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eLearning for eSciencethe challenges of learning online
in fast moving subjects
Dr Tristram WyattDirector of Distance and Online Learning
Department for Continuing EducationUniversity of Oxford
www.online.ox.ac.uk
Outline• Different models of online learning for part-time
students – Oxford’s experience
• Process for economical production of high quality online learning materials
• Other strategies for production of more high quality but ephemeral material
Content does not make a course
For example
• MIT
MIT Opencoursewarehttp://ocw.mit.edu/
=> The real strength of the web is collaboration, community, and
contact
• makes the current wave of elearning potentially different and more powerful than previous (NUMEROUS) computing for teaching initiatives
Communication is the key
• Constructivist dogma – but seems vindicated in practice. Communication is socially rewarding
• Countering the loneliness of the long distance student (or researcher)
Online learning at Oxfordfor part-time students
including CPD
Online learning at Oxford• For full-time on-campus students
• For part-time studentsDept for Continuing Education
• Long history to 19th C
• Currently 15,000 students enrol each year (only 500 of these are online – aim for 1250 online for 04/05)
1st Oxford Summer Meeting 1888
Oxford’s online UG computing diploma – Continuing Education
CPD Immunology• 12 week online course for graduate
scientists in industry
• Internet delivered, online tutor support(asynchronous)
The basics of nanotechnologyAuthors: Prof Dobson et al.
Production: TALL. Launch: 1 Nov 2004
www.begbroke.ox.ac.uk/nanotech
TALL’s services for other universities
• e.g. TALL is providing the online learning consultancy and production for
– York University + World Universities Network ‘Masters in Public Administration’ (and TALL will host and support the course)
– Kings College University of London MSc ‘War in the Modern World’
Developing online learning for part-time students
Dept. for Continuing Education’s
Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning Production & Research unit (TALL)
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Current Oxford part-time online course models
– Higher investment (higher development cost) Higher student number model (e.g. Open University)
– Lower investment (lower development cost) Lower student number model
Rapidly changing subjects
Specialised subjects with small markets / low recruitment per year
Comparing the models 1
High invest model Low invest model
Costs per course High Low
TALL involvement High Low
Author costs High Lower [?]
Number of students High Low
Cost of delivery per student
Low Medium
Online tutors Less specialisedMore specialized (= the authors)
Tutor numbers available
Many Few?
Comparing the models 2
High invest model Low invest model
Scalability to large numbers
Yes (if no residential) Limited
Study skills needed by students
All abilities, potentially Well established [?]
Delivery time Medium to long Immediate to short
Flexibility to change materials
Low High
Risk High Low
Payback period Longer Short
Potential payback High Low
elearning for eScience• Relatively stable topics – e.g. ?principles of
grid computing (at different levels) - worth developing online courses – longer life
Instructions for middleware – online courses – shorter life but many users
Advanced courses – short life, few users – a different kind of online?
Access grid?
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Course Design for longer lasting topics/topics for many users
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Course Design Philosophy• Learner driven not technology driven• Community• Central role for faculty in the design and
development process• Draw from a portfolio of design options (multiple
media)• Traditional resources (books), multimedia, interactive courseware
and communications technology etc…
• Integration of technology, content and standards• Assessment• Evaluation
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
The Process
Specification
Design
Production
Evaluation Control
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Specification
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Understand Your Audience
• Who will be learning?• Undergraduate• Postgraduate• Lifelong• Professional development
• How will they learn? Understand the restrictions• At home• On the move• In the office
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Understand the subject• Use faculty
• Key concepts/key questions
• Use pre-existing resources• Developed by faculty• Developed by third parties
– Consider copyright
• Document the process• High level of granularity
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Consider the Technology
• To VLE or not to VLE?• Most built to support face to face teaching
• XML
• Multiple media
• About to test Moodle (open source, designed for distance learners)
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Design
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Pedagogical Model
• Design a model to complement the audience and the material
• Student centred
• Problem based?
• NB: course specification crossover
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Community• Research and experience show that
community significantly reduces dropout
• Build community into the courseware• Start with introductions (and games?)• Easy access to discussion• Group project work
• Understand the restrictions as well as the advantages of online learning
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Assessment
• How will the students be assessed?
• Use the technology• Group work• Assessment tools
• Institution policy
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Technology
• XML schema
• Metadata and standards
• Learning objects• Not necessarily determined by their media type
XSLTProcessor
How XML Works for Us
XMLContent
XSLStylesheet
IMSManifest
IMS Package
KeyXSL = eXtensible Stylesheet LanguageIMS = Technical distributed learning standardIMS metadata = description of the contentIMS manifest = description of how the content relates to other content
HTML
IMSMetadata
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Production
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Working With Authors• Put your author at the centre of the process• Use the technology to your advantage
• Automation of XML processing
• Author guide• How to write for the web• How to use the templates• Quality control
• Control your developers• Manage expectations
TALL Process
www.tall.ox.ac.uk
Evaluation
• Should consider 10% of budget
• Evaluate content, technology and pedagogical model
• Build evaluation into the courseware
• Use the evaluation• To improve courseware• As a tool for institutional change
Lower investment model MSt Intl. Human Rights Law
• Part-time over 2 years
• Most materials delivered in print form
• Asynchronous discussion, email bulletin board
• Faculty and students (16) worldwide
• Using Oxford libraries remotely
• Two 6 week summer schools in Oxford
What about fast moving subjects?
• Capturing lectures (voice, powerpoint/pdfs, annotations, handwritten) - ?Camtasia, Tegrity
• Make available for students – e.g Impatica
• Use once or twice then discard
• Rely on discussion model?
• Reduce editorial and postproduction to a minimum
Oxford U Software engineering programme Dir Dr Jim Davies
Sharing resources
• Peer reviewed:
• e.g. MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) www.merlot.org
• Finding resources is hardest part
• Making them changeable – ?creative commons
