0229590_C6FC0_solomon_negash_michael_e_whitman_amy_b_woszczynski_handbook

How strongly to you agree or disagree with the following statements?

1.I think that the advantages of using Internet in asynchronous distance courses provide a high level of satisfaction

2.Asynchronous distance learning provides greater service quality than classroom taught courses

3.The need to use Internet and computers does not mean any additional effort in asynchronous distance learning over traditional classroom instruction

4.An asynchronous distance course is more useful than a classroom taught course

5.The price of asynchronous distance courses should be lower than the price for classroom taught courses

6.Society places more value on qualifications obtained from classroom taught courses than those from asynchronous distance learning courses

7.With traditional classroom instruction you have to work less than in asynchronous distance learning to achieve the same teaching objectives.

8.The prestige of the offering institution is more important in the decision to do asynchronous distance courses than classroom taught ones

(1 = Strongly disagree; 5 = Completely agree)

Classification data

Gender: ______________

Age: ________________

Education (mark the correct response with an x):

Primary studies

Secondary education

University diploma

University bachelor

Occupation (mark the correct response with an x):

Unemployed

Retired

Self-employed

Employed

intRoduction

This chapter analyses e-learning from an industry perspective. The chapter studies how the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) will affect the market for university teaching. This is done by the use of a scenario framework developed for the study of ICT impact on knowledge industries. This framework is applied on the case of e-learning by drawing on practical experiences made at the Center for Information and Communication Technologies (CICT) at Technical University of Denmark.

The impact of ICT on knowledge services such as e-learning relatesto production processes, content, and delivery. Production of knowledge services can, as the production of goods and of otherservices,makeuseofICTinordertoincrease efficiency.Thiscanforinstancebedonethrough processing, sharing, and reuse of data. A special feature for information services is that electronic deliverycanbeusedbothintheproductionprocess and in delivery to end users. Electronic delivery is, however, not just a new way to deliver an existing service. Electronic delivery changes the content of the service delivered. Provision of online ac-

cess to information is a service, which is different from provision of the same information through a weekly newsletter.

Knowledge services using ICT in either production or delivery can be termed e-knowledge services (Sundbo, 2006). Professional e-knowl- edge services have been studied by, for example, Haukness (1999) and Miles (1994). But services directed towards private citizens have been less common.However,withimprovednetworkaccess for private citizens, use of the Internet or mobile networks as delivery channels are becoming more widespread.

First a scenario framework for analysing ICT impact on knowledge services is outlined. Second, different types of e-learning are discussed and the experiences made at CICT are presented. Thereafter follows an analysis of the market for e-learning and the possibilities for universities to address this market.

scenaRios foR ict iMPact on knowledge seRvices

We will in this section present two sets of service scenarios, which later will be used to discuss the implications of ICT-based learning methods for university teaching. These scenarios have been developed as part of the research project ‘E-ser- vices—Knowledge Services, Entrepreneurship and the Consequences for Business Customers and Citizens.’1

The first set of scenarios describes customer relationships. Here two dimensions are defined:

•Codification and openness

•Social relationships

A high level of codification and openness implies that information can be made available on the Internet and it is possible for consumers to get easy access to a low price. Services, where information and knowledge are more difficult

ICT Impact on Knowledge Industries

to codify or where access for other reasons is limited, are more expensive and available for a limited audience only.

The other dimension relates to interaction between producers andusers. Some services involve intensive communication (e.g., coaching), while services like cash dispensing demand very little direct interaction.

Use of ICT may imply that the characteristics of a particular service are moving from one point to another in this two-dimensional continuum.

ScenarioIdealswithhighlycodifiedinformation, where ICT is used to expand coverage and user interaction. Wikepedia is a typical example of this of service. Information is easily available, and both users and producers are able to interact. The success depends on the reliability of the information, and usability for users (Christensen, 2006).

Scenario II deals with highly specialised information used in close interaction with users, which is difficult to codify. This implies that although

ICT may be used in part of the process, it is difficult to deliver all parts of the service without one-to-one communication. Most often service delivery will necessitate at least some face-to- facecommunication.Manyconsultancyfirmsare found in this scenario. Management consultants for instance will, in spite of intensive use of ICT, need to interact with customers through personal communication. ICT is mainly used for standardisation and modulation of production (Baark, Falch, et al., 2002).

