CESI Conference January 2002 St.Patrick's College

Margaret O’Brien,Ballinteer Community School,Dublin. 16

Overview
This paper outlines the background to a case study involving the integration of Web Based Learning (WBL) into a module of Vocational Preparation and Guidance (VPG) within the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme (LCA) which took place in the school year 2000-2001. The principal aim of this study was to investigate whether WBL as a method of teaching and learning has a role to play for those students who choose to take the LCA. Fifteen students were involved in this research. These were a class group of 15-16 year olds in Year 1 (Fifth Year) LCA in a mixed urban community school. Of these, six were male and nine were female.

Why integrate the Internet into the classroom curriculum?
Choosing to use the Internet in schools poses many questions as to its effectiveness as an aid in learning. Sangster (1995: 1) states that

The World Wide Web represents a new concept in technology, the library on your desktop, the dictionary at your fingertips, the sound at your ear. There is nothing that we hear or see that will not be available through the World Wide Web.

As resource-based learning is a central feature of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme, the students need access to a diverse range of resources for their learning and research projects. The World Wide Web provides an enormous inter-linked yet ever-expanding resource. This is especially true for schools and students who do not have access to sufficient educational resources. Laurillard (1993: 1) affirms that

There is no question that the new technologies are attractive to students, and that they engage attention by the very fact of their interactive nature. It adds value to learning where there is need for topical, changing or obscure information and rapid access to resources not available locally.

Although the Internet has the potential for effecting fundamental changes in the design of learning and the structures that support it, careful planning is needed for this integration to be successful. Laurillard proceeds by indicating that:

information is to knowledge as bricks are to buildings. It is absurd to try and solve the problems of education by giving people access to information as it would be to solve the housing problem by giving people access to bricks. Part of the point of education is to give people the skills and understanding to enable them to handle information.

The real questions seem to be not does it work but when will it work to enhance teaching and learning, and under what circumstances? Why is a change in our approach to learning necessary?

As we begin a new century, Gates (1995: 212) reminds that a new technology revolution is transforming business and putting new demands on our educational system. Schools in the future will be encouraged to provide opportunities for all students including those who have particular or different needs. The Department of Education and Science (1997: 15) acknowledges this fact also by including in its recent information technology policy that

...it is clearly important that all young people, regardless of social or economic background, should have equal access to new technologies.

It is also recognised by others interested in the future of education, such as Handy & Aitken (1986: 106) who declare that

...the requirement to respond specifically to student learning needs is likely to have a ripple effect on method and attitudes throughout mainstream school and across the ability range.

The urge for change centres also on the belief that students will encounter a rapidly changing world and will need different intellectual tools and skills to function effectively in this new environment. De Gues (1997) supports this view stating that

... to cope with a changing world, any entity must develop the capability of shifting and changing, of developing new skills and attitudes: in short the capacity of learning.

In a world in which handling information will be an essential skill, the provision of lifelong independent learning skills which can be applied outside formal learning situations is essential. To do this effectively, students will need to be motivated and encouraged to make use of technology in projects that require students to play more active roles in their own learning.

Not only that, but there is a well researched motivational component to working with a computer, with all its potential aids to productivity and polish, that can give some students a confidence they would not otherwise attain (Brown, 1994: 38).

But how will students learn to learn in this new environment? What new skills are required if the students are to make effective and constructive use of the opportunities of the WWW? The following skills may be necessary to make effective use of the potentials offered.

· Becoming a better planner and a better regulator of one’s own planning

· Developing meta-skills - self-discipline, concentration and attention to task

· Skills in finding relevant examples and applying them correctly

· Becoming more reflective

· Self-evaluation

Collis & Meeuwsen (1999: 27)

Kearsley (2000: 62) supports this view and adds further skills that he considers important.

· Certain basic computer skills

· Social skills - interpersonal interaction

· Communication, motivation and collaboration

Web-Based Learning (WBL)
There is an increasing drive to use technologies based around the WWW as a means of addressing a number of challenges facing education. French (1999: 2) describes WBL or virtual learning as the educational process of learning over the Internet without face-to-face contact. The term ‘on-line learning’ represents a wide spectrum of modes of delivery of learning extending from courses that are supported in any way by learning technology to courses delivered completely on-line. A ‘content plus support’ type course would be one in which the content might be delivered on paper with on-line support. Most support would be delivered in a face-to-face situation. A ‘wrap-around’ model is one where the interaction between the student and the teacher is mainly on-line. In this model, participation on-line is an essential component of the course. Finally, an ‘integrated’ course would be one where the students would collaborate in the learning experience by sharing resources. A face-to-face situation would be important, at least initially.

