Connectivism

George Siemens has raised some interesting ideas around how people learn - connected rather than disconnected - networked not independently. His article Connectivism: Learning as Network-creation (10 August 2005) has stimulated a lot of discussion, and is particularly topical for e-learning as it seeks to define itself in the 21st century. He states that the networked age has changed the way we learn, "Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes, should be reflective of underlying social environments." (Siemens January 2005)

Learning and learners are changing partly due to the influence of technology and the access to knowledge. Learners are now becoming more expert at finding knowledge as well as having knowledge. Learning is taking place all the time, and should be 'life-long' as well as integrated with life and work. The separation of learning from other aspects of life has broken down - learning can really take place continuously. Mobile devices make this achievable, and the abundance of available digital knowledge makes it a continuous part of our experience.

enough for now...

The Design Phase

Introduction

Having analysed the users, environment and possible content of the courses for academic staff involved in course conversion and tutoring online, this discussion focuses on the course design and development.

Reading some of the recommended literature and other resources, I am clearer about the approach to the course design that I believe will make the course useful and relevant. In particular, the audience need an approach that is both andragogically sound as well as practical and applicable to their daily teaching. The instructional design theories set out by Jonassen (2005) were very useful in giving some variety to the approaches. I particularly liked his ideas about the ‘Constructivist Learning Environment’, which seemed to embrace a variety and mix of qualities that should lead to engaging and meaningful learning.

Downes (2005) extends this further by suggesting that teaching (and learning) do not really take place through lecturing and demonstrating but through “the creation of an environment into which the learner is immersed”. Siemans (2004) introduces ‘Connectivism’ which sees learning no longer as an internal or individualized activity, but the ability to plug into our internal and external networks, so we learn what we need for tomorrow rather than relying on what we know today.

Crawley (2004), suggests that many teachers in higher education are “ill prepared, practically and psychologically, to embrace and utilize e-learning, and often unconvinced of its value in their teaching.” Many faculty have reluctantly entered the e-learning arena because their institution or department have installed a learning management system and they are expected to use it. From my observations in my own institution, the LMS is used primarily as a website from which students can download lecture notes. Schlusmans et al (2004) argue that although e-learning can radically change the outlook of education, a radical change requires more than using email and Powerpoint presentations on the web, but “a complete rethinking of the educational system.” These are some of the challenges we face in our university as well as in our School.

The Design

The drivers at our School for the utilization of eLearning are at the moment practical rather than pedagogical. The challenge is moving staff from using technology for storing and disseminating course notes to using collaborative discussion tools and other communication devices. At our annual staff retreat in August, we considered the impact of larger student numbers, more subjects/courses in a broader curriculum, as well as the move from 3-year to 4-year degree programmes. We discussed the need to find ways to use technology in teaching to help with both the quantity issues and the need to enhance teaching and learning quality. During further discussion with individual staff, there was some concern expressed about the use of technology, the practical issues as well as the expectations of students.

Staff generally felt that they did not know how to use the LMS, to work as an online tutor or to develop eLearning materials. Therefore one of the priorities is to provide staff development in these areas. One of the ways to try to overcome staff reluctance to attempt eLearning was to introduce a new user-friendly learning platform and help staff and students use it. (The major barrier found to using technology in teaching was the unfriendliness of the PolyU LMS - WebCT 4.1). In late August we introduced “Moodle”, an open source course management system based on the social constructionist approach to online learning design. We had already provided an introduction to teaching staff, through a series of demonstration sessions in the summer. We then set up a number of subject areas and ‘enrolled’ students.

Progress in the first four weeks of the semester has been good. Seven staff are now offering courses hosted on Moodle, and so far 480 students have self-enrolled for 13 subjects.

The design of the proposed programme follows:

Course Title: Online Teaching Toolbox

Overall aim: To develop teachers’ skills so that they are confident to offer more online teaching methods

Course objectives:

1. To enable teachers to provide a stimulating virtual learning environment for students
2. To enable teachers to adapt or redesign their courses for online delivery
3. To enable teaching staff to use the tools available on the LMS to facilitate students’ learning

Supporting Standards

• Referenced to standards in online design and tutoring (European e-learning and IMS Standards)
• Referenced to other academic institutions
• Adapted to Asian/Hong Kong/ Chinese culture & learning traditions
• Taking account of hospitality and tourism programmes overseas.

