The e-learning in the Portuguese Higher Education: past, present and future

8/12/2019 The e-learning in the Portuguese Higher Education: past, present and future

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THE E-LEARNING IN THE PORTUGUESE HIGHER

EDUCATION: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Paula Peres

PAOL Unidade de Inovao em Educao

Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administrao do Porto / Instituto Politcnico do

Porto, ISCAP-IPP

Porto, Portugal

[email protected]

Lus Borges Gouveia

Universidade Fernando Pessoa Porto

Praa 9 de Abril, 349, Porto, Portugal

[email protected]

Abstract

This paper describes an European case study in the e-educational world, in the context of the

Portuguese higher education system.The experience described shows the level of the traditional cultural influence in the adoption of the

Web technologies. We attested differences even within each institution. We realized that some teachers

are fixed to the cultural traditions and do not trust in innovations or even open to change their teaching

activity. In this paper we showed how we coped with it in order to get all teachers involved in the e-

learning project a background to foster the skills and adopt e-learning facilities and take advantage of

digital opportunities.

This paper starts by presenting the Portuguese education system organization, in a global picture. It

enhances todays context, dimension and higher education mission. After that, this paper describes the

evolution of the integration of e-learning practices in the higher Institute of Accounting and

Administration of Porto. The timeline for the adoption of the innovation, proposed by Roger was used to

guide this study, helping to organize evidence and put into perspective the identification of the e-learningculture features.

Keywords: Higher Education, Learning Management Systems, blended learning, innovation

adoption, open distance.

Portuguese Higher Education Structure

In Portugal, under control of Ministry of Education (ME) and Ministry of Science, Technology and

Higher Education (MCTE) there is a public and a private network of education institutions that are

organized according to the following structure (Figure1.gif). the Ministry of Education is responsible for

the education from pre-primary education until upper secondary education. The Ministry of Science,


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In the 2006/07 school year there were nearly 366 000 students enrolled on higher education courses,in which 75% attended public institutions and 25% private institutions (GPEARI-MCTES, 2008).

Concerning the higher education institution mission, the University institutions should provide a

sustainable scientific preparation and a technical training to allow students to develop professional and

cultural activities. It should also promote the development of conception, innovation and critical thinking

skills.

The Polytechnic institutions should provide a sustainable cultural and technical preparation. Theyshould also promote the development of innovation and critical thinking skills. The teaching-learning

process should lead to the practical knowledge in order to give students the necessary preparation to the

work market (Gabinete de Estatistica e Planeamento da Educao, 2006).

A global vision of Portuguese e-Learning practices

Nowadays, the social and technological evolution is reflected on educational systems and justifies

the growth of the Internet presence of higher education institutions. The level of Web technology adopted

by an institution may influence the prestige, quality and number of students enrolled (Sauter, 2003).

On todays society, learning is a natural act. It is a continuous process during the entire life. Its

scope is more than the traditional formal learning added by update trainings (Sauter, 2003). Current socio-

cultural pressures enhance the importance of promoting learning strategies that allow students to learn, to

be, to criticize and to produce knowledge taking into account the reality of the society.This scenario has conducted higher education institutions to explore the information communication

technologies in order to find new flexible and sustainable paths leading to the adoption of the long life

learning perspective. The acquaintance of students with Web technologies may be explored in order to

promote learning. Todays education systems should accomplish the changing processes and give

response to the emergent demands that are increasable digital based and more technology mediated.

The e-Learning on the Portuguese higher education has been promoted by a large number of

specialists. However, the culture and system problems such as the national standards and regulations, the

teachers and students habits, the lack of infrastructures and the accreditation mechanisms, among other

factors, have been blocking the systematization of this specific type of learning environment (Carvalho,

2006).

Students, parents and society are also used to the traditional school model and even when they

criticize it, they do not have other reference or enough experience in a different school system andconsequently they still prefer to defend the old model (Moran, 2005).