In this case study, on-line learning is used to complement face-to-face delivery. It was an integrated course in which the different opportunities offered by on-line teaching were explored. On-line communication, active learning, collaborative working and resource gathering all contributed to make this course fundamentally different to a traditionally delivered module.

A variety of software packages have been developed to manage the different elements of on-line learning. These elements combined produce Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). A VLE describes software that resides on a server and is designed to manage the different facets of learning. These include the delivery of course materials, the facility of tracking student progress and the organisation of assessment. Hiltz (1995) describes the virtual classroom as a teaching and learning environment constructed in software which supports collaborative learning among students who participate at times and places of their choosing, through computer networks. The main features usually include:

· The delivery and management of course materials

· Access Control: usually password based

· Administration: student tracking, collation of marks and record of progress

· Time-tabling: one-to-one, one-to-many

· Assessment

· Communication: on various levels

· A resource base

· Maintenance tools for creating and updating learning materials

Examples of such commercial software packages include WebCT, TopClass and Blackboard.

Choosing the Virtual Learning Environment
Following careful consideration of the needs of the students in this group and the delivery facilities offered by the various learning environments, a decision was made by the teacher to use the Blackboard learning environment. Due to strict financial constraints within the school, the fact that the Blackboard learning environment is a low cost facility made it both an attractive and obvious choice. The reality that the students did not need to learn a language to create their own lessons and resources was also a crucial issue.

The Design of the Module
Harris (1999: 139) points out that:

Using the Internet to deliver instruction takes more than creating good content, it takes a commitment to providing a complete learning environment.

Designing an effective learning environment demanded sourcing and creating good instructional content, deciding on the interface and reviewing the infrastructure. These three considerations and the interaction between them were important to the overall success of the project. What is created is a learning environment that has three distinct layers but the student sees the three layers as one environment. If any of these layers did not function well, the student would not have a good learning experience and the learning objectives would not be met.

Instructional Design
In designing this module, the teacher had to consider carefully the objectives and requirements of the LCA curriculum with the goal of identifying the elements of WBL that would be most effective for integration. As well as improving the knowledge and skills in this particular subject area, one of the primary objectives for LCA outlined by the DES (2000: 8) is the preparation of participants for adult and working life and the development of the participants’ literacy and numeracy skills. The integration of IT skills into this curriculum was considered important in this context especially since only two of the students in the group had access to a computer at home.

Instructional Content
The required text for this module was a handout provided by the teacher. As well as the requirements regarding key assignments, a 90% attendance overall is essential for LCA certification. Absent students were encouraged to complete their work and their assignments in their free time.

The course was called LCAVPG1 and can be accessed by logging onto the Blackboard site and using an access code. At the beginning of the module, all fifteen of the students in the LCA group were enrolled in the designated course and given a personal access code. Students were not given unsupervised access to the Internet.

The teaching module was conducted over four consecutive weeks beginning in early February. It was conducted within the LCA course entitled Vocational Preparation and Guidance (VPG). This course attempted to offer the students a range of learning experiences that will enhance their vocational development and their understanding of the world of work. It aimed to develop important workplace skills such as planning, research, communication and teamwork. The number of classes allocated to VPG each week was four periods of forty minutes. These were arranged as follows: one single forty minute period on Monday afternoon, two consecutive forty minute periods on Tuesday morning and one single forty minute period on Wednesday morning. The module was organised so as to conduct the Monday class using traditional methods of teaching. The two class periods allocated on Tuesday morning were conducted in the Information Technology room and were devoted to the integration of WBL. The Wednesday morning class was also conducted using a traditional approach.

To determine the effectiveness of the learning experience, a post-module questionnaire was used. The aim was to assess the impact of the study on the students and to try to gain an understanding of their experience.

Interface
As this module was designed within an integrated framework, the interface was a combination of the traditional classroom environment and an e-mail programme to support the on-line teaching. Support was available to the students from a number of sources. The students were encouraged to help each other by seeking help from a peer if needed or by assisting others with any difficulties. In addition, the IT coordinator was available in the IT room during the course of the practical classroom module. If either of these supports was not available, students were asked to email the class teacher clearly outlining the difficulty.

Infrastructure
Fifteen computers with access to the Internet were required for two consecutive periods of forty minutes over four weeks to fulfil the needs of this study. For the duration of the WBL module, students had to access the site and partake in class on-line and to e-mail the required assignments to the teacher.

Considerations
On-line delivery is very flexible. It offers an alternative method of course delivery, allowing the students the opportunity to adopt different approaches to the same content. Furthermore, the cost of delivering course materials using the World Wide Web can be very economical compared to the costs of providing printed materials. A student who may be unable to travel to school could be easily accommodated and pupils are not constrained by class or school timetables.

