Carolyn Nobes

Mount Saint Vincent University

Mount Saint Vincent University’s faculty, leaders in distance education in Atlantic Canada for over 20 years, are re-thinking their distance teaching as they utilize multi-mode, computer mediated teaching. The 104 distance learners, who responded to an online survey in February 2000, described their reactions to the faculty’s new methodologies and the technology. The faculty, in workshops, shared their new approaches. These methods were acquired over the past two years, as everyone adjusted to teaching and learning with online technology.

The learners are both undergraduate (50%) and graduate (45%). Fifty-eight percent are working fulltime and 24% working part-time. These learners (18%) also represent other cultures, since the faculty teach cohort groups of learners in five other countries. The learners choose multi-mode distance learning, in part, due to the flexibility and convenience. Thirteen percent stated that it was their preferred learning style.

Tony Bates (1997) states that "there is a synergistic relationship between different technologies and different approaches to teaching." He concludes that this is a complex subject that deserves several books (for instance, Laurillard, 1993, Bates, 1995, Harasim 1995). He adds that, "So far there is no super technology that can meet all teaching and learning requirements, so technologies need to be mixed and matched to the educational purpose." At the Mount faculty appear content with a mixed and matched or multi-mode approach but I question if the learners and the faculty will really want one super-technology. I think they will always prefer some real-time, face-to-face synchronous discussion if it is geographically feasible.

In this paper, I describe some of synergistic relationship between different technologies and different approaches to teaching occurring at the Mount in a multi-mode. But in addition, we need to understand that these learners are growing up in different times and within a different context. The changing needs of learners and the changing environment affects learning preferences. Many faculties need to understand "why" it is important to consider the use technology for teaching not just "how" so we can meet the needs of today’s learner.

The following chart depicts the curriculum studied, location of the cohort groups of learners and the main multi-mode technologies used. The access to a technological infrastructure varies with the country. Therefore, all faculties do not have the same technological choices as they organize their teaching. All learners do use print materials, such as textbooks or readings and may also use supplementary audio or videotapes.

As you will note from the chart above, different curriculum and locations lend themselves to different technologies. Regular, real-time synchronous discussion is included with all cohorts groups except the World groups. As we witness changes across the world in media such as video, audio, text and computing all converging into single multimedia technologies such as the Web or CD-ROMS; it increasingly difficult to identify educational applications with one particular technology. As I reviewed the trends in the use of technology by MSVU faculty, it appears that some technologies lend themselves more easily to certain approaches to teaching and learning, while other technologies lend themselves to others.

Prior to identifying the educational approaches occurring at present, let’s look back at the previous generations of course design in distance education (Kaufman, 1989) and the technologies available.

The first generation reflects the "one-to-one" dialogue available by print, radio and telephone. For that time learning arises out of a need and involves searching for and locating relevant materials in order to acquire facts, skills and understanding from them. The second generation includes audio-teleconferencing, instructional television and video-conferencing (one-or two-way television from one site to a class in another site). Primarily, information transmission is still conducted in a didactic style, very close to the classroom lecture model. This transmission of knowledge may or may not be interactive. The convergence of video, audio, text and computers into single multi-media technologies such as the Web or CD-ROM reflect the third generation.

The Web is a particularly interesting technology in the way that it is evolving. It has the ability to combine all these various approaches to learning. Computer mediated communication is available with software such as Soft Arc's First Class, Simon Fraser University's Virtual-U, Web CT, and e-education. The software combines didactic and more collaborative learning models. These technologies encourage or require a high level of discussion and participation by the learners and very much resemble the seminar model of classroom teaching. They provide an opportunity to reflect on new concepts, to make interconnections appropriately and to question their growing understanding. They also demonstrate the extent to which the learning process is a non-linear one.

Although CD-ROM technology is often used merely to replicate a book (i.e. a didactic style), but with better graphics, animation, and audio and video, a number of applications that more fully exploit the technology are emerging. Thus CD-ROMs are increasingly being used to simulate human interaction (for language teaching), for representing expert systems, and for problem-solving approaches to learning. It enable students to apply their learning to para-realistic situations, to test their own ideas and use their own experience, and as a result to make and test decisions drawing on their previous learning, or even learning facts and principles during the process of decision-making.

According to Bates (1997)," these technologies enable more powerful applications of such teaching methods in more flexible and accessible forms for students, with also the potential for economies of scale. Furthermore, what all these technologies have in common is that, when well designed, they enable learners, irrespective of the subject matter, to develop skills of information navigation, acquisition, and analysis, application of knowledge to new situations, new knowledge creation, and decision-making, all skills essential for survival in an information society."

