Lynn Feist
Instructional Designer
Grant MacEwan College

Learn Online is an initiative by the Health and Community Studies division at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta. Courses in five program areas are being converted from print-based distance education material to a format appropriate for Internet delivery.

The five programs involved in the project include:

Corrections

Hearing Aid Practitioner

Human Service Administration

Occupational Health Nursing

Palliative Care

At the beginning of the project, some broad goals were developed.

Broaden student access to courses by offering alternative delivery formats.

Increase technical competency of divisional staff (support, faculty, and administration).

Coordinate support areas of the college, including the library, computer services, instructional support, marketing, and the registrar’s office.

Facilitate interaction among students and the instructor through the use of email and conferencing systems.

A team approach to course development and delivery has allowed each member of the team to focus on his or her area of expertise. This has also facilitated discussion among various team members and has prevented the duplication of services. For example, the instructor is seen as a content expert. The instructor works closely with an instructional designer to assess student needs, design learning activities and evaluation, and provide access to appropriate resources. Librarians are consulted regarding services that can be provided to distance students. Media experts convert text to HTML, create graphics or multimedia, and put any quizzes online.

On Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) grant has allowed us to evaluate three courses from both an instructor’s and the student’s perspective.

The Instructor’s View

The biggest challenge facing the Learn Online project is determining the best way to provide instructor support and training. Instructors are key to ensuring that students receive a quality learning experience. No amount of technology can replace the instructor component of a course. Instructors need different kinds of support in the development and delivery phases. Instructors identified the fact that an instructor new to online teaching must teach a course a few times before he or she is familiar enough with the tool and delivery method to really know what choices are best to facilitate student learning.

Instructors identified the following advantages of online delivery over print-based material:

Discussions and communication not only helped students learn the content, but also helped to build a sense of community. One instructor noted how the class congratulated a student on a new job.

Students were able to do coursework "anytime" and "anyplace". Online delivery allowed development of a class of students, yet individuals were able to create a schedule that suited their busy lives.

Students received immediate feedback on quizzes. Email or discussion questions were responded to quickly.

Students have access to a large amount of current information through Web sites and the library’s online databases.

Instructors are able to make simple revisions to the course quickly.

Instructors identified the following barriers to online education:

Technical support must be available to both the instructors and students. Providing distance technical support is a new role for our computer services department.

Some students do not have the computer or learning skills needed to succeed in an online environment.

Students require time at the beginning of the course to become familiar with the technology and what is expected of them.

The cost of equipment (or access within their community) and shifting printing costs to the student were also identified as barriers.

The instructors in this project found they spent much more time communicating with their online than print-based students. Many instructors stated that they would still like to increase this telephone and electronic communication, especially at the beginning of the course. They would ensure the expectations of students were clearer. Instructors reported that discussion questions for their students should be more specific. It was also felt that a schedule and due dates may increase student participation and facilitate better completion of assignments.

Instructors saw their roles as being more varied. They acted as a teacher, coach, motivator, facilitator, and evaluator. They also saw the need to direct students to other resources or seek information for students.

Most of the students in this project had extensions to complete course requirements. Instructors questioned whether the workload was appropriate – especially if the course was the first one taken by students in a program. The number of discussions or links to external Web sites were identified as areas that should be re-evaluated when examining course workload.

The Student View

Many of the students taking courses in this project are mature learners who have been away from a formal educational setting for some time. They return to Grant MacEwan College as distance learners and are frequently nervous about returning to school and having to balance commitments of work, family, and studies. They are also overwhelmed by the technology and face many challenges when learning both the technology and course content.

Students chose distance education (print-based or online) because they could complete course work at a time and place that was convenient. Some students chose the online version because they were interested in Internet technology, or because they saw it as an opportunity to learn more about the Internet. Regardless of the delivery method (print-based or online) students noted that the content was relevant to their chosen profession.

Most students indicated an interest in online tutorials or even an on-site session for instructions on how to use a Web browser and the course delivery tool. Some students relied on the online resources as they were at a distance from a local library or any community experts in their field of study.

Students who used the conferencing system enjoyed the feedback from classmates and the instructor. A forum for non-content topics was requested. One student expressed that she felt she got to know the instructor. Students expected immediate feedback from their instructors – even on evenings and weekends.

Although many of the findings confirmed current literature or our own beliefs, they have been helpful in determining the direction we must go to support online delivery at our institution. A handbook and list of computer competencies is being developed for instructors. A proposal has been submitted for funding to create student tutorials. These tutorials will benefit both distance and on-campus students and instructors.