March 2005 1

E-Learning or E-Teaching?What’s the Difference in

Practice?

Linda Price and Adrian Kirkwood

Programme on Learner Use of MediaThe Open University

UK

March 2005 2

• E-learning Evaluation and Research– Large-scale quantitative studies– Smaller-scale qualitative studies– A long-term perspective on media use in education

• Professional Development for e-Learning– A workshop programme for OU staff– Workshops & presentations for the wider academic

community

Our Background

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• We concentrate on the educational and pedagogic issues – NOT the technical details

• In this session we start with some of the underlying principles associated with e-learning ….

• Then discuss some of the practical issues

Our Approach

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Although ICT can enable new forms of teaching and learning to take place, they cannot ensure that effective and appropriate learning outcomes are achieved.

“Just because you can do something does not necessarily mean that you should do it.”

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• For the institution?For teachers?

For learners?• Is it just a ‘quick fix’ in response to

economic constraints….• Or an opportunity to rethink educational

practices for different learning contexts?

Why Use ICT? What are the Benefits?

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• The application of ICT per se does not change the model of teaching– It is very easy to teach inappropriately with ICT– Is the pedagogic model suitable for the learning

outcomes (regardless of the medium used)?• Use of ICT in itself does not change the

model of learning in a particular context– If learners have inappropriate expectations of

learning, these must be explicitly addressed

What Models of Teaching can ICT Support? What Models of Learning?

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• We need to appreciate:– Differences in learners– Differences in teachers– Different media affordances

• Engaging students while using media technologies involves – Balancing these factors– A complicated design process

A Holistic View of Course Design

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Engaging Learners• What is understood by the term student-

centred learning?– Are learners well prepared and supported for

working independently?• Learners need to know not only what they are

supposed to do, but also why they are expected to do it – how engaging with activities and/or resources will help develop their learning

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• Materials must be transformed for the Web to enable effective pedagogical use with ICT, e.g.– Avoid materials looking like ‘books on screen’ –

difficult for learners – often printed out (costly!)– Exploit the interactive and dynamic potential – reduce

linear presentation– Supporting ‘Transmissive’ or ‘Constructivist’

pedagogy?

Engaging Learners

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Increasing Use of ICT for Education• Educational institutions need to achieve

‘more with less’• Many educational institutions are

attempting to– Attract a more diverse range of students– Encourage lifelong learning – Extend the participation of ‘non-traditional’ students

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• Increased use of ICT in teaching and learning– Largely as a supplement to existing practices

• Much remains to be done in terms of exploiting ICT for– Rich pedagogical use, and – Serving learners in different target groups

(e.g. Collis and van der Wende, 2002)

Increasing Use of ICT for Education

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Changes in Learner Characteristics

• Blurring of distinctions between– Full-time and part-time learners– Studying ‘on-campus’ or ‘at a distance’– ‘School leavers’, ‘mature entrants’ and ‘lifelong

learners’– ‘Work-based learning’, ‘professional development’ and

‘community learning’

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• For an increasing number of post-school learners, studying is not their primary concern– Many are in part-time or full-time employment &

domestic responsibilities– Studying has to be fitted in

• Learners need to develop and apply self-management skills, e.g.– Time management strategies– Self-direction and motivation– Prioritisation and selectivity

Changes in Learner Characteristics

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Contexts of ICT Use• Innovations should not driven by

characteristics of technology, but by– The pedagogic models and processes they have

to serve– The contexts within which learners engage with

ICT • Educational purposes and pedagogy

must provide the lead

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Determine Learners’ ICT Experience

• Learners with ICT experience from other contexts are likely to exhibit fluency in ICT use in their studies

• Those without such experience will expect course providers to demonstrate the potential and guide their use of ICT

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• Few learners will have high levels of competence across a wide range of applications, e.g.– Familiarity with e-mail does not imply expertise in

rigorous on-line debate and discussion– Familiarity with a Web search engine like Google

does not indicate sophisticated information handling skills

Determine Learners’ ICT Experience

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On-line Communication• Electronic communication can support

both academic and social integration –helping overcome independent learners’ feelings of isolation– For contact with tutors and with fellow

students• Developing a learning community –

sharing understandings & experiences

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• Asynchronous communication offers learners the opportunity to consider and reflect upon

– A posted question or statement & their own response to it

– The responses of fellow students– A record of the dialogue and of how it developed

• Synchronous communication needs to be more highly structured for novice users as there is limited experience of its use in society in general

On-line Communication

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Tutoring On-line• New skills are required for both tutors

and students• Professional development is necessary

not just for the technical aspects• An understanding of the educational

practices appropriate for e-learning is even more important

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• Dependence or independence in learning? Individual or collaborative learning? – What is the pedagogic purpose?– Is it explicitly stated & understood?

• Students and tutors need to have explicit and realistic expectations about– The frequency of contacts made (when & how often)– The response time that is reasonable

Tutoring On-line

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In Conclusion• What educational outcomes are

learners expected to achieve?– Why as well as how– Process as well as product?

• Students are unlikely to use materials and activities unless they are embedded in the course pedagogy– Constructive alignment of learning activities,

assessment methods and learning outcomes

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• Materials that are not linked to the assessment strategy are unlikely to be used and the potential benefits remain fallow

• Educational benefits that students perceive as gains from using ICT are more significant than the intrinsic characteristics of the technology– What really matters is how ICT is creatively exploited

for teaching and/or learning

In Conclusion

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