FIGURE 13.1. CONTINUUM OF E-LEARNING AT THE UNIVERSITY

Of glamorgan.

this term. As a result, research findings could be misleading due to confusion arising out of ambiguous terminology.

At the University of Glamorgan, we have adopted a continuum of e-learning that indicates the blend as the use of online medium increases from basic information and communication technology (IGT) use to intensive ICT use (see Figure 13.1).

At the basic ICT use end of the continuum is the blend of current practices plus a basic use of ICT, for example PowerPoint and Word documents. At the e-enhanced stage, current practice is supplemented with access to some online resources provided through the VLE (Blackboard) such as announcements and lecture notes on the Web. The next stage is e-focused, where the instructor might use discussion boards, online assessment tests, and interactive learning materials alongside some face-to-face delivery. The end of the continuum is the e-intensive stage, where modules or complete awards are delivered and moderated online but still may contain some face-to-face elements such as inductions.

The next section offers more specifics about how E-College Wales is using blended learning.

Local Designs

Wales is a country where a quarter of those of working age are not in paid em­ployment. Such high levels of inactivity have led to locally concentrated areas of unskilled people and destructive cycles of low expectations, disaffection, and

187

E-College Wales, a Case Study of Blended Learning

social exclusion. A large section of Wales has been designated as an Objec­tive One area by the European Union (EU); wtth ^**^^П>*»*£_е ble for extra funding to stimulate economic growth. Thus m 2000 the University of Glamorgan, in collaboration wtth it. partnership of further education colleges in Wales, successfully bid to the European Sooju Fund^ for funding to develop entrepreneurial programs online across the Objective OneTreas^g_of Wales,"resulting in the E-College Wales (ECW) project. ECW is one of Europe's largest and most innovative online learning projects offer­ing an honors degree in enterprise, a master's degree in professional develop­ment available in both Welsh and English, a foundation degree m business administration, courses related to finance for nonfinancial managers, and an e-moderaticn course for developing teaching skills in an online environment. ECW was launched in 2000 and now has over eight hundred learners onhne. All courses have been popular and attracted many students who would not have enrolled in face-to-face programs at the university. The master s m professional development and the e-moderation courses are growing most rapidly indicat­ing that professional and training courses attract online learners. On the degree in enterprise, many learners dropped out at the end of the first year, stating that they did not want a degree but rather training in specific business areas (for example, how to write a business plan, marketing, and financial know-how). Our plans are to introduce smaller chunks of learning and training for these

small business owners.

The learner target group is diverse; we knew at the outset that many poten­tial online learners would be unlikely to pay for any new opportunity and would have few or no formal educational qualifications. Thus, as a result of EU funding, the courses and programs, mentioned previously, were offered free, and student. were loaned personal computers. We knew that motivation and retention wou d be two of the most crucial issues in delivering successful e-learnmg programs to these learners. The learner target group is made up of those least likely to par­ticipate in open and distance learning without motivation, incentive, and inten­sive local support. In UK. universities, in particular those with a widening access policy, retaining students is problematic. Student motivation and satisfacUon-with the online program are frequently given as reasons that a large number of students drop out (Alexander, 2001; Bonk, 2003).

Although we recognized that motivating, engaging, and retaining individuals would be the key to success in the implementation of e-learmng, our retention rate in the first year was low (50 percent). The students provided many reasons why they withdrew including personal issues, such as increased pressure of work, lack of time, illness, and lack of IT skills. There were also a number of course-specific reasons given for withdrawal, and these included technical problems, wrong course selection, and too much course work. Student responses to the