Change MoocTerry Anderson

May 2012

1. Interaction Equivalency2. No-Frills University

The Interaction Equivalency Theorem: Research Potential and Application in Teaching

Terumi Miyazoe, PhDTokyo Denki University

The Open University of Japan

Terumi Miyazoe, PhDTokyo Denki University

The Open University of Japan 2

Terry Anderson, PhDAthabasca University

Terumi Miyazoe, PhDTokyo Denki UniversityThe Open University of Japan

Interaction

A definition: “reciprocal events that require at least two objects and two actions. Interactions occur when these objects and events mutually influence each other” (Wagner, 1994, p.8)

• (At least) two agents• Reciprocity, mutuality • Human and nonhuman

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Three Types of Interaction (Moore, 1989)

The first systematic clarification of interaction in distance education having three essential components of:

•learner–content, •learner–instructor, and•learner–learner interaction

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The Modes of Interaction by Anderson and Garrison (1998)

(Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000)

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The COI model

ComparisonMoore (1989) Anderson and

Garrison (1998)learner–content student–content

learner–instructor student–teacher

learner–learner student–student

teacher–teacher

teacher–content

content–content

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Others:Learner-Interface (Hillman et al, 1994)

Learner-Environment(Burnham and Walden, 1997)

Vicarious Interaction(Sutton, 2000)

Learner’s view point

Multi-agents’ view points,　including

nonhuman agents

The Interaction Equivalency Theorem by Anderson (2003)

• Thesis 1. Deep and meaningful formal learning is supported as long as one of the three forms of interaction (student–teacher; student–student; student–content) is at a high level. The other two may be offered at minimal levels, or even eliminated, without degrading the educational experience.

• Thesis 2. High levels of more than one of these three modes will likely provide a more satisfying educational experience, although these experiences may not be as cost- or time effective as less interactive learning sequences.

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Thesis 1　 Visualization

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Quality

Can you think of example of very quality formal learning where only student-content interaction was involved?

Can you think of example of very quality formal learning where only student-teacher interaction was involved?

Can you think of example of very quality formal learning where only student-student interaction was involved?

Thesis 2 Visualization

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Quantity

Bernard et al. • Bernard, M. R., Abrami, P. C., Borokhovski, E., Wade, C. A.,

Tamim, R. M., Surkes, M. A., & Bethel, E. C. (2009). A meta-analysis of three types of interaction treatments in distance education. Review of Educational Research, 79(3), 1243-1289.

• Bernard, M. R., Abrami, P. C., Lou, Y., Borokhovski, E., Wade, A., Wozney, L., et al. (2004). How does distance education compare with classroom instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 379-439.

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Meta-analysis

A definition: Used to “summarize, integrate, and interpret selected sets of scholarly works in the various disciplines” (Lipsey & Wilson, 2001, p.2)

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Meta-analysis

• Empirical research• Quantitative findings• Comparability

• Coding• Comparison groups• Effect size

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Bernard et al. (2009)

• Distance education courses• 1985 - 2006 • 6,000→77 studies • Interaction Treatment (IT) Interaction dyad≒– Student-Student (SS)– Student-Content (SC)– Student-Teacher (ST)

• Thesis 1 (Value/Importance) Quality≒• Thesis 2 (Strength/Magnitude) Quantity≒

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Bernard’s Main Findings Research Questions Achievement Attitudes

Question 1: Categoriesof interaction (SS, ST, SC)

All categories > 0.25, SS and SC > ST.

SS > ST and SC.

Question 2: Overallstrength of interactioncategories

Increase in strength formoderate and high strength over low strength. Regression is significant.

Increase in strength formoderate over low strength.Not enough data to evaluate high strength. Regression is not significant.

Question 3: Strength ofindividual categories

Increase in strength for high over low and moderate for SConly.

Increase in strength formoderate over low for SConly.

Question 4:Combinations ofcategories

Increasing relationshipbetween strength and effect size for SS + SC and ST + SC.

No finding.

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Bernard’s Summary

• SS and SC ＞ ST for both achievement and attitude

• Combinations of SS+SC and ST+SC increase achievement

• Combination of SS+ST and attitude items does not increase effectiveness.

→ Both Theses 1 and 2 are supported.