Target Learners

• Academics in the School of HTM at Hong Kong PolyU
• Teaching assistants and other who have teaching responsibilities
• Course designers

Teaching & Learning Methods

Key strategies will include:

1. One-to-one coaching
2. Classroom demonstration
3. Hands-on workshops
4. Online coaching and collaboration
5. Online simulations

Design Approach
The design of the courses should be:

• Modular – units should be designed as reusable learning objects or RIO’s
• Flexible – units can be studied when it is convenient to staff
• Units should be able to be completed in 15-20 minutes.
• The pathway should be random not linear.
• Applied, but with a sound pedagogical base to underpin each unit.

Short interrelated topics will be developed that can be clustered according to staff needs and requirements. For example, a communication tools cluster, a course conversion cluster etc. There will be a core of key units that underpin the philosophy and pedagogy of the whole course, and these should be completed by all staff. However, because the courses will be designed primarily as online units, with the option of face-to-face sessions, they could be accessed in a random manner and teachers could opt for their own menu of units. (See Project Proposal for details of units).

Assessment Strategies

No formal assessment will occur. However, formative assessment, using feedback and providing on-line help will be available.

Evaluation

Evaluation should be ongoing. The course should make adjustments and respond to participants’ needs and concerns rather than a fixed agenda. Feedback should be incorporated into version two of the course. The course will be offered on an ongoing basis to accommodate teachers’ schedules and needs.

Conclusion

The courses above should be able to be developed using a constructivist approach, and using a mix of media. The courses will scheduled, but individual units will be available on a roll-on, roll-off basis. It may be possible to reproduce all the units (including classroom sessions) as online learning objects, to include demonstration and simulation.

References

Downes, S. (2005, Jul 1). Are the basics of instructional design changing?. Message posted to Stephen's Web, archived at http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=6 Retrieved on 18 September 2005

Siemans, G. (2004, Dec 13). Connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age. Message posted to elearningspace, archived at http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/001874.html Retrieved on 17 Sep 2005.

Jonassen, D. (n.d.). Welcome to the design of constructivist learning environments(cles). Retrieved Sep. 18, 2005, from http://tiger.coe.missouri.edu/~jonassen/courses/CLE/

Crawley.J, Shrouded in the mists of someone else’s vision – Teachers using Learning Technology in Post Compulsory Education, Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference. September 2004, Retrieved Sep 18, 2005 from http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003709.htm

Schlusmans, K.H.L.R., Koper, E.J.R., Glesbertz, W.J., Integrated eLearning, Chapter 9, Work processes for the development of integrated eLearning courses. (pp 126-138). London: RoutledgeFalmer, 2003. Chapter retrieved Sep 20, 2005 from http://dspace.ou.nl/retrieve/99/workprocesses.pdf

The Analysis Phase

THE BEGINNING
The analysis phase of any learning programme can be often underdone or neglected - as it takes time and thought to do it well, and can often throw up unexpected or unwanted issues. The sponsor, subject expert or course designer may not be too happy to know that the course they had planned, that staff or students 'needed' is not actually what the learners wanted or actually needed! In business or industry this usually means that the project sponsor (often the HR director or department manager) pays the money and gets the course he or she wants.

If the in-company project manager is open to ideas and works closely with the instructional designer the project can be successful both in its development as well as in its outcome, and benefit the company and the learners. A business focus usually means the learning programme is performance-based and certain learning outcomes are expected, and these are reinforced or rewarded (by internal recognition, certification or by other means). So business programmes normally take a behavioural approach.

Other higher level programmes may stimulate learners to take more responsibility for their learning path, and have more of a cognitive constructivism approach, including criticizing, synthesizing and analyzing. But normally, unless the learning contributes to the business and to the bottom line, these aspects may not always be included in the learning design.

THE MECHANICS
My experience of working with industry has helped me see the value of careful analysis. I have worked with other people's training needs analyses, and I have conducted my own analyses, normally in collaboration with HR people. I usually enjoy this phase of any project, as it is a discovery, an insight into the company or business, a chance to meet the actual learners, and involves communication and interaction. The techniques I have used have varied depending on a certain factors:

• The size of the target audience and their accessibility
• If I have access to performance reviews or other documentation
• If I have access to trainers, supervisors or others.
• If I can review critical incidents, reports or other records.

