[LINK] Two views on online Learning

[Tom Worthington]

Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> Rushing Too Fast to Online Learning? ...  ScienceDaily Aug. 8, 2010
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628092756.htm
> ... watch the lecture in a room with 190 seats or ...  online ...

The paper referred to is "Is it Live or is it Internet? Experimental
Estimates of the Effects of Online Instruction on Student Learning"  (D
Figlio, M Rush, L Yin, 2009):
<http://bear.warrington.ufl.edu/Yin/figlio%20rush%20yin%20internet%20paper%20august%202009.pdf>.

The research seems to be well designed and the conclusions reasonably
drawn from the evidence. However, the authors' understanding of what
online learning is appears to be flawed. Online videos of lectures are
not the same as online education.

Giving students a choice between sitting in a room passively watching a
live lecture or sitting in front of a computer passively watching a
video of a lecture seems a dismal choice to me. Both are a poor way to 
learn and neither are how education is done at quality universities.

Online learning is not about providing videos of lectures, at least not
the sort of e-learning I provide. I don't use any videoed lecturers for
my Green ICT course. It is collaborative and mentored learning: that is
the students work together online and then receive individual advice on
how they are going from the teacher:
<http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/collaborative_e_learning/>.

The research seems to be well designed and the conclusions reasonably 
drawn from the evidence. However, the authors' understanding of what 
online learning is appears to be flawed. Online videos of lectures is 
not the same as online education.

Giving students a choice between sitting in a room passively watching a 
live lecture or sitting in front of a computer passively watching a 
video of a lecture seems a pretty dismal choice to me. Both are a poor 
way to learn and neither are how education is done at quality universities.

Online learning is not about providing videos of lectures. I don't use 
any videoed lecturers for my Green ICT course. It is collaborative and 
mentored learning: that is the students work together online and then 
receive individual advice on how they are going from the teacher: 
<http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/collaborative_e_learning/>.

The ANU Engineering Hubs and Spokes Project is using video conferencing, 
virtual classrooms, remote labs, quizzes and on-line assessment: 
<http://hubsandspokes.cecs.anu.edu.au/study>.

For example, a one hour lecture might be replaced with a 20 minute audio 
slide show. But the student doesn't just sit there passively watching 
the slides for 20 minutes. They are prompted to do an exercise to apply 
what they are learning and then come back again to think about the 
results, later they will discuss it with other students. You can read 
the details in "The Engineering Hubs and Spokes Project–Institutional 
Cooperation in Educational Design and Delivery" (K Blackmore, P 
Compston, L Kane, D Quinn,2010): 
<http://engnet.anu.edu.au/DEpeople/Kim.Blackmore/papers/Ascilite2010.pdf>.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP HLM, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science, The
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/