WELLER, Martin
Faculty of Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom, m.j.weller@open.ac.uk
Abstract: T171 You, your computer and the Net is a distance education ICT foundation course. The course is presented over the Internet, with web-based material, and online tutoring. It was piloted in 1999 with 900 students. The course is aimed at a wide range of students, some of whom are completely new to computing. It uses a number of techniques to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort, including the use of narrative, group work, guided study, generic teaching and numerous activities. This paper outlines how these techniques have been implemented in the course, which has proven very popular with students, and offers a model for transferring traditional distance education methods to the Internet.
Keywords: Distance education, Internet, Web Application, IT Education.
Use of the Internet and the web in particular for distance education has been on the increase, with the rise of third generation courses [1]. The use of the Internet as the delivery mechanism for distance education offers a number of advantages over conventional methods, including quicker production and alteration of material, increased opportunity for feedback and interaction with students and flexibility in study patterns.
It has a number of limitations also, which mean it is not suitable for all types of material, or teaching methodologies. It is poor in comparison with most conventional methods of delivery when issues of access and cost are considered. The types of suitable media are also limited, for instance restrictions on bandwidth mean that delivery of video is still largely unrealistic for any meaningful educational purposes.
T171 You, Your Computer and the Net is an ICT foundation course developed at the Open University in the UK (OU). Its aim is to take computer beginners, and provide them with the skills needed to function productively with a personal computer and the Internet. It also aims to provide knowledge to place these technologies in context, so that by the end of the course students are comfortable both with using them and conversing about them and their wider implications.
The aim of the course was to appeal to a broad range of students, not just those interested in a technology or computing degree. In order to do this the course team had to meet several challenges:
The course team incorporated a number of learning methodologies in the material to address these issues, including teaching through the use of narratives, the incorporation of collaborative group work, an activity based approach, generic teaching of software and structured study patterns. The implementation of these in T171 is outlined below, after a general overview of the course.
The course has the overall structure of three modules, with a web site adding academic wrap around material to readable set texts. The course lasts for 32 weeks, with four tutor marked assignments (TMAs) and one end of course assessment. The three modules are as follows:
Each student is a member of a tutor group, which has its own computer conference. All of the tuition is conducted through this. There are also a number of national conferences, which all students can contribute to.
In T171 the use of narrative was based around two set text books [2 & 3]. These were both chosen because they operated at the level of narrative. They were readable accounts of the development of the personal computer and the Internet respectively.
The course structure is based around students reading a chapter of the set book. The web site then uses this to explore a variety of issues raised by the book. For instance a chapter in [2] recounts how the microprocessor was invented and how the company Intel were founded. This is then used to explore issues such as how a microprocessor operates, the social implications of the rapid change in the computer industry, the nature of the start-up phenomenon in the industry and the a detailed look at Intel. The narrative provides a coherent structure which allows the course to address diverse topics which might otherwise seem disparate and unfocused. This means the course can address technological, social and economic issues, which help to broaden its appeal.
The two set texts both relate their narratives by providing anecdotes and opinions on the significant characters in the respective stories. This use of characters is fundamental in narrative. In T171 it helped to achieve the aim of demythologising the subject area. By humanising the topic it helps to again broaden the appeal, and also the use of characters creates a narrative which is intrinsically motivating and interesting for the student. This helps create a momentum and context for the course material which can be utilised to teach material which otherwise students may find difficult. The operation of a microprocessor is a good example of this. It is not taught in the abstract but rather as additional information, which helps further inform the narrative, the student has just read.
A number of group activities were incorporated into the material. These had numerous benefits:
Two of the group activities were included in assignments thus providing an incentive and real deadline for students to work co-operatively.
With web based or multi-media material it is often easy for students to become lost or to browse material at a surface level without engaging with it in any meaningful manner [4]. In order to focus students a number of methods were employed. These included regular e-mail study guides, which detailed the instructions for students in any two week period. The web site was not made available all at once, but rather it was progressively revealed as the course progressed. Given the nature of the study patterns of OU students, it was necessary to allow material to be made available in advance of the current recommended material. This pacing was reinforced through the structure of the web site so material could be in one of four states:
There are also a number of group activities which help students pace their study.
The wide diversity of the student cohort also means students have a range of software packages, including word processors, spreadsheets, HTML editors, etc. Rather than teach a specific package in detail, the course taught generic skills. One of the aims of the course was to help students cope in an ever-changing environment. So rather than teach one package in detail students were taught how to learn software packages. For example, the activity on word processors introduced the main functions of a word processor, some advice on how to find these functions, and then gave a series of exercises to implement them. This material was then backed up with a computer conference on word processors, which was moderated by two experts. Students could use this to ask specific questions about their own word processor. Given the size of the student cohort, the knowledge of students themselves represents a considerable resource, so peer support was invaluable. The variety and complexity of diverse computer set-ups means it is difficult for the course team to anticipate every problem which may arise. However, a student or tutor somewhere has usually encountered a similar problem and can offer advice.
The development of computing and study skills was done through the use of activities. Module 1 is based around activities which first introduce the principles, and then provide a practical example of these. The activities cover skills such as sending e-mail, finding information on the web, writing HTML, formatting text, using drawing packages, etc. Modules 2 and 3 are more content based, but use activities to develop study skills.
One method of ensuring students develop skills is to integrate them within the assessment of the course. T171 requires students to produce their assignments as HTML documents, and their working notes are also in this format, thus enforcing a familiarity with HTML and issues of web design. Students were required to formulate their notes so that they developed into a study journal over the course. They were directed by exercises at various stages to develop this journal. For instance, one activity requires them to reformulate their journal, producing a new index page according to categories of their own devising. This notion of organising material in different ways and use of hypertext as a means of thinking about and working with material is a skill the course team believes will be of value as the information content students are required to deal with continues to grow.
T171 was piloted in 1999 with 900 students. Of these 70% were new to the OU. Students were from diverse backgrounds, with wide variation in computing experience, ranging from those who had bought a computer specifically for the course to some who were IT professionals. Students’ ages ranged from 18 to 82, and a gender split of 9:10 female:male. The estimated student cohort for the course in 2000 is in excess of 6,000, many of whom will be studying degree profiles in areas such as business, arts, social sciences, as well as computing and technology. Initial feedback has been positive across the range of students, but firm conclusions can only be drawn after detailed evaluation has occurred at the end of the course.
This paper has outlined how the different pedagogical methods have been incorporated into the course to accommodate the demands of meeting a diverse student population. These have included teaching through activities, group work, the use of narrative, and the structure of the material.