The tools I have used included:

• Surveys - based on a questionnaire sent to the target group, their supervisors or trainer – (quantitative)
• Focus groups - face to face discussion on the participants perceived training needs (qualitative)
• Telephone interviews - on a one-to-one basis (qualitative)
• Direct observation of job performance or functions (qualitative).

Nunan (1988) makes a distinction between product-oriented and process-oriented course design, where product-oriented design focuses on the knowledge and skills learners should gain as a result of the instruction, and process-oriented design which focuses on the learning experience itself. This leads me to look at the analysis stage of course design for my current work which is back in the world of education rather than industry. However, many of the ideas I used in industry are still very relevant to the analysis phase of academic course design too.

THE PROJECT
My major upcoming project is to plan, redesign and re-engineer a taught MSc in Hotel & Tourism Management offered by the School of Hotel & Tourism Management (SHTM) at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Siemans (2002) has said that, ‘Elearning is the marriage of technology and education, and most often, the instructional designer's greatest role is that of "bridging" concepts between the two worlds’. So I have been thinking about the factors that will affect the design of the course or programme, and what should I take account of in the analysis phase?

In an academic context I am learning there are many complex and interwoven factors, internal and external that will affect the learning design of any course or programme. Most striking to me is that industry is quite straightforward compared to a public university. In industry - the one that pays the money calls the tune. But in academia it is not the students/customers who call the tune, but the government (who sets the quotas and provide funding), the institution (who set the policies and the infrastructure for course delivery, assessment etc) and the instructors who decide how, and sometimes what they want to teach. 'The existing policies and procedures of the institution in which the web-based classroom is based can present some of the biggest hurdles in the classroom's development,' according to McCormack (1998).

Having come from an instructional design & consulting role in industry to a university, I found my original ideas on course design being transformed by my environment. No longer could decisions be made on the telephone, I needed to recognize the slow and cumbersome academic decision-making processes which might sometimes take years! I also needed to understand that decisions were more a collegiate than an individual event. Consultation takes time, requires reflection, discussion, cogitation - and often a decision may just not be made at all. So lesson one, talk to as many people as possible, assemble many views and perspectives and try to gather them, so that consensus can possibly be achieved.

So my original perception that I could take existing course contents (lecturer’s notes, slides and materials) and convert them into online courses soon went out of the window. Not only would this not be appropriate – it would probably not be effective. I found that I needed to consider a number of new and more nebulous and challenging issues. I needed to realise that planning and preparation takes a lot more time than I was used to and extensive consultation needed to really happen. Porter (2004) agrees that, 'Although planning cannot eliminate all the gremlins from online courses, it can help establish a sound educational outline for each course and meet the needs of learners with different learning styles and preferences.'

THE INITIAL ANALYSIS
My first step was a review of current e-learning initiatives in the university and the School. Second was an initial survey of 24 full and part-time MSc HTM students to try and help me to understand some of their attitudes, perceptions and ideas about learning online. Third was to explore the views and ideas of academics in the School to understand their perceptions, problems and experiences. Here are some of the things I discovered:

1. The learning tradition. Around 95% of our MSc students are from Hong Kong or Mainland China. The remainder are either expatriates working in Hong Kong or students on scholarships or exchange programmes from overseas. The Confucian values of teaching are quite strong in Hong Kong and Mainland schools, with a very didactic method of teaching. This tradition continues through undergraduate education in 'Greater China' and often online learning is not seen as 'real teaching or learning'. Implication 1 = most students seem to prefer face-to-face teaching, though the survey indicated that students recognized the value of online learning.

2. The culture. Go almost anywhere in Hong Kong and China and you will notice that young people like to meet, talk, eat and do activities in groups. This is a very social culture, and influences the way students like to study and learn. Implication 2 = Most Chinese students are social creatures - they like to be with other students, study in groups and have a group identity, so establishing a group identity, group relationships and group work in online learning will be very important.

3. The technology. In some parts of China the range of online learning media would be constrained by technical limitations such as access to broadband internet, as well as access to computers in some instances. Implication 3 = Any online learning materials need to be less resource hungry for Mainland China.

