Frank Prosser
School District #69 (Qualicum), BC
R. Boates

This paper presents a series of recommendations based on the findings of an extensive literature review and the authors' experience with creating and implementing an on-line version of a high school course, BC First Nations 12. The recommendations address issues relating to the design of on-line courses and provision of such courses to First Nations students.

This paper presents a series of recommendations based on the findings of an extensive literature review and the authors' experience with creating and implementing an on-line version of a high school course, BC First Nations 12.

1. About First Nations People

The literature indicates that there is a demand for distance education for and about First Nations peoples and that this demand will likely increase in the future (Epstein, 1995). This is partly the result of a feeling of 'distance' that many First Nations learners have toward the traditional classroom environment (Epstein, 1995).

In addressing this need, consultation and dialogue are vital if the product is to have validity for the intended users (Gruber & Coldevin, 1994). Such consultation is time consuming since all players must be given adequate time for input, a process approach to course development must be followed, and collaborative agreements must be reached (Epstein, 1995; Roberts, Burge & White, 1990).

Designers are better off creating new materials rather than using pre-existing courses (McGreal et al, 1991; Epstein, 1995; Butch & Singer in Scriven et al, 1993; Fiddler in Wall & Owen, 1991). Designers do not necessarily need to be of First Nations origin but they need to be culturally sensitive, process oriented, skilled in instructional design, and able to listen to and apply suggestions of those with traditional expertise (Gruber & Coldevin, 1995; Epstein, 1995).

The literature offers varied perspectives on the subject of distance education for First Nations learners. Some themes common to this literature include a preference on the part of First Nations students to study with peers who share their cultural heritage (Goulet & Spronk, 1988; Epstein, 1995), and a need for instructors to make regular contact with their First Nations students (Epstein, 1995). There is also a high degree of support in the literature for the use of on-site facilitators. (Spronk in Roberts & Keough, 1995).

2. About On-line Courses

The literature on the design of on-line courses is replete with suggestions and enjoinments. Schrum (1998) states that in the design of on-line courses, the structure of the course, the planning for educational and personal needs, and the teacher's role must all be reconceived. Couples & Luke (1996) make the important point that designers of on-line courses are both enabled and constrained by three factors: course materials, technologies selected or imposed, and the institutional framework in which the courses are created and offered.

In terms of the design process itself, Boling and Frick (in Khan, 1997) recommend initial design take place on paper rather than computer. Gillani (1998) presents a model for design of web-based courses that incorporates traditional instructional design with storyboarding and other elements used in the design of multi-media products. Trentin (1998) argues that spatial metaphors are important for students new to the on-line environment, but Harasim, Calvert, & Groeneboer (1997) and Dringus (1995) state that experienced users prefer to use menus and hot keys to navigate courses.

Project Background

Connecting Traditions was a three year project to develop a distance education on-line version of BC First Nations 12. The design team was made up of practicing teachers with experience in Information Technology, graphic design, distance education and First Nations education. The course was piloted within School District #69 in the fall of 1999.

Members of the design team went on to conduct an extensive literature review of on-line distance education provision to and about First Nations people. Both development and delivery experiences have subsequently been reviewed in light of the literature review and further experiences of the authors. The following represent some of the recommendations and conclusions that have been drawn from these experiences.

Recommendations and Conclusions

Communication, partnerships & consultation

Importance of including all parties in the partnerships - The BC First Nations 12 course project was made up of a large, diverse and changing group which met for several months and discussed many issues before any substantive course design work was done. As well, there were many ‘behind the scenes’ partners: IBM Canada, the BC Treaty Commission and Open School who also influenced the authors decisions. The authors discovered that each would require updating as the work progressed.

Show respect for history and protocol - At the outset, the authors were advised that it would be necessary to establish a proper protocol for approaching the local First Nations communities. This protocol would be adhered to by the team, future students and teachers when visiting local communities.

Acknowledge ownership and share power - The authors were advised that any material created for the course about local First Nations should either come from the communities and/or be vetted by the local communities. As well, songs, stories and images are ‘owned’ by families or Nations and one must get permission to use such material. This includes material that had previously been used in other contexts. The authors were sometimes given the right to use stories and images but, in some cases, permission was refused. The authors agreed that local First Nations would have the right to veto material that they found unsuitable.

Anticipate political requirements and allow for extra time to meet them - The authors were to discover that this process could be a time consuming, sometimes confusing and frustrating experience. The team had to sometimes tread carefully between and among various groups and interests within the First Nations communities. It proved difficult not to step on toes while collecting local material and writing about local history. The authors also discovered that it can take a great deal of time to establish relationships and to get materials and answers to questions.

Even though there were frustrations as a result of the consultative process, the authors agree that this process was essential to the success of the project. The authors established positive links to the local First Nations communities. It will be necessary, as well, to maintain these links to continue to run the course successfully.

Provide an on-site tutor

An on-site tutor is an important element of successful delivery of such courses. The teacher/tutor for BC First Nations 12 took a very active role in the delivery and support of the course. The success of the pilot seemed very much dependent on her being in place for the students as she worked closely with them and was quite responsive to their needs and difficulties.