Let’s look again at the three generations of distance course design from the perspective of the changing times and environments for the Canadian learners.

The first generation learner probably was born prior to World War Two and reflects the Traditionalist trends of that time. The Traditionalist, reared in a two-parent family, listened to the radio, rarely went to movies and followed the rules of work in a male dominated domain.

The second-generation learner was probably born post World War Two and is commonly referred to as the Baby Boomer. They generally grew up with a stay-at-home mom, one black and white television and were driven to do a good job based more on consensus model rather then hierarchy model in the workforce.

The third generation learner was probably a sixty’s child or later years, generation X and Y. Women’s liberation and the pill opened the door to two-income families working a variety of different jobs within their lifetime. Multiple television sets, movies, videos Atari and Nintendo added to the fun and entertainment flexibility of this "me" generation.

This third generation has been bombarded with a variety of media. They do not remember life without multi-channel television and large volumes of information and knowledge at their disposal.

With the changing nature and variety of learners, the growing complexity and volume of knowledge, and the impact of technological needs on the workforce, it is time to re-examine how technologies enable more powerful applications of teaching methodologies at the Mount.

MSVU’s distance faculties are pioneers in the electronic environment, starting twenty years ago with television. Today, they are rethinking and remodeling well-tried teaching methods to the new tools. Learner interaction and collaboration, which had previously been possible only in face-to-face situations, is now replicated with virtual groups in computer communication. In the online discussion, learners test their views on others and negotiate their ideas, respectfully. Learners, working in their own time and space, have more opportunity for "reflective and thoughtful analysis and review of earlier contributions" ( Kaye, 1992) than in a face-to-face seminar where a contribution may be missed forever. Learners can take responsibility for developing personal meaning as well as creating mutual understanding in a virtual learning community.

Several of the shifting pedagogical trends in online distance teaching occurring at the Mount are described below.

2. TEAMS - Use the Forum and Chat tools for on-line collaboration of team projects. It is possible to create a different Forum for each group. This is a valuable tool for team discussion, the exchange of ideas, seeking clarification, and the sending and receiving of messages.
3. PEER FEEDBACK - Students may post drafts of assignments in private forums and request peer critiques.
4. CASE STUDIES - The student is presented with a scenario based on previous learning concepts and is requested to problem solve by answering specific questions. Feedback may be directed through the Forum, or the Chat room.
5. SIMULATIONS - Simulations may be created, using such tools as Flash, LiveMedia, etc., to replace Lab activities not possible in a distance situation.
6. ROLE PLAY - Create roles for the students, using previously learned concepts. Situation scripts will prompt actions/reactions. The Chat room or the Forum may be utilized for this delivery.
7. SELF TESTS/DRILL/PRACTICE - Create self-tests for student's review. Dynamically provide the answers through Java Scripts, Flash, LiveMedia techniques. Provide the students with unlimited access to allow the tests to be taken as often as required.
8. COMPETITION - Create friendly competition. E.g. an online treasure hunt for course-related information with timed e-mail as an indicator of the earliest response.
9. THIRD PARTY - Try using other software and applications - PowerPoint, Adobe, Acrobat, AVI's, MPEGS, etc…This may be an excellent alternative in enhancing content. Speak with course techniques on the possibilities available.
10. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX - Nothing is impossible with this technology. If you have the "craziest" idea, talk to course technicians about making it happen.

The Mount distance faculty identified several well-tried educational approaches being applied to multimedia technologies. Garrison (1993) describes these similar educational approaches as a cognitive constructivist approach to learning theory where "learners attempt to interpret, clarify and validate their understanding through sustained dialogue (i.e., two-way computer communication) and negotiation". Computer conferencing provides an ideal environment for this collaborative interaction. It has the ability to combine all these various approaches to learning.

As a medium for collaborative learning, computer conferencing, such as the e-education software utilized by MSVU was considered appropriate by over 68% of the learners. Nearly 60% of the learners choose the forum as the most helpful online feature.

Computer conferencing provides an accessible, powerful and integrated environment that enables learners to develop skills essential for an information society.

Today’s faculty, often from a traditionalist background, may be teaching across the generations. The new lifelong learner has grown up in a rapidly changing, visual environment. They are unimpressed with authority figures. There isn’t one correct view. Instead they are seeking understanding through dialogue, testing ideas, perceptions, beliefs and constructing new meaning. Life and learning are a work in progress.

Today’s faculty have the challenge of not only teaching and learning with these new powerful tools but also the challenge of understanding the changing environment and needs of the learners.