4. The teachers. A traditional university like PolyU, in the context of a traditional culture, is like trying to move an elephant with a spoon. It takes time for the wheels of university governance to move, and it takes time to persuade busy teachers, with heavy workloads to consider 'other' activities. Teachers are also the owners of their courses, they need to see that technology can help, not add to their workload. Therefore faculty need to have demonstrated to them the efficiency and effectiveness of online learning and teaching. Good models and exemplars need to be developed so that teachers want to employ technology to enhance teaching and help their workload. Implication 4 = Teachers are one of the keys to unlocking the door to online learning in a traditional university.

5. The support. Strategic planning and commitment from senior management is essential. Resources to support and assist teachers in course redesign and development, technical help and instructional design expertise need to be made available. Implication 5 = Support from senior management, ownership by teachers, underpinned by adequate financial, human and technical resources are essential.

SOME COMMENTS FROM SURVEYED STUDENTS

1. I prefer a combination of online and taught classes because as a part-time student, it is sometimes very hard for me to attend classes on the campus after work.
2. How about the handouts? Will the lecture notes be provided online as well? One of the advantages for the online teaching is that learning can become more flexible in choosing my subject.
3. Online learning is a good idea.
4. I prefer tradition classroom-based education to online education, because online classes cannot make direct contact with the teachers and teaching materials. However, I agree with online exams because it can save time and money for arrangement.
5. Online learning has one very big shortcoming, lack of interactions between the lecturer and students. Mixed mode, therefore, can be considered.
6. Learning online is difficult for many people as it takes a lot of discipline for keep yourself motivated to keep up to date on readings & assignments.
   
7. Some things just cannot be taught online. Human contact is a must and learning in the class is a huge advantage rather than learning through reading text on a screen.

References:

Chapnick, S. (2001). Research Dog eLearning Readiness Assessment. Retrieved Aug. 7, 2005, from Research Dog Web site

Kaur, K. (2004). An Assessment of E-learning Readiness at the Open University Malaysia. Paper Presented at International Conference on Computers in Education 2004, Retrieved August 2, 2005

McCormack, C. (1998). Building a web-based education system. 1st ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Nunan, D. (1988). Syllabus design. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

O’Brian, E. (2004). Training needs analysis - the first step in authoring e-learning content. Presented at the 2004 ACM Symposium on Applied Computing, Retrieved Aug 8, 2005

Porter, L. (2004). Developing and online curriculum: technologies and techniques. 1st ed. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.

Siemans, G. (2002). Instructional Design in Elearning. Retrieved Aug. 10, 2005, from Elearning Space Web site: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/InstructionalDesign.htm

The influence of learning theories on the method of 'instruction'

(Photo: Some doctoral students from Prince of Songkhla University, Phuket, visiting us in Hong Kong during their studies at PolyU...in front of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant)

How does learning theory affect the way we teach, and the methods and materials we use? A fairly simple description to help me see how they influence learning design, starting with Behaviourist learning theory, with its focuses on repetition and positive reinforcement. This theory has influenced many computer-based training courses, and takes a fairly linear learning approach to training course design. Behaviourism is perhaps the most influential theory of the 20th century (though it was used by Aristotle and others over the last couple of millenia too!)

Cognitivism, influenced by Bruner (Discovery Learning) and Vygotsky (Zone of Proximal Development) emphasizes exploration and problem solving, where the learners set their own learning goals, and teachers facilitate the learning and provide the environment for discovery. This theory has emerged in the age of distance learning and online learning and owes something to Socrates and other great thinkers.

Constructivism, influenced by John Dewey and Malcolm Knowles, among others, suggests that knowledge is socially constructed, interactive and dialogic. Constructivism sees teachers as only one component of the learning process, other students and the individual themselves create their own education, as they draw on prior knowledge and assimilate this with new information. The teacher becomes the guide and co-learner with the students.

Finally, an interesting learning theory put forward by George Siemens, and what he calls Connectivism. Connectivism which is learning, through the use of technology and social networks, which combines elements of other learning theories, social structures and technology to create a theoretical construct for learning in the 21st century. Our learning is continually evolving and changing as it is influenced by technology and networks.

What is instructional design?

