new insights they learned fromDE into their face-to-face courses. Also, asnoted, though it cannot take all the credit,DE has advanced the notion of learner-centered pedagogy that has influencedinstructional approaches in more conven-tional venues.

Q: What progress would you like to see inthe future of distance education?

I have recently completed an essaywhich I’ve just submitted for publicationthat deals with a so-called “tipping point”for DE and asks if we are close to reachingthis point. The piece suggests that whenconsumers of educational products choosea DE course over a face-to-face course,even when both are available; when pro-viders are willing to state that their DEcourses are as good or better than face-to-face courses; and when institutional plan-ners and decision makers finally recognizethat the future of higher education is not in

more classrooms and parking lots, then wemay be edging closer to that elusive tip-ping point. That will be one way I mightdefine future progress in DE.

Q: What do you think are the most impor-tant ethical principles that should guide theITDE profession?

As I mentioned earlier, any DE profes-sional should see him/herself as an educa-tor first and foremost, and this shouldguide their practice. A secondary roleshould be that of being a leader, regardlessof the specific job one holds in DE. The DEeducator/leader must be guided by theirown Principles of Good Practice, crafted asthey mature in their career. Initially, theymight accept the “truths” of the profession,as they have acquired these from otherprofessionals; then as they mature, theyshould explore alternative “truths” byreflecting on their practice and seek waysto improve. Finally, the veteran DE profes-sional ideally serves a role model for oth-ers, defining new “truths” that can guideothers entering the profession.

Q: What is the most enjoyable feature ofyour career?

Despite all the struggles, I have enjoyedthe role of “pioneer” far more than the typ-ical academic role of “settler.” There issomething very satisfying about knowingyou played a key role in creating a newprogram that might otherwise not havehappened and its graduates might nothave otherwise had that learning opportu-nity. This realization came to me 2-3 yearsago while sitting through the lengthy com-mencement exercises of my university. Topass the time, I started counting all thegraduates listed in the program who hadcompleted their studies in one of the pro-grams I had started; to my astonishment,the number was 41% of all graduates inthat particular year, and that percentagehas been fairly constant since then. Thishas got to be one of the peak experiencesof anyone’s career!


Q: When someone at a party asks you“What do you do for a living?,” how do yousummarize your occupation for someonewho knows little about ITDE?

A colleague once referred to me in acomplimentary way as the institution’s“incubator” implying that I was the oneperson who was always concocting newideas, and who also had the ability to oper-ationalize those ideas into successful out-comes. But I usually don’t refer to myselfas an incubator; rather, I simply say I aminvolved in helping people have meaning-ful learning experiences without having tocome to a campus at a fixed time and placeand sit in rows of chairs and dutifully listento a professor profess for an hour or two. Ishould also note that my role has changedin the past 10 years, so in an earlier period,I was more of an activist-administrator inthe DE arena, while currently, I am moreengaged in teaching, research, and writingin the field. I suspect my dear old motherstill cannot to this day explain to herfriends what exactly her son does for a liv-ing.

Q: What advice would you give to a stu-dent who wants to become involved inITDE?

Recognize that this field, like others, hasa distinct body of knowledge, includingresearch, writing, and practice, which onemust become familiar with to be a true pro-fessional.

Be resilient, have stamina, believe inwhat you are advocating, be articulate,have vision, build alliances, realize that thesuccess may be modest, that recognitionmay be scarce.

Always be guided by the knowledgethat you are doing important work, and

that you have the capacity to make a sig-nificant contribution to the field.

Q: Is there anything you would like to addthat has not been mentioned?

No, it’s all been covered, with excellentquestions, and hopefully, worthwhileresponses.

Q: We truly appreciate you giving us theopportunity to learn from you. Thank youfor your time.

Thank you for the opportunity to sharewhatever wisdom I can impart regardingthis exciting field.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Michael Beaudoin is an innovator. He is anindependent thinker who demonstratesthe ability to understand and apply com-plex technical knowledge relevant to thefield of ITDE. The fundamental ability tocope with a high degree of uncertaintyearly on in his carrier in a then uncertainfield characterizes him as an innovatoraccording to Rogers’ Diffusion of innova-tion theory. Beaudoin is a true role modelfor other members in the ITDE domain. Asmembers in the discipline continue to seekstabilizing forces in the professional com-munity, Beaudoin can be called on to helpset the agenda in the restructuring of thefield.

