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Elearning Trends in Higher Education.
18/08/2007
Author :
Graeme Daniel
"Learning is more than just content or delivery software. It needs to be integrated into a broader learning process involving instructional support and collaboration, and designed with emphasis on the learning objectives..." (Tom Kelly / Online Learning Magazine: February 2002)
The term elearning (aka e-learning, eLearning, and variations) is commonly used to denote the use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in delivering learning or learner support. This can apply to all sorts of educational activity, from indidual self-directed learning through to the implementation by educational institutions of complex, comprehensive, highly structured packages designed to deliver instructional commodities.
The scale of the educational delivery business is outlined in David Kopf's recent article, e-Learning Market to Hit $52.6B by 2010 (T.H.E journal: July 2007). For further comment, see also Worldwide E-Learning to Draw Nearly $53 Billion by 2010 (K.C. Jones / InformationWeek: August 09, 2007).
The big news on elearning generally highlights commercial offerings - recent examples:
Although the growing importance of ICTs in learning delivery is widely accepted, there remains a healthy reluctance on the part of educators to entirely abandon established procedures and processes: blended approaches combining traditional strategies with technical applications are establishing a strong middle ground.
In this edition of WWWTools for Education we explore directions in Higher Education and its adoption of elearning tools.
Elearning Is...
What Is Elearning? (elearnspace) - an overview from an expert source.
E-Learning in Higher Education (Diana Laurillard, 2004) - a very readable essay on the relevance of elearning to Higher Education, the changing learning paradigm, effects of technological change on teaching practices and the learning experience.
Observing the eLearning Phenomenon (Roberto Carneiro and Fabio Nascimbeni / elearningeuropa.info) - introduction to eLearning Papers n° 4 (March 2007); a European perspective.
The King is Dead – Long Live the King (Mark Berthelem / Learning Conversations: August 07, 2007) - reflections on the uses of online content.
Trends in Higher Education.
Higher Education Trends in the 21st Century (George París Conway / Degree Info, 2003) - the challenges in terms of demographic changes, funding availability, student needs, and a new learning paradigm.
Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning (Scott L. Howell, Peter B. Williams, Nathan K. Lindsay / Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Fall 2003) - an extensive literature review identifies 32 trends that decisionmakers should consider.
In Implementing eLearning Programmes for Higher Education: A Review of the Literature (Journal of Information Technology Education Volume 3, 2004), Kayte O’Neill, Gurmak Singh, and John O’Donoghue explore factors influencing the adoption of elearning practices in HE, and implications for students and faculty.
Trends in Higher Education (Society for College and University Planning / July 2007) quantifies the continuing growth in online learning, and comments that:
- digital natives will continue to demand that more learning be delivered asynchronously.
- some traditional students prefer online learning.
- blended learning requires continued investment in creating elearning venues.
The Overview at Elearnspace's collection of Higher Education Elearning Sites
summarises ways in which elearning strategies are being adopted in HE institutions.
Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006 (I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman / Sloan Consortium, 2006) - a report on online learning in more than 2,200 American colleges and universities.
Blending In: The Extent and Promise of Blended Education in the United States (I. Elaine Allen, Jeff Seaman, Richard Garrett / March 2007) - report on blended / hybrid learning based on responses from more than 1,000 HE institutions.
Evaluating Elearning in Higher Education.
Higher-Education E-Learning Grows Up (Ron Yanosky / Gartner: May 19, 2003) - results from Gartner's distributed-learning survey (August 2002), based on responses from 110 institutions worldwide. Useful historical perspective.
Supporting E-Learning in Higher Education (Paul Arabasz and Mary Beth Baker / Educause 2003) - summarises results of collaborative research conducted by ECAR and IDC to learn about student and instructor support requirements for online distance-learning courses, hybrid courses, and traditional courses that leverage technology; highlights effective elearning support practices at selected institutions.
Separate PDFs of Key Findings and of the Entire Study may be downloaded; or see Judith A. Pirani's concise summary Supporting E-Learning in Higher Education ( Educause Center / Roadmap: July, 2004)
In Gauging Investments: E-learning in U.S. Higher Education (American Council on Education), Mary Beth Lakin takes a critical look at the business models.
Two papers from KCB336 New Media Technologies students in QUT's Creative Industries Faculty:
Examples of Commitment to Elearning Worldwide.
UNITED KINGDOM:
e-Learning Support@The Higher Education Academy (Eddie Gulc / JISC e-Learning Focus: June 19, 2006) - describes the work of the Higher Education Academy and its partnership with JISC in supporting the implementation of the HEFCE e-Learning Strategy. Explore also the fascinating boxed cloud of Elsewhere on the Web Bookmarks in the sidebar.