Is the description 'instructional design/instructional designer' a little dated? The term has been used over many years, and is well-established in the education and training world, and yet it is a left over from the days of instructor/trainee relationships where the instructor was the expert and the trainee was the sponge. In the modern world of communication and lifelong learning, should we not be talking about learning, developing, collaborating, facilitating etc?

Should we be using another term such as 'Learning design,' and the person who designs, a 'learning technologist' or 'knowledge architect' or even an 'ideas synthesizer'? The label is important as it says what is behind the 'product'. As teachers we should be looking to create an environment in which ideas, thinking, expression, communication and self-development takes place. Our focus should be less on the content, more on the means of learning....which brings us back to the discussion - what is instructional design?

I like the idea that ID is an art (intuitive), a science (analytical, applying andragogical theory) and a process (it evolves and develops, it takes us from one place to another). It is all about creating or designing a learning environment in which the learner is the focus rather than the teacher and where the learning takes place in spontaneous rather than structured ways. I guess this is partly talking about 'constructivism' - where each learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning - as he or she learns.

Moodle

Started testing Moodle as an LMS for the School. Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. Moodle has a large and diverse user community with over 50,000 users, speaking 60 languages in 120 countries.

We ran a short induction session for non-techie academics on Monday, and within 10 minutes they were posting messages, engaging in online chat, and navigating some of the sample courses...amazing!
The hope is that some teaching staff will choose to use Moodle on a trial basis for the new semester, and we will monitor progress and survey students and teachers to see if they would prefer to switch from our current LMS to the new system.

So far looks good - easy to install, manage, and create courses.
To have a look at our prototype Moodle go to SHTM Online.

The focus for our e-learning

Our focus in the School should probably be upon communication as opposed to content. Research indicates that students want contact with a tutor, and this must be the essential core of any e-learning programme. Therefore we should focus strongly on communication tools and techniques, with content becoming secondary to communication. This approach may also help us to develop and establish e-learning more quickly as the focus will be on managing the communication and interaction between the tutor and students rather than on the resource-intensive content development and course conversion.

This requires different approaches and has different development needs. The aim would be to help teaching staff to handle the communication process, tools and scheduling etc. These processes also require instructional design input and systematic planning. This focus on communication also means that the teacher remains the key to managing student interactions and guiding the learning experience. The development of course materials can also be better managed if They are seen as one part of all the delivery solution rather than the core of the e-learning system.

Using weblogs for elearning or marketing

Here are a few notes on how 'blogs' might be used by SHTM. Firstly a few interesting links:

The Blogging Revolution: Weblogs Are To Words What Napster Was To Music http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.05/mustread.html?pg=2

weblogs: a history and perspective:
http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html

The Art of Blogging - Overview, Definitions, Uses, and Implications
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/blogging_part_1.htm

For education:
http://www.bazeley.net/edblog/

More to come later.

Small-scale research

My concern about the online MSc is to ensure we do it well. There is a lot of e-learning out there of poor quality, and I would like ours to be the best we can make it. Therefore it is very important we do our thinking, research and planning so that we know how we should proceed and make it a success. It would be possible to revamp the existing subjects, but I feel we need to start with the learners/stakeholders rather than the content. Some small scale research might enable us to then go forward with confidence, having thought about as many of the issues as possible.

I have set out some of the issues in the earlier postings on this weblog, so this log is a summary of my thoughts so far.

Another MSc online programme

Found another online MSc programme from Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University (UK) who offer an International Tourism Management PgCert/PgDip/MSc. Recognized by the Hotel and Catering International Management Association, and costing £6,240 is is available on campus and online.

The Competition

A review of other online or distance Master programmes in hospitality, hotel and tourism management shows a handful of (mainly US) institutions offering master programmes, and these include:

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Offers a two-year Hospitality Master program of 10 courses delivered online. Faculty use hospitality and general business examples and students' job experiences to relate courses to the real world. The Internet is used as the medium to deliver course material.

George Washington University. Offers a Master of Tourism Administration Degree (online). Each class session contains a condensed lecture of 15 minutes in length, downloadable lecture slides, reading assignment, class discussion topic.

Auburn University. The Department of Nutrition and Food Science, which is part of the School of Human Sciences, offers graduate study leading to a Master of Science degree with emphasis in hotel and restaurant management (HRM).

University of North Texas. Hospitality Management program requirements include a minimum of 24 semester hours within the 36 hours required for a Master of Science degree. Eight courses are delivered asynchronously using Web CT.