Usually, the higher education institutions management decisions conduct to the use of the Internet as

a complementary way to promote the communication between students and teachers (Isla, 2004). In

general, observations and studies on Portuguese schools reveal a weak use of the numerous didactical-

pedagogical possibilities offered by the cyberspace (Silva, 2005).

The majority of the Universities are using the b-learning model. Nevertheless, according to the Nova

Alves (Nova & Alves, 2003) position, the majority of the Web technology integration processes are using

the same methodologies as used in a face-to-face environment. In these context, the quality of the training

offers is questioned and the potential creativity of the Internet applied to the knowledge construction is

limited and, in many cases, not fully explored. Due to the lack of knowledge or due to the passivity, we

realize that there is a resistance from teachers regarding the use of e-learning systems. Those continue topromote the expositive sessions where students have a passive attitude, receiving information (European

ODL Liaison Committee, 2004). We also need to take into consideration that also students need to changefrom a traditional rule passive for a more active one

In the classroom, learning practices are oriented to improve teacher presentations. In this context, e-

learning tools contribute only to a new expression of old procedures and not to the expected and needed

innovation of digital education (Nova & Alves, 2003).

We are attending a focus on information and on the transmission process. This suggests a strength

concerning on contents, on its organization and on the way it is presented, not taking into account the

interaction process that e-learning environments may support (Dias, 2004). Almeida (Almeida, 2003)

enhances this idea of the need of changing, stating that changing the environment where the education

takes place means changing the education itself. It is important to reflect on the type of training we wantand what practices we should use to achieve it and provide a clear path to promote them.

A global analysis of todays e-learning practices in the public higher education, shows a growing

concern from the institutions that belong to this system (PAOL, 2007). Around 78% of Universities and

93% of Polytechnic institutes make an e-learning platform available to be used both by teachers andstudents (PAOL, 2007). Beyond that, many institutions are creating specialized groups in order to ensure


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the power and autonomy of users, the openness and sharing, continuous lifelong learning, the importanceof informal learning and the potential of web space for socialization and knowledge sharing. The e-

Learning systems that are confined to a LMS (Learning Management System) and to a closed learning

objective connect to the traditional views of teaching-learning. Therefore, they may not meet the needs of

todays students, who require the integration of institutional environments with lifelong learning focused

on personal interests. In this context it is important to find bridges between formal and informal learning

in order to reach the cognitive learning objectives, allowing users to integrate their experiences in avariety of contexts, in a social construction of knowledge.

In Portugal, Moodles usage has been increasing rapidly, perhaps due to its interesting

characteristics, as it is an LMS (Learning Management System) that offers a set of activities adaptable to

multiple subjects. It is possible to insert texts and the necessary documentation for the subjects, to suggestassignments, promote discussion forums and to create term glossaries in a cooperative form. The

assessment and self-evaluation of knowledge is done through the pages of lessons and questionnaires. In

2003, to help implementation of Moodle at ISCAP (The School of Accounting and Administration of

Oporto Portugal http://www.iscap.ipp.pt) a unit named PAOL was created (Unit for Innovation in

Education: http://www.iscap.ipp.pt/paol). The main goals of PAOL are to provide the implementation of

computer assisted education at ISCAP in a blended learning model and to assist teachers and students in

their adjustment to educational technologies, by developing training opportunities and resources, offering

technical facilities and the sharing of good practice.

The integration of Moodle went through several stages over the years of its existence, particularlydue to the target audience of the project: teachers and students. Those teachers that were more willing to

embrace innovation in their teaching-learning practice allowed for the first establishment of Moodle as

the primary means of educational support in the school. Later, student pressure and demand led to anincrease in the number of courses with online support, particularly amongst the more resistant teachers.

By the academic year 2006/2007 blended-learning strategies, supported by Moodle, were firmly

established at ISCAP, generating new teaching and learning habits among teachers and students. Such

was also possible due to the policy adopted by the institution, which supported PAOL in all its actions.