THE NETHERLANDS:
Collaboration on ICT in Dutch Higher Education: The SURF Approach (Petra Boezerooy, Bas Cordewener, and Wim Liebrand / EDUCAUSE Review, May/June 2007) - starting with the needs of individual users: how can HE best organise and support individual workflows?
INDIA:
Vice-Chancellor Advocates Video Conferencing to Promote e-Learning
(The Hindu: September 28, 2006) - promoting elearning in Bharathiar University and affiliated colleges.
KUWAIT:
Delegation from Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education Visits e-TQM College (Mywire: February 19, 2007) - an orientation event at e-TQM College , the first elearning institution of its kind in the region.
Free Courseware.
Get Information about Free, Web-Based Courseware from the Open Courseware Consortium (eSchool News Site of the Week: February 21, 2007)
MIT's OpenCourseWare - a free and open resource for educators, students, and self-learners around the world.
Computer Science Course List (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech) - one of the largest repositories of Computer Science courseware.
Virtual Courseware: Earthquake (Virtual Courseware for Earth and Environmental Sciences / California State University, Los Angeles and the National Science Foundation) - a graphic example of courseware.
VLEs and PLEs, LMS and CMS.
Just a few interesting sites and recent readings from this vast field:
History of Virtual Learning Environments (Wikipedia) - designed to bring you up-to-date.
Learning Management Systems (LMS): The Good, the Bad, the Ugly ... and the Truth (eLearning Guild / PRNewswire: April 03, 2007) - report 'offers expert data analysis on the single largest pool of data ever collected on LMS systems, interviews with key industry executives, commentary from key industry leaders'.
Winners of The eLearning Guild Member’s Choice Awards for Learning Management Systems are listed in this review.
2007 Campus Technology Innovators: Virtualized Networks (Campus Technology: 8/1/2007) - Rice University has become the first HE institution to utilize multiprotocol label-switching (MPLS) virtual private networks (VPNs).
Best Practices for Using a CMS (Lance Merker / University Business: July 2007) - HE web teams need to consider a variety of users and departments when managing web pages.
Elgg - 'an open source social platform based around choice, flexibility and openness ... places individuals at the centre of their activities.'
PLE’s versus LMS: Are PLEs Ready for Prime Time? (Terry Anderson / Virtual Canuck: January 09, 2006) - clarifies the nature of Personal Learning Environments.
Implementing Elgg in HE :: Blog :: A Shared Learning Environment? (Stephen Downes / Stephen's Web: July 23, 2007) - does the PLE need to be supplemented by a 'shared learning environment'?
The Virtual Learning Environment Takes It Personally (Auricle: December 16, 2005) - Derek Morrison reports on an interview with Oleg Liber regarding Personal Learning Environments.
Blogs As Personal Learning Environments (James Farmer / HigherEd BlogCon) - screencast examines the potential of blogs as PLEs.
On Assessment and ePortfolios.
Missing the Big Picture (Karen Gage / Higher Education Digest) - how elearning is changing the face of educational assessment.
Progress on Loosely Coupled Assessment (Mike Caulfield / August 08, 2007) - comment on a presentation by True Outcomes .
Creating ePortfolios with Web 2.0 Tools (Stephen Downes / OLDaily: March 29, 2007) - refers us to Helen Barrett's work on eportfolios and Web 2.0, and to ongoing comment from Derek Wenmoth.
Tools for Producing and Distributing Content.
The Whole Picture of Elearning (George Siemens / elearnspace: July 22, 2003) - a model for people involved in planning, managing and developing elearning.
Testing the Teachers' Tools (Bob Doyle / econtentmag: August 07, 2007) - reviewing tools from major vendors.
Gatlin Learning and California State University - San Marcos Announce eLearning Center Website (NewswireToday: July 25, 2007) - the site will enable colleges and universities to create unique, co-branded sites from which they can offer courses for sale to students and corporate training customers.
Top 100 Tools for Learning (Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, August 11, 2007) - a list compiled from the Top 10 Favourite Tools lists of 99 learning professionals. See also comment at Top 10 E-Learning Tools (Wired Campus / The Chronicle of Higher Education: August 02, 2007).
Big App on Campus (Candace Lombardi / CNET News.com: August 01 2007) - academic uses for Apple's iTunes
How to Build the Taj Mahal for Free (Jack Kenny / EducationGuardian: June 19, 2007)- free and inexpensive tools for teachers and learners.
Solutions for Higher Education (Adobe Systems Incorporated) - categories are:
- Creative Tools
- Web Design and Development
- eLearning and Communication
- Digital Imaging, Video and Audio
- Publishing Products
See also Adobe Upgrades Captivate ELearning Tool
(Digital Arts: July 23, 2007) - Captivate 3 is an authoring tool for the construction of computer-based simulations, scenario-based training, and interactive quizzes.
Research.
