| :: Newsletter Archives > Newsletter : 06 March 2001 |
Welcome to the Toucan House Online Ed. Updater
06 March 2001
This occasional newsletter keeps you up to date with innovation and change in online and flexible learning.
In this edition:
- What makes for good online learning? Visual media.
- Generic development/delivery tools, what's out there?
- Alliances and initiatives, what's happening globally?
Previous updaters are archived at www.toucanhouse.co.nz
What makes for good online learning?
Perhaps one of the strongest temptations when approaching online solutions
is to start by converting existing training resources into web resources.
Since much face-to-face delivery is backed up by print materials, putting
print documents online is often a popular starting point. If learners
are academic, highly motivated and good at organising their study, they'll
probably cope with large volumes of text. They'll print it out, read
it, file it logically and use it.
Is this the profile you're dealing with? Probably not. The reality is that
the Web is a visual medium. It's also true that reading large amounts
of text from a screen is unpleasant and learners will avoid it where possible.
One of the other advantages of online learning is that content can be linked
and accessed in non-linear ways. Large blocks of text online can limit
the potential to make learning a dynamic process.
The challenge is to design education and training solutions that draw on
the strengths of the media selected. Future updaters will pick up on
educational design as a tool for achieving this.
Generic development/delivery tools, what's out there?
The last 5 years have seen a raft of Learning Management Systems (LMSs)
hit the market. They offer, in varying degrees, the ability to develop,
deliver and administer online learning solutions. Mainstream products
include:
"TopClass"
(http://www.wbtsystems.com/),
"Learning Space" (http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf/tabs/learnspace),
"WebCT" (http://homebrew.cs.ubc.ca/webct/),
"Web Crossing" (http://webcrossing.com/)
"CourseInfo" (http://product.blackboard.net/CourseInfo/)
"FirstClass" (http://www.firstclass.com/)
Core
features generally include
-file structures for making materials available online
-chat and bulletin board communication systems
-administration systems for managing students' progress
Each touts a list a mile long of institutions that use them, but in our experience,
often only part of the product is used. For example, the communication
and student management facilities of FirstClass are popular, but some
organisations choose not to use it for content delivery for various
technical reasons.
If subscribers have an opinion on a particular LMS, they're invited to
forward it to us. We'll collate your responses and feed them back to
the list....
Alliances and Initiatives
Announcements of e-learning collaborative initiatives amongst and between
commercial and educational institutions are a daily event. Many are
funded by venture capital, and often combine an IT company's expertise
with the knowledge base of an educational provider. The following examples
are illustrative of the range of initiatives taking place. There are
also some trends starting to emerge:
-Globalisation of education and training means progressive educational
institutions are combining forces to make available the capital and
infrastructure necessary to produce online solutions that will tap into
the new global market
-Education is becoming one of the core areas of venture capital investment
in online solutions generally. The traditional idea that educational
institutions were non-profit organisations working for the public good
is fading rapidly.
-The most effective solutions usually involve a partnership that combines
the technical expertise of a commercial organisation with the educational
resources of a larger institution or institutions.
-Perhaps the area of greatest activity is providers offering delivery
platforms for partner institutions' content. This meets the need of
smaller institutions/companies wanting to offer training online, but
not having the infrastructure or resources to develop online LMSs.
*Jackson State University (JSU) announced plans to spend US$20 million to create
a major technology research and incubation center in Mississippi, a
move made possible by a $17 million donation to the university by Allstate
Insurance Company.
*The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) announced a partnership
with British and Australian institutions to develop a for-profit online
film program that will be offered globally.
*CYBeR-CARE Inc. (a telehealth technology company) and Wichita State University's
College of Health Professions have announced an alliance to test the
effectiveness of initiating and monitoring physical therapy and other
rehabilitation services for patients in home settings using the Electronic
HouseCall(TM) System.
eLearning Newsletter © Toucan House Ltd. 2001
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