REFERENCES

Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered. New

York: Jossey-Bass.

Rogers, E. M. (1962). Diffusion of innovations.

New York: Free Press.


INTERVIEW

If ITDE is Romeo,Who is Juliet?An Interview With Jeroen van Merrienboer

Elias Garcell and Diane Hobson

“Technology does not drive change—it enables change.”—Paul Saffo (Author, Essayist, Technology Forecaster)

f ITDE is Romeo, who is Juliet? It mayseem strange to make such an analogy.The Shakespearean classic appears to

have little to do with modern-day instruc-tional technology and distance education.To envision Juliet checking out Romeo’sMySpace page, and then e-mailing to ask,“O Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou

Romeo?” seems to take away from the feel-ing of passion and longing Juliet portrayedduring the famous balcony scene. How-ever, as Romeo and Juliet has become a clas-sic play that many high school graduateshave come to understand, so has technol-ogy become less of a mystery and moreentwined in our everyday society. Romeo

I

Elias Garcell, Director, Application Services Division, Broward County Government, 9318

NW 8 Circle, Plantation, Fl 33324.Telephone: (954) 850-4521.


Diane Hobson, Educational Technology Teacher, Trimble Middle School, 18500 Jack-

sonville Road, Glouster, OH 45732.Telephone: (740) 767-2810.



and Juliet has other parallels to ITDE aswell. The timeline of Romeo and Julietmoves quickly. They meet, fall in love,marry, and die in a matter of several days.Changes in instructional technology anddistance education can also move quickly.With discoveries in new research and theo-ries, combined with new technologies anda demand for online educational options,those in the field of ITDE must keep upwith changes. Romeo and Juliet also seemsto transcend cultures. It is set in Verona,Italy, written by an Englishman, and hasbeen translated into many languages.ITDE also has to potential to bring manycultures together as it has the possibilitiesto be a key factor in the globalization ofeducation. Lastly, Romeo and Juliet givesinsight to how the ethical, or unethical,decisions made by characters in the playled to the final demise of the main charac-ters. ITDE is also concerned with ethics inthings such as copyright laws and intellec-tual property issues.

THE INTERVIEW

The issues of changes and trends, culturaland international issues, and ethics in thefield of ITDE were the basis for the follow-ing interview with Jeroen van Merrienboer,a research expert in instructional design,and a professor of educational technologyand educational psychology. Because oftime-constraints and geographical barriers,the interview took place via e-mail. The fol-lowing interview, while brief, allows thereader some access to some of the changesand issues occurring in the field of ITDE,and offers one answer to the question; IfITDE is Romeo, who is Juliet?

Q: How long have you been involved inthe field of ITDE?

I have a master’s degree in experimentalpsychology from the Free University ofAmsterdam. I started my PhD research inthe field of instructional technology in1984—so that could be seen as the start of

my involvement in ITDE. My PhD supervi-sor was Sanne Dijkstra.

Q: The field of ITDE has changed overtime with expanded research and new tech-nology, but how has the field of ITDEchanged you since you have been involvedwith it?

From the professional side, I have beentrained to do research and that is what Istill do. I would probably be equally happyif I were doing research in another field.So, you could say that not much haschanged. From an interpersonal perspec-tive, the main change is that I now havecolleagues and good friends around theworld. I really like the international charac-ter of doing scientific research and collabo-ration with colleagues from around theworld.

Q: From your perspective, what are threeof the most noticeable trends in the field ofITDE? • Introduction of new technologies—

noticeably the introduction of the Inter-net and nowadays mobile technologies.

• Change from objectives-driven IDapproaches to approaches that startfrom real-life or realistic tasks.

• Increasing attention for self-regulation,self-directed learning, lifelong learning,etc.

Q: Currently, what is your biggest concernwithin the field of ITDE on a nationalscale?

In the Netherlands, there are nation-wide innovations in the direction of self-regulated learning and competency-basededucation (introduction of the “StudyHouse” in secondary preuniversity educa-tion, introduction of “competency-basedlearning” in junior and senior vocationaleducation, etc.). The rash introduction ofthese innovations comes with risks, espe-cially for lower-ability students becausethey often do not have the skills requiredto regulate their own learning processes


and plan their own learning trajectories. Iguess the situation in the Netherlands is inthis respect quite different from that in theUSA, which seems to be more traditional.

Q: Would you say that concern is also ofinternational importance?