However, there are other factors that need some careful consideration. Whilst, it may be of benefit to those students who are facing constraints of time and place, the benefits of regular face-to-face contact with a teacher and peers cannot be underestimated (Milligan, 2000: 6). In the traditional classroom, students get the chance to ask clarifying questions which helps to reinforce learning. Being computer based actually places a number of restrictions on on-line learning.

Although often billed as ‘any time, any where’, the slogan forgets to mention ‘as long as you are sitting at a computer, (probably with connection to the Internet) and certainly with some IT skills (Milligan, 2000: 6)

General Conclusions
The results of this case study provide an insight into the attitudes and views of those students who have chosen to enrol in the LCA. In general, the study verified many of the findings of previous research on the matter of technology, such as the motivational effects of the integration of ICT into the school curriculum.

The traditional system motivates students by engaging them in a competitive effort in which each student tries to show what he or she has mastered in the terminal examinations. For some students, this reliance on competition may not be the most appropriate choice. During the classroom module, the teacher found the students to be interested in the assigned task and anxious to participate and complete the requirements of the module.

Under a system of cooperative learning, students will follow a clearly defined curriculum but will do different things. Time after time, the students stated clearly that they liked working in a group. Many mentioned that they liked sharing work and ideas as “you get more done than on your own”. This learning environment is the “community of learning” shared by students and teachers that is advocated by Papert (1996: 11).

Socialization is not best done by segregating children into classrooms with kids of the same age. The computer is a medium in which what you make lends itself to be modified and shared. When kids get together on a project, there is abundant discussion: they show it to other kids, other kids want to see it, kids learn to share knowledge with other people - much more than in a classroom.

However, some research suggests that IT can be seen as a ‘male’ domain, and that girls retreat from it (Furger, 1998). The findings of this research suggest that boys are more likely to use computers at an early age in schools. “Boys tend to monopolise access to computers and rooms often become ‘boys clubs’ and girls are intimidated to enter what they perceive to be a male domain”. A recent study (1999) conducted on behalf of the Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs (DEYTA) in Australia proposed that “once in the school environment girls are less confident in their computing abilities and more easily discouraged from learning further computer skills”. However, this was not the general finding within this case study.

The Australian research findings stated that the girls surveyed indicated that they wanted things like human interaction, variety, communication and working with colleagues. The results of this case study actively support this viewpoint. On the project evaluation sheet, one of the questions asked was ‘what was the most important skill that you learned?’ All nine of the girls in the group stated that the most important skill was “how to work in a group or how to help others”. Four of the six boys said that “learning about e-mails or Internet skills” were the most important issues.

It is clear from the statistics available to the teacher that many days schooling were missed by individual students. These absences occurred for a great number of reasons. The majority of days missed had to do with family and social reasons with a minority to do with personal illness or medical appointment. The burden of these family matters falls mostly on the girls in the group. The girls, in particular, noted that WBL would be a great help to their individual educational progress.

Throughout the classroom module, a small number of the students reported frustration with technological problems. This did not seem to discourage the majority of students however who claimed to be confident in using IT and who did not find working on the computer frustrating. At this stage, it would appear that most of the students do appreciate the limitations of the technology as well as its capability.

However, if courses were to be developed in which WBL would be an integral part, these technological problems could cause frustration for the students working at home. Without support, the students could find the isolation of WBL difficult to deal with.

Advances in technology have the power to change education, to provide opportunities for all but could also actually create a new divide - the digital divide. This term is used to describe the differences between home environments and access to technology. Those students who have a high level of personal access to computers and access to the Internet tend to be in the more affluent areas and well-resourced schools. This has implications for schools in planning the optimum use of available resources in an effort to provide equal opportunities for all their students.

Final Note
Information communications technology offers new techniques for organising, creating, communicating, and disseminating information. But the great challenge of the possibilities offered by technology is how to translate these possibilities into practice. This case study is an attempt to help advance these changes through the introduction of a new approach, WBL, within the LCA. It also aims to expand educational opportunity and achievement by opening access to information for use in the school and home environment.

The central issue, however, is that even with new technologies, change will only occur when discussion takes place about how to improve and transform teaching and learning so that students can apply what they know to new situations. Those involved in research on ICTs and education support the need to learn new tools, new approaches, and new skills.

I believe connectivity to be vital to learning: connecting me to persons and resources that stretch my thinking and the walls of my room and mind, the corridors of my experience, and the materials in my file cabinets (Collis, 1996: 24).

The instructional potential of the Internet is remarkable. It can never replace the experience of being in a positive social learning environment within a school. Yet, it can open a new medium for education that can merge the best in instructional practice with the best in current technology.

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