University of Houston. Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management offer a Masters in Hospitality Management On-line.

Hibernia College (Ireland) in conjunction with the IHF provides a distance programme in Hospitality Management.

Florida International University. Offers a Master of Science in Hospitality Management - Executive Master's Track degree from FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The Executive Master's Track Distance Learning Program is a 22-month degree program with 10 courses / 30 credit hours of graduate work. The cost for the Program is US$20,000, which includes classroom instruction on CD-ROM supplemented with Internet-based learning, course materials, support services, and miscellaneous fees.

Other hospitality & tourism online learning programmes

Cornell University (e-Cornell) Offers a Master Certificate in the Essentials of Hospitality Management - 7 online courses of 15 hours each and a Master Certificate in Foodservice Management – 8 online courses. (cost US$6864.00)

American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. Offers single hospitality courses and a Hospitality Management Diploma online.

University of Massachusetts. Offer an online Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management. It includes general management courses and introductory courses from each of the three areas of specialization within the Hospitality and Tourism Management degree program.

Southern New Hampshire University. Distance Education in conjunction with the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Management offers a 14-course, 42 credit Master of Science program in hospitality administration.

Support, tutoring and marketing

Administration and support

Management and administration are two of the vital elements in any e-learning programme. Before a programme is launched, systems must be put in place to promote, enrol and support the applicants. Systems for payment, monitoring and tracking must be developed. Technical support to the system, materials and learners must be set up and tested well before the programme is launched.

A well-developed LCMS contains all the essential systems to enable an organization to quickly get up and running. The important factor is to anticipate and plan for all eventualities and have the people trained and ready to handle the programme.

Tutorial support

Student support is vital to the success of e-learning, and the tutor plays the major role in providing a quality learning experience for the student. Tutors need to be trained in the skills of handling online learners, dealing with their problems and facilitating their learning. Online tutoring is a skill to be developed, and not all lecturers are suitable or trained to do it. There is a need to select the best tutors, and train those who have the academic skills but lack the tutoring or technical skills needed for the job. Motivating and encouraging learners is critical to the success of online learning, and the best tutors are those who do this well.

Assessment

Assessment is a vital area that needs to be carefully considered to ensure quality control and credibility for the awards offered. We need to ensure that we offer a rigorous assessment process that satisfies all stakeholders, and that adds value to our awards. The principles of quality online assessment differ very little from more traditional assessment. Validity, reliability, flexibility and fairness are still paramount in the online environment. The difference for online assessment is in the use of information and communication technologies. Instructors need to ensure that technology enhances rather than impedes quality in assessment practice.

Assessment activities need to be clearly linked to educational objectives to underpin the more effective use of online assessment methods. The instructional design stage should identify early in the design process what is going to be assessed and how learning and assessment will be integrated. This will then allow tools or technology to be selected based on an informed educational decision rather than on an attraction to the particular ease of an assessment method or tool.

Assessment is more than assigning students grades. Assessment can be used to provide data for improving teaching methods and for guiding and motivating students to be actively involved in their own learning. Assessment provides feedback to both Instructors and students about the extent to which the learning goals are being met.

Assessment should be both formative and summative in order to motivate and provide feedback to the learner on their progress. A range of assessment methods could be used depending on the subject and level. Pre and post multiple-choice tests are helpful in demonstrating progress. Self-tests and activities with feedback also reinforce the learning achievements and students’ understanding. Case study exercises, problem solving, workplace activities and other practical assignments can be used to assess students’ application of the learning. Other methods might include a portfolio of development activities, a learning journal and an online examination in real time.

Marketing and launch

It is essential that our online programmes be launched professionally and with all the facets in place so as to ensure the credibility and reputation of SHTM online studies. Therefore, time is needed to develop, market test and get feedback from the industry to ensure we are confident the units, modules or full programmes are to the highest quality.

The Development Process

Development of e-learning programmes is a systematic process. As discussed earlier, it would make sense to develop our programmes in small chunks, with our overall aim to complete a full programme. The strength of this approach is it enables us to test, experiment, evaluate and improve our work as we go along and release units or modules when we are ready. We can also collate different objects, units or modules together to meet unique needs of various identified student groups.