No, I think this currently is mainly anissue in some European countries (Nether-lands, Belgium, UK, some Scandinaviancountries). But it may become an interna-tional issue in the future.

Q: Is there another concern that is moresignificant at the international level? Pleaseexplain.

Yes, it is somewhat related to social-constructivist approaches to instruction.Some of those approaches tend to offer toolittle guidance to students, with the riskthat low-ability students are put at a disad-vantage.

Q: ITDE has the capability to contribute tothe globalization of education. What isgoing on in the field of ITDE to help ensurethose involved in ITDE are aware of differ-ent cultural beliefs when designing onlineclasses?

I am not very familiar with culturalissues in ITDE. I guess it is very difficult totake cultural differences into accountwhen you are dealing with a heterogenousgroup of students with different culturalbackgrounds. The best way to go seems touse examples and learning tasks that arehighly varied with regard to cultural val-ues. But again, I am not an expert in thisfield.

Q: What are some important contributionthe field of ITDE has made to education?

I think most important contributionshave been in business, industry, and themilitary. The contributions to the generalfield of education are, in my opinion, quitelimited. The main contribution may berelated to the change from correspon-dence-based DE to e-learning. But one

might argue that this is more a technologi-cal innovation than the result of workgoing on in ITDE.

Q: What progress would you like to see withthe future of distance education?

Flexibilisation. Making it much moreattractive for lifelong learners. TakingAssessments of Prior Learning (APL) intoaccount.

Q: What do you think are the most impor-tant ethical principles that should guide theITDE profession?

I don’t think they are much differentfrom the ethical principles in other socialsciences. My research group does its workin accordance with the ethical principles ofthe NERA (Netherlands EducationalResearch Association), which are not verydifferent from those of the APA.

Q: What is the most enjoyable feature ofyour career?

The opportunity to work with my PhDstudents and to work together with col-leagues and friends around the world (yes,I know, these are actually two enjoyablefeatures).

Q: When someone at a party asks you“What do you do for a living?,” how do yousummarize your occupation for someonewho knows little about ITDE?

I do research on how to teach people toperform complex tasks, such as flying anaircraft, performing surgery, or doing sci-entific research.

Q: If ITDE is Romeo, who (or what) wouldbe Juliet?

Cognitive psychology, no doubt. Butthat is also because my roots are in experi-mental psychology.

Q: What are the most essential character-istics needed for a professional in the field ofITDE?


Difficult question, because I am aresearcher and not a “professional” in thefield of ITDE. I guess a professional mustbe well aware of research findings andrecent models, be able to cooperate withmany different stakeholders (clients, pro-grammers, graphical artists), have projectmanagement skills, and have a clear visionon the role technologies can and cannotplay in education.

Q: What advice would you give to a stu-dent who wants to become involved inITDE?

Focus on the question of how peoplelearn and which instructional methodsmay facilitate learning; technologies arealways secondary in the sense that theyare used to implement methods—technol-ogies in themselves do not help learning.Doing research is, in my opinion, the bestway to stimulate thinking about this ques-tion.

Q: Is there anything you would like to addthat has not been mentioned?

I guess it is important to realize that theorganization of the field of ITDE in theNetherlands is quite different from theway it is organized in other parts of theworld. In the USA, for instance, thereseems to be a strong distinction betweeninstructional design/technology, learningsciences, and educational psychology. Inthe Netherlands, we do not have such adistinction: it is all more or less the samething.

SUMMARY

There were many important ITDE issuesthat were addressed in this interview. Inparticular, van Merrienboer's perspectiveson the changes in the trends in the field ofITDE, the risks associated with the rashintroduction of innovations, social-constructivist approaches to instruction,and his advice to better understand howpeople learn, rather than focusing on the

technology, which van Merrienboer refersto as secondary. The three trends that vanMerrienboer states are; introduction ofnew technologies, noticeably the introduc-tion of the Internet; changes from an objec-tive-driven ID approach to an approachthat starts from real-life or realistic tasks;and the increasing attention for self-regu-lation, self-directed learning, and lifelonglearning among others. Van Merrienboerpoints out that the rash introduction ofinnovations comes with associated risks,especially for students who may not havethe skill sets to regulate their own learningprocess. Van Merrienboer expressed con-cerns with the social-constructivistapproaches to instruction; he states thatthere is a “risk that low-ability students areput at a disadvantage.” According to vanMerrienboer, a contribution from the fieldof ITDE to education in general is the shiftfrom correspondence-based distance edu-cation to e-learning, although van Mer-rienboer also states it can be argued thattechnological innovation caused the shiftrather than ITDE. Van Merrienboer alsopoints out international concerns in ITDEand acknowledges that, on a national level,there may be other concerns because ofcultural differences. Interestingly, vanMerrienboer views cognitive psychologyas the counterpart to ITDE in the Romeoand Juliet analogy. Lastly, van Merrienboerstates that research should focus on howpeople learn, and the associated instruc-tional methodologies needed to assist inthe learning process. Van Merrienboerargues that “technologies themselves donot help learning.” One last observationabout this interview: Dr. Merrienboer doesnot consider himself a professional in thefield of ITDE, however, his perspectivesand views would dictate otherwise.