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Doctoral Studies• Rhode (2008 January): Capella University– Self-paced online course for adult learners– ST + SC combination was the most valued– Equal value for ST and SC, but not SS interaction

→ Consistent to Bernard’s study

• Byers (2010 November): Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University– Self-paced online teacher professional development course→ Support Thesis 1 (content is valued the most)

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On Going Research Results:http://equivalencytheorem.info/

Hosted by Terumi Miyazoe (Tokyo Denki University, Japan)t.miyazoe at mail.dendai.ac.jp

http://www.cfs-fcee.ca/html/english/research/factsheets/Factsheet-2011-TuitionFees-En.pdf

Application of the Theory:Discount University Option

• What if universities offered discount services, instead of one price for all?– Opens up a whole new market?– Cannibalizes current student market?– Reduces margins such that current model of full time

academic/researchers becomes unsustainable??– Driver for change and innovation?– Reduces security necessary for academic freedom to

blossom?

• The development of online courses and disagregation presents a low-end and disruptive innovation

Bundling of services

content development, student support services, distribution and sale of learning resources, provision of library services, support for full time research faculty and graduate students, direct instruction, tutorial support, registration services social services such as networking opportunities or face-to-face social gatheringsAthletic facilities and teams

Can Students be better served by unbundling the practices and allowing for user pay or outsourced services??

Higher Education Cost Centres

• Research

Is Research Necessary for Quality Teaching?

• “ In extensive meta-analyses of the relationship between research and teaching (Gibbs, 1995; Hattie & Marsh, 1996), each found that there was no or very little relationship between teaching and research excellence.

• Hattie and Marsh (1996) concluded that “the likelihood that research productivity actually benefits teaching is extremely small or that the two, for all practical purposes, are essentially unrelated. Productivity in research and scholarship does not seem to detract from being an effective teacher and vice versa" (p. 529)

Training the next generation of scholars

Provision of Course and Teaching Materials

• Decreasing cost of production, distribution and storage of content

• Too many educators define themselves by their content production

• Biggest challenge is adoption of materials “not made here”

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Because it saves time and money!!!

Student Services

Academic teaching and/or tutoring

• Are recorded lectures from Stanford or MIT just as good?

In India a tutoring agency in the Punjab has hired a hundred maths graduates and is instructing them on how to teach British pupils online. They are paid 7 pounds an hour, which is three times the normal wages in that region. The agency charges British students 12 pounds an hour for tutoring services, about half the amount they would pay for a tutor in Britain.

University Administration

• Public sector institutions must join together to get economy of scale necessary for efficient admin, IT and analytic services

• How many associate vice presidents, deans and associate deans do we need?

“Between 1993 and 2007,” they write, “the number of full-time administrators per 100 students at America’s leading universities grew by 39 percent, while the number of employees engaged in teaching, research, or service only grew by 18 percent. Inflation-adjusted spending on administration per student grew by 61 percent during the same period, while instructional spending per student rose 39 percent.” Goldwater Institute 2010

New Colleges

OER University• Existing Institutional Partners

High Quality teaching Videos - Individuals as free tutors

• http://www.khanacademy.org/

Full-time tuition is set at a fixed monthly fee of $199

Part time versus Full time Faculty• “The bottom line is that either universities cannot hire PhDs as full-time

faculty at a fair wage with benefits due to financial constraints or, in the case of my private university, they want to hire adjunct faculty members at $2000 a course because that frees up money for other things, like hiring our 23rd vice-president at a six-figure salary or paying for our president's $1,000,000 home on the ocean.”

• The administrators just don't want to pay faculty members what they should. As the cash rolls into their bank accounts, their morals go out the window. You need to get past your prejudices against certain fields of study (what you think are "majors") and start caring that universities and colleges are putting far more money towards administrators who make $100-250K/year and perks (like fancy gyms) than they are towards instruction. This is a crisis in management. An ethical crisis.– “http://chronicle.com/article/From-Graduate-School-to/131795/

Accreditation

• Measuring the unmeasurable?• 100 years of diploma mills, - still flurishing

OERu Challange

Badges Alternative

Your Turn

• What do you see has the greatest benefits and Dangers of the No-Frills University?

Your Turn

• Can student-content and student-student interaction be substituted for expensive student-teacher interaction??