E-learning development normally follows the ADDIE (analyse, design, develop, implement, and evaluate) instructional design model. This is a basic model that holds true for any type of learning, including Web-based. For the purpose of SHTM, a proposed development is outlined in Appendix A for the online Master in Hotel and Tourism Management programme.

Facilitating the development process
To help SHTM develop outstanding e-learning a project team approach is suggested. This could be a team of practitioners (instructional designers, multimedia technicians and SME’s) supported by an advisory group of industry and learning experts drawn from the School and industry users in Hong Kong and overseas.

Financial considerations

Development costs for the programme could come from a number of sources – internal and external. The basic costs would be staff remuneration, as the bulk of the work could be completed in-house. However, some additional expertise and costs would be incurred such as design, expert help, project assistance and purchase of systems. Sources for this could include the EDC, ODU, WTO, company sponsorship etc.

Interactivity

The level of interaction determines to a high degree the perceived quality of any programme. Interaction can be integral to the course materials in the form of activities, questioning, feedback etc. Interaction with the School, the tutor and the support team will be one of the most critical factors in retention of the students, and the referrals received from satisfied customers. E-learning courses should aim for maximum interactivity within the bounds of cost, time and appropriateness. Time and cost of development of the component should be decided objectively as to whether it enhances or assists learning and not just looking good on screen. The time in developing a simulation needs to be weighed against the effectiveness of the simulation in helping learners apply or understand the event simulated.

E-learning needs interaction to counter the ‘distance’ between the learner, tutor and classmates. Interaction should occur as often as possible and be a natural part of the learning process. Scrolling through on-screen lecture notes or Powerpoint presentations or watching an on-screen lecture becomes a turn-off very quickly. Innovative ways to involve online learners in the learning process takes skill and imagination. There is a need to begin from a learner-centric rather than a content-centric position. Many lecturers are subject-centred, and it is hard for them to move from being the source of all learning to becoming learning facilitators. Major tools for student interaction include chat, discussion, online tutorials, polling and web logs to name a few. Evaluation tools could include self-tests, activities, portfolios, online projects, journals, quizzes and competitions.

Learning Media

The factors that influence interactivity are audience sophistication, type of learning activity and subject matter. What may appeal to an undergraduate student may not appeal to a student on a master programme as their learning styles and learning abilities will differ. Interactivity is also influenced by the nature of the subject matter. A scientific, creative or practical subject may benefit from simulation and demonstration. Less interactivity may be needed for a module on research methods. Media could include text (notes, readings, journal articles, lecture extracts), audio and video (extracts from lectures, interviews, discussion forum), applied activities (case studies, problem-solving), animated objects (diagrams, simulations, visuals) as well as other media (recorded online discussion, polling, self-tests and activities).

Learning Objects

Learning objects are discreet units of learning that deliver a meaningful learning experience for the user. They can be linked together in appropriate clusters and are reusable for different scenarios. SHTM can minimize development time and cost and maximize utilization by developing content in this flexible way. Rather than develop a whole programme, we could aim at developing a number of small objects and build a whole stage by stage.

Learning objects can consist of various media and include a number of essential components. These would fall into five categories – theoretical knowledge (extracts from lectures, articles and readings), application of knowledge (checklists, simulations, report), context of application (case study or problem-solving), sharing of experience (discussion, chat, email communication, online tutorial) and evaluation of learning experience (exercise, questionnaire, test or examination).

When building learning objects we can produce and recompile them in different ways for executive development programmes, CPE, professional courses as well as building them together for full undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The advantage of this approach is that it helps us to develop a bank of reusable resources steadily, and gives us the opportunity to use them flexibly as opportunities arise. The objects would all be catalogued as metadata each with an alphanumeric descriptor. The descriptor would provide a unique reference that also indicated how long the learner could spend completing the object and how much time was spent creating it. In this way we would be able to judge the course time and budget the production time and cost for a particular course.

See how e-Cornell describe their learning design in learning molecules...

Read about Learning Repositories here...

