Supported distance learning: moving from broadcast to interactive media at the Open University UK
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Transcript of Supported distance learning: moving from broadcast to interactive media at the Open University UK
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Supported distance learning: moving from broadcast to interactive media at the
Open University UK
Dr Stephen Little, Senior Lecturer,
Open University Business School,
Open University
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA UK
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Open University First thoughts (1960s)
• “University of the Air”• second chance for mature students• small core staff• commissioned courses provided by existing
universities• delivery by broadcast, assessed through
correspondence assignments• Open University founded 1969
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Living on a Scottish island, with mail service from mainland interrupted by storms
Notional OU StudentNotional OU Student
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Original Model 1970s
Complete “course in a box” mailed to students– course guide and assignments – high quality course books– specially published text books– Broadcast programmes for each course
Television and radio early morning late evening
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Walton Hall Campus
• Central academic staff developing courses– production staff producing learning materials
• university library for staff use
• BBC providing audio, video production
• graphic design and print production
Regional offices employing tutors– academics from other universities, practitioners– monitored & mentored by centre & regions
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Distance SUPPORTED Learning
High Quality Course materials: book form and on CD-ROM
Face to Face– Students assigned to tutorial group for meetings
close to home (1:16 1:20)– Day School to introduce each course– Summer School
<1 week on existing university campus following seminars and group work
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• Founded 1983Founded 1983• 250 staff + 850 part-time tutors250 staff + 850 part-time tutors• 25,000 students in 44 nations 25,000 students in 44 nations • 7,000 of these in MBA Programme introduced 7,000 of these in MBA Programme introduced
19891989– 20% UK enrolments 20% UK enrolments
(40% of UK distance MBAs)(40% of UK distance MBAs)– 54% based outside UK54% based outside UK– 10,119 holders of MBA (Jan 2002)10,119 holders of MBA (Jan 2002)
Open University Open University Business SchoolBusiness School
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Distance Learning at OUBS
• Distributed Community of Practice– asynchronous electronic support
e-mail conferencing, web-sites
– synchronous electronic support on-line tutorials
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Open University Worldwide
• Founded 1997• The international division of the Open University
– 200,000 students world wide
• Partnerships– Whole Course User Agreements
– Presentation Partnerships
– Licensing of courses with OU Validation Service.
– Material Sales
• Partners in 2 way development and internationalisation
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Media Switch
• 1970-1995 One to Many– Broadcast media – Print– Face-2-Face tutorial, day school, residential school
• 1990-onwards Many to Many– interactive community– Print, audio cassette/CD, CD-ROM– On-line & F2F tutorial, – F2F day school, residential school
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Emerging model Move to alternative to traditional campus-based
university including high school graduates Move to partnerships
internationalisation of learning materials two way learning for staff and students
Use of on-line support– 110,000 OU students using computer conferencing – allows discussion in tutorial group and wider groups– remote access to university library– electronic monitoring of participation and assessment
KMI as development group
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KMI:Knowledge Media Institute:
Blue-sky research into teaching and learning support technologies– asynchronous
D3E
– synchronous Lyceum
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OU Library On-line information literacy support MOSAIC
– Making Sense of Information in the Connected Age
– http://www.open.ac.uk/mosaic
SAFARI– Skills in Accessing, Finding
and Reviewing Information
– http://www.open.ac.uk/safari
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Points of Presence
Moor Park Community Centre,
NE England E-governance
monitoring publictransport performance
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Computer Mediated Communication at the OU
• asynchronicity is key to OU distance learning• but there’s also a role for intensive, real-time
discussions– cf. phone conferencing
• especially. where visual representations are discussed/annotated – cf. tutorial flipcharts/OHPs etc
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OU asynchronous media• Email• FirstClass
– large scale text conferencing
• ETMA – electronic assignment submission and marking
• D3E– document-centered discussions over the Web– http://d3e.open.ac.uk
• Working web sites– “Virtual Journey” storytelling on the web– http:///www.geocities.com/knowledge_links
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Document to be discussed
Commentary and
discussion
D3E: Interactive document discussion interface generated from an HTML file
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OU synchronous media
• Lyceum: internet voice groupware– Complementary to asynchronous media
• Voice: allows tutors and students to discuss issues in real time
• Groupware: Digital whiteboard, flipchart, concept mapping… (What You See Is What I See)
– Standard: PCs ISPs Internet
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Features of Lyceum
• Lyceum can be distributed via the web to any location• It can function on moderate speed (28-32Kbaud) links• A community of users share the following:
– Voice connection– Back-up/supplementary text chat– Instant creation of break-out “rooms” for sub-groups– Shared whiteboards and concept maps– Screen-grabber for pre-existing images– Off-line working for pre-assembly of materials– On-line placement of materials for asynchronous viewing
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Social versus Technical Learning
• Academics’ role moving from passive monitoring of on-line conferences to more interactive facilitation: e-moderating– Salmon, G., (2000). E-moderating: the key to teaching
and learning online. London, Kogan Page.
• 5 stages to on-line Mentoring
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Access & Motivation
Online socialisation
Development
Knowledge Construction
Information giving & receiving
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welcome, motivate, direct to help
build bridges
support task
facilitate
enable
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Access Motivation
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Setting up & accessing systems
Sending& receiving messages,
familiarisingfinding like minded others
Introducing outside resources, supporting
new comers
Conferencing
Online discussions &development
of course materials
Setting up, testing, offlinepractice with screen tools
Online meetingspostings & saving images & diagrams
Personalising, undertaking group tasks
Online creation of new learning materials
by group
Online meetings &discussions beyond
initial group
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Synergy between OUe-learning support tools
Resources Group Interaction
Asynch-ronous
Synch-ronous
Lyceum
FirstClass
“VirtualJourney”
Chat
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Developing a “Course Memory”
• FirstClass – capture of knowledge resources from students,
ALs and Course Team suggested in conferences &on-line SCR
• Lyceum– synchronous discussion & knowledge creation
• Web pages– Live links from student conferences– “Virtual journey” illustrates key issues
• richness of images to reveal implicit dimensions
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URLs for Open University Sites
• Main Open University site http://www.open.ac.uk• Open University Business School site http://oubs.open.ac.uk• Open University Worldwide site http://www.uow.co.uk Lyceum presentation http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/sbs/talks/Lyceum-CMC-18iv00/ Web Sites and Virtual Journeys http://www.geocities.com/knowledge_links