British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 29 No 2 1998 177–179

© National Council for Educational Technology, 1998.Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.

Colloquium

Into the world of electronic classrooms: a passport to flexible learning

Robert Thompson, Jennifer Winterfield and Margaret Flanders

Central Queensland University, Bundaberg Campus, Bundaberg, Qld 4670. Email: r.thompson@cqu.edu.au

IntroductionThe Passport to Flexible Learning project was designed to support Central QueenslandUniversity’s plan to use a variety of communication technologies for the delivery ofunits of study across its geographically isolated campuses. The project introduced firstyear university students to teaching approaches significantly different from traditionallecturing methods by giving them “hands-on” experience with a range of electronic media.

Teaching was organised in the form of one hour, tutorial style workshops that ranconcurrently over a two day period during Orientation Week. The project used the ideaof an educational passport (Ball, 1988) to signify a student’s entry into the world ofelectronic classrooms. The passport was a record of participation in the program and,on successful completion of each workshop, students had the appropriate page in theirpassport stamped. A certificate of competence was presented to students who success-fully completed the program.

BackgroundThe higher education system in Australia has changed considerably in the last decade.The expansion of universities after 1987 resulted in a significant growth in the numberof institutions and a corresponding increase in the number of enrolled students. In addi-tion, the proliferation of campuses in regional Australia and the development of techno-logy that facilitates learning at a distance has encouraged universities to adopt teachingmethods that are different from the more traditional face-to-face lecture and tutorial.

It is apparent that if universities are to deliver units electronically, and do it effectively,the interaction between the user and the medium’s interface has to become automatic,like turning the pages of a book, so that students are able to concentrate on the contentrather than on manipulating the interface. However, research indicates that, at entry,students are much less technology-literate than anticipated (Cuskelly, Purnell andLawrence 1995; Anwyl, 1996; Burmeister and O’Dwyer 1996; Thompson, Winterfieldand Flanders 1996), they are not prepared for learning and teaching approaches that

are different from the traditional (Cutright, 1993; Gilcher and Johnstone 1988) andnew users of a technological medium are often fearful (Rheingold 1990).

Aims of the ProjectThe aims of the Passport project grew out of a response to three specific educationalproblems:

• First year university students lack the experience and proficiency to utilise success-fully the communications technology likely to be used for the delivery of units ofstudy.

• Learners who are inexperienced in interacting with electronic media focus oninteracting with the interface rather than on learning from the content. They needto grasp the specific communication protocol associated with the delivery mediumbefore they can receive and transmit information effectively. This requires experience,training and instruction (Norman 1988, 17).

• If instruction on using the interface takes place as part of the unit being studied itcompetes with the course content and does not ensure uniform minimal proficiency.

To overcome these educational problems, therefore, two responses were made. First, aprogram familiarising students with interfacing techniques was developed and, second,it was delivered before formal academic programs commenced. The program was foundedon the premise that practical experience at the interfaces dispels the apprehension thatstudents express about using communications technology.

Description of the project.The success of the Passport to Flexible Learning project was underpinned by threeimportant elements:

1. The development of a set of instructional materials to complement the program;2. The participation of a group of lecturers, each competent in a particular com-

munication technology; and3. An emphasis on “hands on” workshops and where possible the use of “live” links

between different campuses to underline the power of the technology.

Students were divided randomly into groups of 15–20 and received instruction on, andpractice in, a variety of interfaces. Working in “hands-on”, tutorial-style workshops,students participated in a videoconference, an audioconference, an audiographicssession, summarised the main points from a tutored video instruction (TVI) lecture,communicated via email, downloaded data from the Internet, and searched and locatedinformation from on-line library catalogues. Each workshop encouraged maximumstudent participation within a non-threatening environment so that students gainedexperience and confidence in using information technology interfaces.

Wherever possible instruction included interactive link-ups between the campuses sothat students could experience the dynamic, exciting nature of teaching and learningusing technology. Having accomplished successfully a set of competencies developed

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© National Council for Educational Technology, 1998.

for each session, students had an appropriate page in their passport certified. Thecompleted passport entitled a student to receive a certificate of competence in flexiblelearning technologies.

During the Passport to Flexible Learning project students focused on specific interfacingtechniques they would subsequently use for academic purposes, thus ensuring that theprotocol associated with each interface was clearly understood. One important out-come of the project was that when academic programs commenced, students were ableto concentrate on the subject matter being delivered electronically rather than strug-gling at the user/interface divide.

ConclusionFirst-year university students—whether school leavers or mature age—are surpris-ingly ignorant of the scope and use of a range of communications technology. Researchhas shown that interfacing with various media is a daunting experience for first-yearstudents and so much energy is concentrated on mastering the interface that it inter-feres with learning of new content. To be able to access, evaluate, and conceptualisewhile using communications technology, manipulation of the interface needs to be-come routine so that attention remains fixed on the content being delivered by way of the medium. Presented before formal classes began, this program allowed studentsto interact with the interface and to gain a feeling of being in control of their ownlearning.

ReferencesAnwyl J (1996) The pre-tertiary educational experiences of students in James R and McInnis C

(eds) Proceedings of the Second Pacific Rim Conference on the First Year in Higher Education Centrefor the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne, 63–72.

Ball C (1988) Educational Passports in Ellyard P (1996) The Pedagogy for a Learning CultureCentral Queensland University, Rockhampton, August.

Burmeister O and O’Dwyer M (1996) A university in transition, a virtual learning communityin James R and McInnis C (eds) Proceedings of the Second Pacific Rim Conference on the First Year in Higher Education Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne,103–108.

Cuskelly E, Purnell K and Lawrence G (1995) Student Experiences of Distance Education atCentral Queensland University: findings from focus group research Central Queensland UniversityRockhampton, Division of Distance and Continuing Education.

Cutright P J (1993) Applying innovative technology to the needs of the distant learner Library Hi Tech 11 (4) 67–74.

Gilcher K W and Johnstone S M (1988) A Critical Review of the Use of Audiographic ConferencingSystems by Selected Educational Institutions Annenberg/CPB Project and University of MarylandUniversity College, Office of Instructional Telecommunications, Washington, DC.

Norman D A (1990) Why interfaces don’t work in Laurel B (ed) The Art of Human-computerInterface Design Addison-Wesley, Reading MA, 209–219.

Rheingold H (1990) An interview with Don Norman in Laurel B (ed) The Art of Human-computerInterface Design Addison-Wesley, Reading MA, 5–10.

Thompson R, Winterfield J and Flanders M (1996) Making connections with the world of electronicclassrooms: A passport to flexible learning Paper presented at the Australian Teacher EducationAssociation 1996 Annual Conference Launceston, Tasmania 3–6 July 1996.

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© National Council for Educational Technology, 1998.