Learning Content Management Systems

WebCT
The Learning Management System (LMS) or Learning Content Management System (LCMS) – sometimes called Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is of vital importance in ensuring quality of the learning delivery and support. Currently PolyU/HKCyberU uses WebCT as its LCMS. This system is well established in universities around the globe for a number of reasons. Firstly, it enables tutors with limited IT knowledge to upload learning content in various media to the portal. Secondly, it provides the basic tools for student support such as discussion, chat and networking. Thirdly, it provides the essential administrative tools to track progress, monitor assessment and manage students’ learning accounts. Overall, the system is well accepted and reasonably cost-effective. WebCT also has many limitations and though scores well on some counts it falls short in others.

Open Source LCMS
An innovative group of educators from universities around the globe are increasingly turning to Open Source technology to develop LCMS. Open source is when the source code of a computer program is made available free of charge to the general public. As well as a non-commercial development environment, it is also starting to challenge the leading commercial products with its user-friendly and easily upgradeable features. Open source may be the way that the education sector really takes a lead in providing a globally accessible learning system.

Some institutions have been developing non-commercial open source programmes that match or exceed the functionality and usability of WebCT and are now available to the worldwide educational community. The best examples are user-friendly for the developer as well as the student, cost-effective and are constantly evolving and improving as users share technical improvements with each other.

Speed and access
With broadband technology established globally, developing and delivering learning material in a variety of media is now possible. Lecturers (with support from technicians) should be able to develop a range of learning items ranging from standard text and graphics to audio, video, simulations and animations with less time and cost than before. This means that learning content can be richer in media, not relying on the standard Powerpoint on the web presentations. The development and use of learning objects is an important part of the developing resources that institutions can now develop and reuse in their courses. A section on learning objects will follow.

Authoring tools
Open source platforms give lecturers access to easy-to-use tools to develop their courses into e-learning mode. The platforms offer all the functions of the LCMS and the course development tools in an integrated suite.

Central or local LCMS
SHTM should consider having its own server to host and manage its e-learning programmes and thereby control the quality and integrity of its programmes. This would enable the School to develop its own identity and manage its potential overseas students more personally. Open source technology and LCMS makes this a practical and financially viable option to WebCT.

Learning Mode?

In order to cater to our potential audiences, we need flexibility in the programme design, delivery and assessment. The programme should therefore seek to be as flexible, modular and reusable as possible in order to be able to package, market and attract a wide range of students from around the globe. We also need to ensure quality so as to gain a reputation for quality programme content and delivery. The learning mode should maximize access and enable students to have wide choice in their studies to meet their personal academic and professional aspirations. We should try not to be confined by the constraints of ‘the programme’ but be led by the needs of our audience and our marketplace (the world). We should try to become ‘customer-centric’ rather than ‘content-centric’ or ‘programme-centric.’

We should take a medium to long term view, rather than short-term approach. In other words, rather than revamp or upgrade the existing MSc subjects, we should try to develop the online material as reusable objects in modular format so as to minimize the overall development cost/time and maximize the usage.

Who might be interested?

The target audience could include the following:
a) Local MSc students
- Current students – as supplementary and supporting material
- New students – using a blended mode or to enable flexible enrolment.
b) MSc Students in Mainland China
- Students on a flexible, blended or block mode programme.
c) Overseas MSc students
- Students on a full online programme
d) Local professionals
- Students on a modular, flexible online programme leading to either a full Pg degree or taking individual subjects
- Local professionals taking units (or a full subject) as professional or executive development in blended, or fully online mode
- Executive development
e) Overseas professionals
- Professionals overseas enrolling for short certificated CPE or executive development programmes.

Kicking off

So here we go. Today in Hong Kong it is cold (9 degrees) and wet - raining heavily!

I have been looking at the framework for an e-learning system in School of HTM, and am becoming more convinced that the future (particularly in the education world) is to go 'open-source.' It seems there are two main routes - those who use proprietary systems such as Blackboard or WebCT and those who have embraced open source (OS) technology. Proprietary systems have helped many institutions get online, but I have not been impressed by the quality of the products or the user-friendliness of the systems.

The learning content management system (LCMS or LMS) is one of the keys to quality. It enables instructional designers, tutors and others to generate learning content, and it provides the infrastructure to host, manage, administer an support the online learners. The great thing about OS is that it is now surpassing the proprietary systems in useablity and features, and not only are systems free, but they are constantly evolving and adding new features as users and developers around the world add to the code.

Have a look at some of the open source LCMS -
Moodle
Manhattan Virtual Classroom
ATutor
and see a review of online classrooms.

Any comments?