In Scenarios III and IV interaction with users arelessnecessary.ICTmayherebeusedtodevelop self-service concepts. This is particularly relevant in scenarios where information is codified more easily.Electronicpaymentsystemsareanexample of a service where the self-service concept has been developed in full (Scenario IV). But also, more complicated services, where codification is more difficult (Scenario III), can be provided through development of expert systems.

A similar set of scenarios can be defined for the organisation of the industry (Figure 2). Here the second axis is replaced with a dimension describing whether the industry tends to converge or to split into different specialised service areas. Convergence implies that different

service areas are combined by the use of ICT in order to develop new service concepts and business areas. Focussing implies that ICT is used to expand expertise and upgrade service products in a particular area.

In the first scenario ICT is used to combine services in new ways. One example is new media

houses providing their services on several platforms such as TV broadcast, Internet, and mobile phones. Other examples are various types of e- shops. E-shops may not need to keep stocks of the products they offer. Therefore an e-shop may be able to offer a very wide range of products.

Banks may be in the second scenario as they useICTtoexpandtheirproductrangeintootherfinancialservicessuchasinsuranceandsalesofreal estate.Localaffiliatesareusedforcommunication with customers, but the information and expertise may be provided from other locations.

ICT can expand the geographical reach of companies, and in this way create sufficient volume for more specialised services. Consultancy firmsareabletofocusontheircorecompetences and still obtain a sufficient volume to cover their costs (Scenario III). Wikepidia is also benefiting from addressing the global market in a limited niche (Scenario IV).

what is e-leaRning?

The idea of using computers as a learning tool is almost as old as the computer, and e-learning is one out of several concepts which are used for describing a host of new learning methodologies usinge-learninginpartsoforintheentirelearning process.Conceptslikeflexiblelearning,distance learning, telelearning, and computer supported learning cover to a wide extent use of similar learning methodologies.

The EU e-learning action defines e-learning as ‘the use of new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and services as well as remote exchanges and collaboration’

(CEC, 2001). This definition is rather broad as it neitherspecifiesthekindoflearningmethodologies nor the kind of technologies supporting it (multimedia technologies may cover almost any kind of computer based applications). It does however distinguish itself from distance learn-

ICT Impact on Knowledge Industries

ing, which can be done without the use of ICT. Moreover distance is not a necessary condition for application of e-learning, although one of the most important advantages by e-learning is the flexibility it offers with regard to distance.

E-learning is facilitated by different types of communicationtechnologieswhereespeciallythe useofonlineaccessoftheInternetprovidesunique possibilities todelivere-learning across space and support interaction-based learning types, which, for example, CD-ROMS do not.

E-learningisnotconfinedtoanyparticularpart oftheeducationalsystem,ratherthecontrary.One of the advantages of e-learning is that it makes it possible to extend the reach of educational and training systems into new areas. Thus e-learning can be applied both in the formal educational system (i.e., public schools, colleges, universities, etc.), as well as for vocational training. It can be used both for private use as well as in the public and the private sector.

A report from the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation operates with four different types of e-learning methodologies, which illustrate the widespectrum learning methodologies covered by the concept of e-learning (Box 1):

•Model A: E-learning where the teacher and the students never meet physically, and where no dialogue between students or students and the teacher takes place.

•Model B: E-learning where the teacher and thestudentsnevermeetphysically,butwhere the dialogue between the participants is supported by use of IT-based communication services.

•Model C: E-learning where parts of the learning takes place in a classroom and parts of the learning is done elsewhere, where the students work on a computer on their own (e.g., at home or at work).

•Model D: E-learning where all teaching is done in a classroom, and where computers

areusedasalearningtool.(“Perspectives,”

2003)

e-leaRning at cict

The Center for Information and Communication Technologies (CICT), located at Technical University of Denmark (DTU), has for many years used ICT as an integral part of its teach-

ing. This section outlines how ICT and e-learn- ing are used for providing teaching to students outside the campus of the Technical University of Denmark. The section focuses on e-learning used for postgraduate training, as e-learning is deemed to have the largest potential in this area. Postgraduatestudents will mostoften befull-time employed elsewhere, and find it inconvenient to make frequent travels to CICT.

current use in Regular courses

As many other universities, the Technical University of Denmark has developed an Intranet called ‘CampusNet,’ which can be accessed by both students and teachers. This facility is used for all courseinformationtostudents.Eachcoursemaintains its own Web site only available to students registered to this particular course. These Web sites are used for posting information on lectures, group work, and so forth. Course material such as literature, exercises, PowerPoint presentations, and so forth can also be made available. Tools for provision of interactive training is provided, but only a few teachers use this opportunity, as it is very resource demanding to develop good quality teaching material for this purpose. Another possibility could be to podcast lectures. This has been considered, but has not yet been implemented.