CONCLUSION

As very few in the 1600s could have imag-ined the impact Romeo and Juliet wouldhave on future literature and multimedia,


it is likely very few can fathom the impactthe work being done in ITDE will have onthe future of education and learning.While the underlying goal of education, tohelp students learn, will surely remain thefocus, the way that education and learningis presented may change. As technologiescontinue to progress, new research aboutlearning is discovered, and education

crosses geographical boundary lines, theeducation of tomorrow may look very dif-ferent from the education of today. Asquoted in Hamlet, another of Shakespeare’splay, “Lord, we know what we are, butknow not what we may be.” Only thefuture will be able to show us the impor-tance of the work presently being done inITDE.



Is Google Making Us Dumber?

Ryan Watkins

ough question. From the best I cantell the answer depends on thetask at hand. Google, along with

several other Internet-based technologies,has notably transformed not only how weaccess information but also how we inter-act with others regarding information aswell as how we create knowledge based oninformation. For many tasks, these

changes could easily lead us to the conclu-sion that people are becoming dumberthanks to tools like Google. After all, theyhave significantly altered the conventionalcompetencies we routinely associate withsuccess in modern society.

College students today, for example,rarely go to the library in search of books,periodicals, journals, and other traditionalreference materials for use in their termpapers. Instead they commonly rely onInternet search tools to find availablewikis, blogs, podcasts, and other nontradi-tional sources of information. Sometimesthey find accurate and worthwhile infor-mation to guide their thinking; often, how-ever, they fail to even scratch the surface ofthe information, knowledge, and wisdomthat is available, but not on the Internet.Limiting our ideas solely to those that areeasily found online does little to advanceour abilities to create knowledge frominformation. In this way, tools like Googlemay be making us dumber.

Our easy access to the vast amount ofinformation available online provides uswith a valuable, yet precarious, resource.While Google search results may provideus with quick access to information onmost any topic, at most any time, frommost any location; many of us are easilylulled into a false confidence regarding the

T

Ends and Means

Ryan Watkins, Associate Professor,George Washington University.Web: www.ryanrwatkins.com


quality and breadth of information we getback from our searches. We often forgetthat Google, as a private, for-profit com-pany, is in the business of pushing contentto us using the always coveted first-line-search-return that was routinely sold tothe highest bidder. Likewise, online toolslike Wikipedia can inflate our sense ofinformation quality, as the openness of thetool, a characteristic that makes it espe-cially comprehensive, can be its greatestliability when it comes to the quality ofinformation.

Our false confidence in the quality ofinformation available on the Internet mayalso come from a continuing perceptionthat anything that is published must be ofquality. After all, just 2 decades ago pub-lished media were limited to the tight con-trols of a few publishing companies thatmaintained a large staff of quality-controleditors. Today, however, most anyone canpublish their thoughts and ideas to theInternet; regardless of the quality, accu-racy, biases, or other characteristics thateach of us must weigh when determiningwhat information we should use whenmaking decisions or building knowledge.

Nevertheless, as we continually mod-ernize the standards used to judge a per-son’s capacity to be successful, we quicklyfind that tools such as Google are likewisetransforming the corresponding compe-tencies. The knowledge and skills thatwere precursors of success just a few yearsago are no longer the minimal standardsthat we can apply today to judge compe-tence. From selecting the right search toolsfor the task to accurately assessing thequality of information, the competencies

being developed by Internet users todaymay give them the capacity to be smarterthan any generation in the past.

Developing effective skills for identify-ing, accessing, comprehending, analyzing,and evaluating information that is avail-able online have therefore become essen-tial to those who will be successful in ourconnected world. From efficiently usingonline library databases to applying sys-tematic evaluation criteria to Web articles,the skill set of Google users must growbeyond keyword searches to include acomprehensive approach to managing thevolume, quality, and usefulness of infor-mation that is now available.