If we analyze the use of Moodle in the last three years, it is possible to verify that the integration of

technology in teachers practices has led to a comfort zone, where Moodle is used to safely reproduce

the traditional classroom teaching methodologies. If we were to design an adoption curve, we would

verify that the adoption of Moodle has reached a peak and stagnated with the adoption of a certain

number of current practices associated with content distribution. Sensing the need to take a step further

and study the potential of other digital technologies available on the World Wide Web, PAOL proposedthe use of many other Web tools in order to surpass obstacles and meet both student and teacherexpectations. It is our belief that learners should be active participants in their learning. Achieving this

means providing opportunities for interaction. Such pedagogies aim to encourage students to become

autonomous lifelong learners, capable of problem solving and critical thinking, and to move them from

being passive recipients of information and knowledge to being active, enthusiastic learners and

knowledge creators.

In this sense, PAOL has been developing many activities in order to demonstrate these features and

sharing examples of its use and good-practice through institutional events in order to captivate reluctant

teachers by showing them concrete examples. However, we believe that LMSs are moving away from the

digital world that is being used by students. Nevertheless, whenever we want to use this kind of

environment in an educational context some institutional problems arise such as the management of

decentralized information. Also, giving learners total control is questionable. The embedded code that

some Web 2.0 make available may be of use. Otherwise, important pieces of information and printscreens should be stored. It is our opinion that, in this sense, LMSs may be used as an aggregator and

guide for formalizing informal learning. Furthermore, as Moodle has the capacity to aggregate other tools,

focus has also been placed on the integration of widgets within Moodle, as a link between formal,

institutional learning and a more social, informal environment. The importance that continues to be given

to the use of LMS at ISCAP is explained by the necessity to centralize, formalize and clarify the learning

and evaluation process.

Nevertheless, institutions cannot distance themselves from the lives and changing habits of students,

who use web 2.0 technologies in their routines and may not wish to see school as an unfamiliar and

unattractive place. The challenge for using Web 2.0 or PLE technologies in a formal classroom setting

lies in balancing the freedom to create content and customize the learning environment while still

structuring the learning environment to achieve planned objectives (McLoughlin & Lee, 2008).Recognizing the difficulty in managing decentralized information and the learning process is important in

order to combine and integrate web 2.0 tools in the learning process without the demand for formal


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evaluation (Dias et al., 2010). Hybrid learning environments occur in the institution of the future wherethe development of social environments is promoted.

As a result of this, assistance is provided for students with an increasing number of technological

skills such as creating digital identities and preparing for lifelong learning. Nowadays, the breaking of

institutional barriers is a reality, evaluations are set beyond cognitive skills and many of them are not

provided with any LMS support. The importance of developing soft skills, namely social and digital

competences is a goal that may be achieved using PLE. In this context, the teacher assumes an importantrole in order to assist students creating their own PLE combining personal objectives, ethics, technical

and social abilities. To promote the aforementioned interconnection between LMS and PLE, PAOL

assists teachers in the process of acquiring knowledge and exploration of the main Web 2.0 tools

available that can be used in educational systems. Each digital tool has its own strengths and weaknesses.Appropriated integration of each tool presents students with rich, varied learning, and minimizes the

weaknesses. Finding new and exciting teaching and learning strategies via Web 2.0 applications is a

constant challenge.

The ISCAP is a higher education Polytechnic institute which belongs to the IPP university

(Polytechnic Institute of Oporto) (ISCAP, 2007) (IPP, 2007). In order to promote the use of Web

technologies in the learning-teaching process, in the beginning of 2003, the ISCAP launched a project

named PAOL (PAOL, 2007). This project started by using the Webctplatform but in 2005 it was replaced

by the open source platform namedMoodle. This platform is being used up to now.