Use, Updating and Integration of ICT in Higher Education: Linking Purpose, People and Pedagogy
(Tan, Seng Chee; Maassen, Peter; Gorgan, Monika; Oftebro, Mette; Karseth, Berit / Higher Education, Vol. 54, No. 3, 2007. Review by Ingrid Schönwald) - focuses on organisational requirements for implementing ICTs in teaching and learning.
Delivering On The E-learning Promise: A Case For A Learning Environment That Enables Collaborative Online Problem Solving (COPS) (Sylvia Lauretta Edwards, Jason Watson, Ann Farrell, Robyn Nash / Journal of Learning Design, Vol. 2 No. 1 2007. Review at Distance-Educator.com: July 30, 2007) - the case for an online environment (known colloquially as COPS) that will combine problem-centred and collaborative dimensions of learning.
Developing Research-Based Learning Using ICT in Higher Education Curricula: The Role Of Research and Evaluation (Technology-Enhanced Learning in Research-Led Institutions Project, Warwick University) - explores and develops the relationship between teaching, learning and research through the use of technology.
Higher Education in the Digital Age (Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California, Berkeley) - considers policy and institutional questions associated with integrating ICTs into the academic milieu.
Professional Development.
The Impact of New Tools on Teaching (higheredblogcon: April 3-7, 2006) - these presentations are still available, and highly relevant.
CNET Online Courses - including:
- Better Presentations with PowerPoint 2007
- How to Create a YouTube Video for Under $25
- Web Conference Basics
Elluminate Sessions (ALA) - Yellow Edge, the Australian distributor for Elluminate Live!, is hosting fortnightly online demonstrations/training.
Current Awareness References.
JISC e-Learning Focus (Joint Information Systems Committee)
The Higher Education Update (edna) - a newsletter featuring topical information and debates of interest to the Australian HE sector.
The Networker - another edna newsletter.
Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day (Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies) - a daily selection by Jane Hart.
Pageflakes - eLearning/Technology
eLearning/Web (T.H.E. Journal)
Center for Digital Education - k-12 and HE.
OLDaily (Stephen Downes) - newsletter sent only by request. Subscribe here .
elearnspace (George Siemens) - blog exploring elearning, knowledge management, networks, technology, and community.
Connectivism Blog (George Siemens) - a learning theory for the digital age.
EduTechie.com (Jeff Van Drimmelen) - 'where education and technology intersect.'
E-learning (EducationGuardian)
Reviews (EducationGuardian)
The NOSE: Information Technology in Higher Education (Alfred Essa)
Converge Magazine
TerenceOnline: An eLearning Resource Center - blog about what's going on in web 2.0, technology, education, and eLearning pedagogy.
e-Learning Place - ideas, reviews, technology; Learning 2.0, Web 2.0
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration - a free peer-reviewed electronic journal.
Innovate: Journal of Online Education (ed. James L. Morrison, Fischler School of Education and Human Services, Nova Southeastern University)
Lists of Elearning Resources.
Pink Flamingo's Resource Lists (Kate Britt) - an absolutely not-to-be-missed list of lists for educators, students, writers, webpage designers; guaranteed to purge chronic aversions to pink. And for continuing updates, subscribe to What's New in PinkFlamingo's Resource Lists?
Higher Education Elearning Sites (elearnspace)
Learning in Further and Higher Education (e-Learning Centre, Sheffield) - a vast collection of selected and reviewed links to elearning resources.
Links and Resources (Jan Herrington / Website for E-Learn 2006 Keynote: Authentic e-Learning in Higher Education) - well worth exploring.
Archive for the eLearning category of Mike Caulfield's blog.
Published issues of eLearning Papers (elearningeuropa.info, European Commission)
Interesting Reading.
Clive’s Columns (Clive Shepherd, Fastrak Consulting Ltd ) - 33 columns on elearning and blended learning, originally published 2003 - 2007 in IT Training and Learning & Development magazines.
The Student Experience of E-learning in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature (Rhona Sharpe and Greg Benfield / Brookes eJournal of Learning and Teaching: September 30, 2005) - identifies areas for further investigation, highlights common themes; implications for practice, particularly regarding the emotionality of the student experience and time management issues.
BOOKS
Free Books about E-Learning (Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies) - a list of free books and free chapters from printed books.
Changing Higher Education: The Development of Learning and Teaching (P. Ashwin / Routledge, 2005)
Hardcover: $145.00
ISBN-10: 0415341280
ISBN-13: 978-0415341288
Authentic Learning Environments In Higher Education (eds. Tony Herrington , Jan Herrington / Information Science Publishing, 2005)
Hardcover: $78.15
ISBN-10: 1591405947
ISBN-13: 978-1591405948
Innovative Assessment in Higher Education (eds. Cordelia Bryan, Karen Clegg / Routledge, 2006)
Paperback: $33.92
ISBN-10: 0415356423
ISBN-13: 978-0415356428
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