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. Open University First thoughts (1960s). “University of the Air” - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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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