Whenever possible, incorporate at least two points of view

The authors had great difficulty finding material to use in BC First Nations 12. Of the material found, little was neutral or written from a First Nations perspective. This brought into focus the great need to give a voice to the usually unheard First Nations perspective in the course. The authors put a great deal of effort into presenting both sides of issues, practices and history.

Match the visual environments

Given that west coast First Nations are renowned for their rich visual heritage, the authors decided that the learning environment had to be similarly rich. Rich and varied images were used in the course, both to inform and to create a distinctive and attractive ‘on-line environment’. Some aspects of First Nations life, not meant to be public, were not depicted out of respect for the First Nations involved.

Design specifically for the web

Perhaps the most important point to be made about the design of on-line courses is that the wholesale transference of materials designed for face-to-face instruction into a Web-based course is a recipe for mediocrity at best. Materials designed for on-line course must utilize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of the medium.

Design on paper before you touch the keyboard

The initial design of 'course architecture' should be completed on paper before large amounts of time are invested on the computer. Higher level structures and holistic prototypes should be created and examined by various stake holder groups before the designers turn to HTML. The authors went through multiple iterations on paper, and subsequent experience showed that more should have been done.

Use storyboarding to augment instructional design

Incorporate traditional instructional design with storyboarding and other elements used in the design of multi-media products. The use of storyboarding allowed the authors to simultaneously work with multimedia and traditional design elements in way that improved the integration of these elements within the final product.

Use multiple navigational elements

To assure ease of use by both novice and experienced Web users, multiple navigational elements must be incorporated. Such elements should include spatial metaphors such as graphic representations (e.g., a Coast Salish village serving as a unit map), as well as menus and buttons, and text links for more experienced users.

Explore constraints and opportunities

Each design project faces a set of enabling constraints: factors that can simultaneously empower and hinder the design process (course materials, technologies selected or imposed, and the institutional framework in which the course must be designed and offered). These factors are external to the design process and may be out of the designer's control. For the authors, LearningSpace was part of the technology selected before any course design took place. This software offered well designed conferencing, communications, assessment and scheduling components but its use required the authors to create the HTML for the course with a particular Web authoring program. Also, LearningSpace's 'look and feel' did not match the authors' vision of the environment of the course. It is vital that course designers take the time to become acquainted with their own unique enabling constraints before they proceed too far into the course design process.

Summary and Conclusions

The results of this paper may provide a valuable starting point for those interested in provision of technologically mediated on-line courses with an emphasis on provision for and about First Nations people.

References

Boling, E. & Frick, T. (1997). Holistic Rapid Prototyping for Web Design: Early Usability Testing is Essential. In B. Khan (Ed.) Web-Based Instruction (pp. 319-29). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications Inc.

Burtch, B. & Singer, C. (1993). Innovations in distance education: Developing appropriate interpersonal skills courses and access for First Nations students. In B. Scriven, R. Lundin & Y. Ryan (Eds.), Distance Education for the Twenty-first Century, pp.33-38. Oslo: ICDE.

Couples, C. & Luke, T. (1996). Academic Infotecture: Course Design for Cyberschool. Paper presented at the Annual General Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association (Atlanta, GA, November 7-9, 1996).

Dringus, Laurie P., (1995). An Iterative usability evaluation procedure for interactive on-line courses, Journal of Interactive Instruction Development, 7(4) pp.10-14.

Epstein, R. (1995). Distance-Delivered Tertiary Programs for Indigenous People in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Regina, University of Sasketchewan.

Fiddler, M. (1992). Developing and implementing a distance education secondary school program for isolated First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario. In D. Wall & M. Owen, (Eds.), Distance Education and Sustainable Development, Edmonton: Canadian Circumpolar Institute and Athabasca University Press.

Gillani, B. (1998). The Web as a Delivery Medium to Enhance Instruction. Education Media International, 35(3), pp.197-202.

Goulet, J. & Spronk, B. (1988). Partnerships with aboriginal peoples: Some implications for distance educators. In D. Sewart, & J. Daniel, (Eds.), Developing Distance Education, pp. 218-221. Oslo: ICDE.

Gruber, S. & Coldevin, G. (Fall 1994). Management training at a distance for Inuit administrators: The Atii pilot project. Journal of Distance Education, IX(2), pp. 21-34.

Harasim, L., Calvert, T., & Groeneboer, C. (1997). Virtual-U: A Web-Based System to Support Collaborative Learning. In B. H. Khan, (Ed.), Web-Based Instruction (pp.149-59). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications Inc.

Roberts, J., Burge, E. & White R. (1990). Distance education for minority groups: Issues confronting a delivery agency. In M. Croft, I. Mugridge, J. Daniel & A. Hershfield (Eds.), Distance Education: Development and Access, pp. 43-45. Caracas: ICDE.

Schrum, L., (1998). On-Line Education: A Study of Emerging Pedagogy, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 78, Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Spronk, B.J. (1995). Appropriating Learning Technologies: Aboriginal Learners, Needs, and Practices. In J. Roberts, & E. Keough, (Eds.), Why the Information Highway? Lessons form Open and Distance Learning (pp.77-102). Toronto, Canada: Trifolium Books Inc.

Trentin, G. (1998). Computer Conferencing Systems as Seen by a Designer of On-line Courses. Educational Technology, 38(3), pp.36-43.

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