CICT is also working on the development of an interface enabling the use of mobile devices and transmission through a campus-wide DVB- H system.

course in hypermedia

Back in 1997-98, CICT established videoconferencing facilities in order cooperate with Intermedia at University of Aarhus (350 km from CICT). The facilities included two–way video transmission and the possibility of transmission of a PowerPoint presentations. The system was based on a 2 Mbit video link provided via the Nordic university network, Nordunet. A video link established by a telecom operator would at that time be far too costly. Therefore the system could only be used for communication with other universities.

This system was used for providing a course in hypermedia to DTU students. All lectures were conducted in Aarhus for students from Aarhus University and transmitted to DTU, so students from DTU were able to follow the teaching. Even oral examinations were done by the use of the

ICT Impact on Knowledge Industries

video link, so the same examiner could examine students from both Aarhus and DTU.

The technical performance of the system was not entirely stable, and it was necessary to have a technician in both ends to monitor the system during the lectures. The only reason that this way ofteachingwasacceptabletothestudentswasthat they had an interest in the technology itself.

Although this course was provided by use of e-learning technologies, content and teaching methods remained unaffected. The course was developed as a traditional course with lectures and report writing, followed by an oral examination. E-learning was used only to make the course available to more students.

mMic: Master in Mobile internet education

When CICT created a new master education in 2001 in collaboration with Aalborg University, e-learning was a part of the concept from the very beginning. The master was designed especially for students working in the flourishing mobile communication sector. As most students had a full-time job and were located in different parts of the country, it was not possible to demand students to come to DTU or to Aalborg in order to attend course lectures every week.

Therefore teaching was concentrated in 15weekend seminars during a period of 2 years. The students were requested to deliver a short report 1-2 month after each seminar, and thereafter to present this report in an oral examination.

In order to reduce accomodation costs for the participants, the first day of the seminars was transmitted via a video link. In this way students from Aalborg only had to spend one night in Copenhagen.

Before each seminar, students were demanded to prepare themselves by reading selected textbooks and carrying out a number of partly interactive exercises provided by the use of an e-learning tool.

ICT Impact on Knowledge Industries

The system applied was not particularly advanced compared to what is available today. At that time DTU did not yet have a fully developed e-learning tool. Therefore a trial version of a system called Uniflex developed by researchers at Aalborg University was used.

Remote teaching during the seminars was done by use of a video conferencing system from Polycom. The conference system worked in real time, that is, the students in the remote classroom could on one display see the students in other location. The lecturer was made visible at another display. The teacher was provided with a display, where the teacher was able to see the students in the remote classroom.

Apart from the live video connection, we used adataconnectionforthePowerPointpresentations. We tried by using these technologies to create a situation where the geographical distance did not matter, and the lectures were given as in a traditional classroom environment.

In this way the students at both locations could see each other and participate in the discussions. There was a huge participation in the teaching from the remote site.

The same concept was used during the final examinations, so students could avoid travelling to DTU in order to participate in examinations. Most students used the video-facilities available at Aalborg University for this purpose, but one student made his presentation from Taiwan.

The teachers had to go through a learning and adaptation process before they felt comfortable with the new teaching environment. Although it was possible to see all students, it was much more difficult to secure a lively interaction with the students located at the remote site than with the students located just in front of the teacher.

All students were very enthusiastic about the program. They felt like the video barrier was almost absent, but suggested at the same time to shorten lectures conducted on video. This indicates that lectures on video are more difficult to follow than ordinary lectures. On the other hand

the students appreciated the flexibility enabled by the use of e-learning.

It was clear from the responses that the quality of both video and sound was essential for the learning. Also the lightening of the classroom was important. A few lectures were transmitted by use of an ordinary ADSL line. Both video and soundwentthroughwithouttechnicaldifficulties, but a lower picture resolution and a poorer voice quality affected the learning.

The students felt that it was important that only a part of the training was done by the use of video. They argued that it was mportant to talk directly to the teacher at least a few times as this increases the efficiency of the training, as well as subsequent training made by video.