On the European context, higher education institutions need to fit its procedures to the Bolognaprocess, namely by constructing paths to promote new pedagogical methodologies using the Information

and Communication Technologies (Parlamento Europeu, 2002). In this context, PAOL comes up as a

support to this process. The PAOL is developing the following main activities:

To promote different trainings in order to improve the use of the Moodle platform;

To develop tutorials to support trainings;

To give technical support to build resources and make them available online;

To involve all the ISCAP community on the fostering of the e-learning project;

To promote and announce e/b-learning events;

To develop and to cooperate with research teams in b-learning projects;

Among other activities.

This project involves human resources that are organized in the following parts: direction board,

coordination and support unit and physical resources composed by software (the open source learning

management system Moodle and other free applications) and the need hardware infrastructure.The first PAOL concern was to make available a learning management system that could help

teachers in the digital support of their lectures mainly in the technical and administration/management

dimension, in the Pimenta e Baptista (Pimenta & Baptista, 2004) e Koponen (Koponen, 2006) definition.

In the technology process adoption, the acceptance or rejection by students and teachers is

determined, in a great scale, by the utility and easiness offered. People tend to use the technologies that

they consider useful to improve the efficiency of their work (Davis, 1989). If potential users believe that

technology is efficient they must also believe that it is easy to use in order to be a compensating process.

The analysis of the self-evaluation PAOL questionnaires confirms this statement: 79% of teachers

state that they do not have difficulty in learning the Moodle tools, 19% state that they have some

difficulties and only 2% consider the Moodle platform difficult to use (Ribeiro & Peres, 2007). Regarding

the benefit of the Web platform, we realize that there is a high level of usage that is reflected on thelectures practices. Although teachers underline the importance of the technical support, 66% of teachers

consider the existence of the Moodle fundamental, as shown in the graph below (Figure 4.gif):


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Figure 4 : Platform Utility(Ribeiro & Peres, 2007)

The theory of the diffusion of innovation proposed by Rogers (Rogers, 1995), identifies five

categories of consumers according to the time needed to adopt a new product, as shown in the figure

below (Figure 5. Gif):

Figure 5: Rogers categories for innovation adoption (Rogers, 1995)

According to Rogers (1995) classification, each group of consumers presents specific features:

The innovators represent the first adherents, with a great level of education, bigger social mobility

and great external information (Rogers, 1995). Sometimes, they have an obsession for the innovation. To

be innovative demands a few prerequisites, namely, to know how to control the financial resources in

order to avoid an eventual lost using a non-profitable innovation, to understand and to apply more or less

complex technical knowledge and to be able to cope with a high level of uncertainty related to the success

of an innovation. An innovator performs an important role in the new ideas diffusion due to the

importation of the innovations that come from abroad.The innovation phase of the PAOL project began on the 2003/2004 school year with an initial team

constituted by three elements and supported on the WebCtplatform. Rapidly, 6 more teachers adhered to

this project in the first semester and 14 more in the second semester (Silvaet al., 2007).

The early adopters follow new ideas on time and have a great level of instruction (Rogers, 1995).

This category of adopters, more than other, has the biggest number of leaders, in the majority of the

systems. The early adopters listen to the innovators in order to receive their advices and information about

innovations. They are considered by many as the person with whom one confirms before adopting a new

idea (Rogers, 1995). The early adopters are respected by pairs and are aware of the fact that to continue

gaining the esteem from others and to maintain their central position in the internal communication

network, they should make judges and take decisions about the innovations. The early adopters stimulate

the decrease of the uncertainty on the use of a new idea by providing subjective evaluation to the nearestpairs.

Regarding the PAOL project, the enlargement of the team with the inclusion of early adopters, thatchange from 3 to 7 elements, the use of the open source platform that allows the changing of the source


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code in order to adapt the software to the institution needs and the definition of strategies to gain moreteachers to the project, stimulated the sustainable and visible growth on the 2004/05 school year (Silva et

al., 2007). The exemplification of the advantages of the use of the Moodle and the technical user manual

developed by the PAOL team constituted a great strategy but the major feature implemented was the use

of students motivation in order to pressure teachers to use the Moodle platform. This initiative reflected

positively in the results and enhanced the importance of involving students in this project. The training

offered constituted an impulse to new enthusiastic initiatives. However, we verified that without acontinuous support, some teachers give up following the expectations created.