In the future, as the traditionalresources for building knowledge moveinto more publicly available online for-mats, tools like Google have the opportu-nity to expand access to information forpeople around the world. In doing thisthey can add valuable new dimensions tothe standards we use to define a person’scapacity for success; or, as is the case today,they can provide only a limited view of theinformation, knowledge, and wisdom theworld has to offer. These are not, however,decisions for Google to make alone. As ischaracteristically the case with most Inter-net-based technologies, the users of theInternet will determine the fate of Google,the fate of knowledge, as well as the fate ofour own intellects. When used poorly,tools like Google can limit our perspec-tives; when used wisely, these tools cancomplement, update, and even expand theinformation that we will hopefully trans-form into knowledge and wisdom to beshared with others.


• There is 24/7 technology support;

• There are academic advisers for distanceeducation students;

• A systematic approach is applied to thegrowth and management of the distanceeducation program;

• There are clear plans for the future ofdistance education;

• Evaluation of distance education coursesand programs are used for continuousimprovement; and

• Input from faculty and students is usedfor program improvement.

Of equal interest and importance aresome of the most noteworthy “red flags.”

• There are two separate approaches,even mission statements for traditionaland distance education;

• There are two target populations for tra-ditional and distance education;

• There are two course approval pro-cesses for traditional and distance edu-cation;

• Distance education courses are designedusing a “cookie-cutter” approach;

• Faculty attempt or are encouraged todirectly convert traditional courses todistance delivered courses;

• There are two course evaluation sys-tems, one for traditional and one for dis-tance education;

• Some student services must be accessedface-to-face by distant students;

• Distant students are often confusedabout contact people at the institution;

• The institution has a history of startedand stopped distance education pro-grams;

• Few, other than administrators, knowabout the institution’s distance educa-tion program;

• There are a large number of distant stu-dents who drop out; and

• There are many complaints from distantstudents.

Obviously, it is important to read thereport to clearly understand these twolists. The report also contains many othercomments of the accrediting agency repre-sentatives. And, distance education cannot be improved merely by using check-lists. However, this report by the U.S.Department of Education is must readingfor those dedicated to quality teaching andlearning at a distance.

And finally, it is certainly a positive signthat so many organizations are offering sug-gestions, most based on research, not opin-ion, about improving quality in distanceeducation—reports designed to producequality without mandates, effectivenesswithout edicts, and performance withoutprescriptions.

REFERENCE

U. S. Department of Education. (2006). Evidenceof quality in distance education programs drawnfrom interviews with the accreditation commu-nity. Retrieved April 30, 2007, from http://www.itcnetwork.org/Accreditation-EvidenceofQualityinDEPrograms.pdf

And Finally … continued from page 88


Accreditation and Quality in Distance Education

Michael Simonson

n March of 2006, the U.S. Departmentof Education’s Office of PostsecondaryEducation released an interesting

report titled “Evidence of Quality in Dis-tance Education Programs Drawn fromInterviews with the Accreditation Commu-nity.” What is interesting and importantabout this document is the approach usedto collect information: 12 accrediting orga-nizations were asked to identify represen-

tatives who had served on evaluationteams for schools offering distance educa-tion programs. These representatives wereasked to identify “Good Practices and RedFlags.” Their comments make great read-ing for anyone interested in identifyingquality strategies for teaching and learningat a distance.

The report is organized into six sections,each dealing with various indicators ofquality. The six are Mission, Curriculum,Faculty, Students, Sustainability, and Eval-uation and Assessment. In each categoryare dozens of indicators of quality and redflags—danger signs that often indicate aweak or ineffective distance education pro-gram.

Some of the most interesting positiveindicators are:

• The mission statement contains anexplicit statement of the purpose of dis-tance education;

• The regular faculty have oversight ofthe distance education curriculum;

• The regular faculty are actively involvedin course design;

• There is a strong and active facultydevelopment process;

• The university provides instructionaldesign support for distance education;

I

And Finally …

Michael Simonson, Editor, Distance Learning, and Program Professor, Programs in Instruc-tional Technology and Distance Education, Fischler School of Education, Nova South-eastern University, 1750 NE 167 St., North Miami Beach, FL 33162. Telephone: (954) 262-8563. E-mail: [email protected]

… continues on page 87

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