It is suggested that CICT in cooperation with Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC) offer a remote teaching program in Ghana, using the same concept as the above mentioned master program. However, this probably creates other challenges,technical,cultural,andlanguagewise.

The longer distances make it difficult to meet 15 times over 2 years and their might be differences in understanding and expectations to teaching.

scenaRios foR e-leaRning

The four different models for e-learning (A, B, C, andD)canbeinsertedinthecustomerrelationship scenarioframeworkdescribedinitially(seeFigure 3). Model A learning without presence and without communication is most suitable for learning processeswherelittleinteractionisneeded.Useof ModelAismostsuitableforlearningofknowledge whichcanbecodifiedinasystematicway.Model

A may provide individual exercises, but in many areas students will need at least some interaction with a tutor in order to discuss solutions (Model B); in particular, if a problem has more than one correct solution. Models B (e-learning without presence and with communication), C (e-learn- ing combined with occasionally presence), and D

(e-learning used as a tool in class-room teaching) do not necessarily imply more codification, but experiences from CICT show that teaching using videoconferencing and e-mail communication works better if more codified teaching methodologies are used. For instance, is there a need for more detailed PowerPoint presentations, as it is difficult to supplement with other learning tools such as whiteboard, demonstrations requiring physical interaction, and so forth? E-learning

will thus motivate teachers to codify the learning process more than if traditional classroom teaching is used.

Theusefulnessofthedifferentmodelsdepends on the environment, the kinds of users, and the type of competence that the learning process is aimed to develop (see Box 2). Blooms taxanomy of skills refers to the development starting with the knowledgeofcertainmodels andfacts without understanding. Later on, comprehension of the

ICT Impact on Knowledge Industries

models is developed and afterwards the level of being able to use the knowledge is aquired based on the former two levels of skills. The later levels implymorereflectionandcriticalassesmentofthe knowledge refining existing knowledge.

Learning of different types of skills involves different types of learning processes. Some of these are more suitable for adaption of e-learn- ing methodologies than others. The lowest levels of skills such as simple knowledge are the easiest to codify and hence to implement in an ICT-based learning tool. The learning processes can be categorised according to the skills to be developed through the learning process (Attwell & others, 2003):

1.Learningasaprocessforacquiringinformation.

2.Learningasaprocessforacquiringinformation and processing experience.

3.Learningasaprocessforacquiringinformation and processing experience that effects a long-term change in the consciousness of the learner.

4.Learning as a process for acquiring information and processing experience in which the learner integrates new information and experienceintotheuser’scurrentknowledge base.

5.Learningasaprocessforacquiringinformation and processing experience in which the learnerperceives,selects,andintegratesnew information and experience into the user’s current knowledge base, thereby changing it.

6.Learning as a process for acquiring information and processing experience, in which thelearnerselectsandconstructsknowledge thatis useful and appropriatefor the userand in turn uses this to drive and determine the user’s own continuous learning process.

7.Learningthatbecomesanindividualprocess of interaction between the individual and the individual’s environment, in which the

subjective reality of the learner is actively constructed.

The first of these learning processes are the least demanding with regard to interaction between student and teacher. These processes are therefore more suitable for the use of e-learning Model A than Processes 3-5. Model A may also provide individual exercises, but in many areas students will need at least some interaction with a tutor in order to discuss the student’s solutions (Model B). A long-term change in consciousness

(3) may be difficult to obtain without any social interaction with fellow students. This points towards use of Model C or Model D. All models will however be able to include examples and exercises, which will be difficult to provide in a non-IT environment.

Learning Processes 6 and 7 will benefit from taking place in a praxis-related environment, for example, a working place. E-learning can therefore play an important role here, although codificationofallelementsofthelearningprocess will be difficult.

is theRe a MaRket foR e-leaRning?

In this section we discuss how e-learning expands universities’ potential for offering educations and supplementary training.

Official statistics measuring the level of e- learning activities are rather scanty, but a number of indicators for use of e-learning for supplementary training exist. They all indicate that the market for e-learning is growing rapidly and that e-learning will become widespread in most types of private and public institutions engaged in training.

One of the most substantive surveys has been madebytheBritishconsultingfirmAlphametrics on behalf of the EU Commission. Alphametrics has in cooperation with Bizmedia made surveys