The early majority makes a more reflected purchase and appreciates innovations but prefers that

others adopt them before (Silvaet al., 2007). The early majority is the biggest category and may think for

a while before adopting completely a new idea. The period of their decisions is relatively longer than theinnovators and the early adaptors. Usually, they follow the spirit of the innovation adoption but rarely

lead it.

According to the strategy defined on the 2005/06 School year, PAOL gave continuity to the periodic

beginner Moodle training, provided technical support and helped in the usage of digital resources. This

context resulted in a period of expansion of the project (Silva et al., 2007) with the adhesion of the

majority adopters.

The late majority, little receptive to the innovations, must be convinced by the general opinion to

adhere to new ideas (Rogers, 1995). The adoption may be by economic reasons or by the community

pressures. The motivation from pairs is needed to stimulate the adoption. Uncertainty must be eliminatedto make late adopters more secure.

On the 2006/07 school year, in the ISCAP, the teaching-learning process that uses the b-learning

method became sustainable and used by teachers and students. Nevertheless, the usage is based oncontents and on diffusion of information (Silvaet al., 2007). The direction board of ISCAP encourages

the PAOL initiatives in order to motivate the adoption by the late majority.

The laggards are fixed to the tradition and do not trust changes. Many of them are isolated from the

social network (Rogers, 1995). The reference point to the laggards is the past. Decisions are made based

on what was done. The resistance to the innovation by laggards may be entirely rational. They demand

certainties of the success of new ideas before adopting them.

On the 2007/08 school year, ISCAP had 230 teachers and 162 adhered to the PAOL project and

were actually using the Moodle platform to support their classes (Silva M. et al., 2009). PAOL has been

working and cooperating with the direction board of the school, promoting more events in which teachers

share their e-learning experiences and reflections about the importance of using the Web technologies(PAOL, 2007). The main objective is to have all the community involved in this project and turn it the

more inclusive possible.

Final remarks

Nowadays, in Portugal, there are 14 institutions of public higher education, 15 institutions of public

Polytechnic higher education and 15 institutions of private higher education where the main mission is to

promote a solid scientific, cultural and technical preparation, in a specific area of knowledge. Thesestudents are more and more able to use technologies and they also play an important role in pressuring its

use regarding education objectives. In this context, the use of b-leaning environments has been promotedby a great number of institutions that believe in the utility and easiness of the use of these tools. Some of

them are creating specialized teams to accomplish the integration of the web technologies in the teaching-

learning process, such as the PAOL at ISCAP.

The ISCAP experience on the web technologies adoption reveals a tendency line similar to the

theory of the innovation adoption process proposed by Rogers (cf figure 5). It begans with the enthusiasm

of the innovativer teachers and was collecting new supporters. In the 2007/08 school year, 162 from the

230 teachers were using the Moodle platform as a support to the lecture practices. However, we assist to a

special focus on making resources available online and to create a new way to spread information to the

students.Nowadays, PAOL has been promoting new action in order to implement innovation on the

pedagogical dimension. The results obtained until now also reflect the timeline to the adoption of the

innovation proposed by Rogers.

At a time of self-assessment, it is also our intention to address the less positive aspects an LMS mayhave and, once again ponder changes. At a time when Personal Learning Environments are considered


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essential for student centered learning approach, can it mean the end to the more traditional LMS?Where do social networks fit in? Can these be seen as parallel learning environments that complement the

institutional LMS? Or are we, once again before another major shift, one that implies the outdated

chalkboard? How do we glimpse the future? We intend to conclude the chapter by assessing our past and

reflecting on what the future may bring in terms of Learning Environments for HE Institutions such as

ours (ISCAP).

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The e-learning in the Portuguese Higher Education: past, present and future