Evolution of Delivery Mode: A Transformative Learner-Centered Approach
"The Learner See-Saw: A Manitoba Story"

Darlene Frederickson, Center Coordinator,
Center for Learning Technologies,
University of Winnipeg

Bonnie Luterbach
University of Manitoba

Kathleen Matheos
Brandon University

 

We start with the basic assumption that all learning has the potential to be transformative. In the context of this presentation and our discussion, we think the learning processes in the Campus Manitoba environment have the potential for transformation in that people are engaged in learning, teaching and administrating in new ways through the use of technology. It provides a means to look beyond the replication of the traditional paradigm of the classroom. Therefore, two questions have evolved for us: does this program facilitate transformative learning for students, instructors and administrators and can this process be a transformative force in the mainstream institution?

Things We Did Things We Do Now Changes
  • satelllite and audio-conference
  • print, audio and video tapes
  • library collections provided in each Centre
  • on-site Centre Coordinators

AIMS:

  • to provide students in 5 rural Centres with an opportunity for a first year at home
  • different from other programs in that it was collaborative – all three Manitoba universities participated – all courses counted for residency and transfer credit at each institution
  • provide a comprehensive 1st year, including science courses
  • initially a transition year for high school students but in the final demographics there were only 50% sequential students – the remaining 50% were mature students
  • only 52% of the students moved on-campus indicating there was a need to provide courses at the upper level
  • audiographics over the internet
  • print
  • video tapes
  • CD-ROM video/video clips
  • software – individual and shared applications, e.g.
    • statistics package
    • power point slides
    • mathematics software
  • library services
    • on-line library search
    • full-text on-line journals
  • newsgroups – notify instructors/students/administrators of classroom management changes
  • asynchronous discussion groups
  • e-mail
  • bulletin boards
  • assignment submission, tracking, evaluation, return & feedback
  • www reference/enrichment resources
  • www – course content distributed immediately with immediate update potential – dynamic potential of www
  • www self-directed learning skills site
  • 3 real-time classroom hours per week no longer the norm – range now 0-3 hours
  • each course instructor incorporated technologies in a variety of ways, and for varying amounts of time, according to subject needs as well as their own teaching style & comfort with the technology
  • paradigm change for students – less in-class guided time/more flexibility increasing need for ownership of learning
  • students increasingly have to initiate contact with the instructor/other students & course materials
  • increased usage of www resources and learning technologies by all
  • now target both sequential and non-sequential students
  • mix of 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year, and Master’s level courses
  • 13 Community Centres now developed – increased interaction among students and between students and instructors
  • increased use of technology while reducing related operating costs

Our questions: does this program facilitate transformative learning for students, instructors and administrators and can this process be a transformative force in the mainstream institution?

Our initial answers: YES & YES in the following ways.

Students
  • makes a post-secondary education a real possibility for students who are unable to leave their communities
  • portability of the supports available at high school – students don’t have to worry both about their school work and about their lives – they remain in their home community
  • students still perceive structure
  • a transition year experience to a larger audience because we have been able to use a more cost-effective technology
  • greater access to post-secondary education province-wide
  • enriched courses with the use of on-line resources
  • provided more opportunities for student-directed learning activities
  • increased skill and comfort using technology as a tool to meet their learning needs
  • increased interaction with students in other sites, different world views exchange -creation of community of learners without walls
  • during class time, students can ask questions in two ways: taking the floor (replication of how you would do it in the classroom) or with a chat box anonymously and privately if wanted – providing opportunities for students who would not typically ask questions in a traditional classroom setting
  • reduction in feedback time has a positive effect on learning and continuance
 Instructors
  • significant pre-planning in how to use technologies to foster inter-action and ways to address learning needs
  • this has acted as a catalyst to change their on-campus classroom teaching and to renew not only content but teaching styles
  • provided the instructor with more classroom management tools
  • raised their awareness of classroom management experiences as to how it impacts learning
  • increased comfort with technology
  • www makes sources of knowledge more accessible and provides for the democratization of knowledge through the removal of some of the traditional gate-keeping functions of academies
  • the concern that this can also be the sharing of ignorance increases awareness of knowledge/scholarship versus opinion and of the critical need to point this out to students
  • allows instructors to expand their repertoire of interactions  
Administrators / Institutions
  • Centre coordinators have to be more technologically competent – breadth of skills has expanded
  • kind of support has changed – guiding the students into virtual education balanced against a necessary amount of hand-holding
  • embraces and supports students in a variety of modes of DE – the goal is to help students get a post-secondary degree through a variety of ways
  • better at academic advising due to increased direct access to institutional people
  • supports available in the community have increased depth and timeliness
  • required university administration to re-visit policies and processes to ensure that they were inclusive of distributed students – has had the effect of blurring the definition of on-campus versus DE student
  • forced open the window of post-secondary opportunity to the entire province and has provided an impetus and a gateway for the provision of such courses and programs on a global scale

 

Future Questions

This presentation is an overview of the initial observations of the practitioners in the situation. The intent is to do further data collection from students, instructors and administrators to confirm these observations. Some preliminary data will be presented.

Over the last two years Campus Manitoba has made a concerted attempt to facilitate the development of self-directed learners who are comfortable in working with a variety of learning technologies.

For us, this is a beginning of the journey in which we are as much learners as action researchers.

Where do we go from here?

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