Alt Policy Board June 2002Diana LaurillardOpen University

Evidence-based e-learning: what really works?

Meeting students’ needs

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1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

The Growth of Conferencing at the OU

>180,000 users

~300 courses

Online collaboration can considerably enhance the learning experience.

Students especially value collaborative learning in the early stages of the course.

However:

Structure and timetable in collaborative learning reduces flexibility

Regular, sustained participation in group activities does not fit demands of normal life.

Students experience guilt and stress about failing their colleagues in collaborative work.

Getting the balance right: how much online?

Online material was often printedText of practicals 33%Discussion of practicals 31%Web pages 45%Conference messages 54%

Balancing the media mix

Different media were complementary for some:

The course team deserve the highest commendation for putting together a difficult combination of media. This media achieved its objective in my case, and was easy and enjoyable to use.

The course team deserve the highest praise for creating such a comprehensive, stimulating and enjoyable learning experience

Managing student workload

Students who spent ‘a lot more’ than estimated time on activities

Paper-based workload 20%Computer-based workload 40%

Reasons for withdrawalIncreased pressure at home/work 51% General work/home pressures 38% The pace/workload was too great 35%

German language: synchronous goal-oriented discussionGerman language: synchronous goal-oriented discussion

Generated requests for more speaking and listening practice.

Realigns the AL role towards the co-learner.

Learners feel performance improves

‘I’ve noticed an improvement in my oral German already’

‘Excellent opportunity to use language - demonstrated to me where I feel confident and where I felt unsure’

‘Spoke plenty of French - especially during group sessions’

The value of synchronicity

Move the carbon atom from one reservoir to another by Move the carbon atom from one reservoir to another by identifying the process change neededidentifying the process change needed

Science: exploring the environmentScience: exploring the environment

93% said there were advantages of CD over text or video:

Audio clips meant you were still looking at the screen and learning, rather than having to stop and read something.

Being an interactive CD you are forced to make decisions. I found this very helpful in making me think carefully about what was happening.

It left an image in my memory which will help me to remember the particular activity.

The value of interactivity for involvement

In the S103 CD, most valued features were interactivity and feedback especially

quizzes to check understandingvideo clips to explainaudio clips to guide

The Human Brain: Testing with feedbackThe Human Brain: Testing with feedback

Interactive learning much more enjoyable and more easily retained due to active learning and participation.

As it was interactive I found I was less likely to switch off while using it, so it helped me retaining information much more effectively than a video or book.

The CD format is an improvement over having to read many pages of text to achieve the same level of understanding and clarity.

Very intensive use of time. The CD goes right to the basics, while books use lots of additional details.

The efficiency of interactive learning

In the Human Brain CD, students value the efficiency of active learning with feedback

Homer CD: Map-reading skillsHomer CD: Map-reading skills

It’s one thing to to see the diagrams in maps and books, but another matter to build up the bay of Troy by yourself.

You can switch from the literature to the archaeology and still continue on the same line of thought. It’s the interactivity - it’s exciting.

It reinforces information better. In the Units if I reach a bit I’m not particularly interested in I’ll skip through it. This encourages you to sit and complete the activity before you pass on.

The quality of interactive learning

Comparing the Homer CD with traditional methods, the majority of students favoured CD study:

Actual % access to the Net

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Actual % access tothe Net

Technology Strategy 96 - 00

Can we assume universal access?

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1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

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Forecast % access to the Net

Actual % access tothe Net

Technology Strategy 96 - 00

Internet access modelled as: Each year 20% without access acquire itForecasting 95% home access in 2005 plus 4.9% local access

40% post-2000

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1997 1998 1999 2000

% use if compulsory

% use if optional

Students rate compulsory ICT much higher than optional ICT

Usage rates show growth if ICT is compulsory

Quality assurance

Elements of Quality Assurance for ICT

S/w QA process improvement projectReversioning and ‘preversioning’ projectPrototyping methodsDesign templatesUserLab for developmental testingFocus groupsTelephone interviewsICT-related assessment AL debriefingConferencing feedbackOnline surveysComparative media satisfaction surveys

Build on good practice - iterative testing - share best practice

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1999 2000 2001

No.of enquiries'00's

e-journal articles'000's

ROUTES requests'000's

Evidence of the increasing demand for online Library Services from students and tutors

Students appreciate supported highly interactive learning

It is right to balance ICT and non-ICT

ICT works best when it is both compulsory and assessed

Online collaborative work is appreciated but inflexible

The OU community is highly responsive to e-services

Evidence-based e-learning: what really works?