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The NKI Internet College Based on 40 Years of Research in Distance Education – Relevance for the FIRB AM-Learning Project
FIRB AM-Learning seminar
April 16th 2010
Torstein RekkedalProfessor Norwegian School of Information Technology
Director of Research and Development
at NKI, Norway
NKI research and AM-Learning?????
AM-Learning: Automatization of individualisation of learning message according to automatic assessment of individual language and linguistic ability
Research in this field is lacking within distance and online learning Assumption holds in general – relation to NKI research Assumption in line with e.g. Jim Taylor and the development of ”Fifth
generation distance education -
Cost-effiency combined with high quality requires automatization of tutoring services
NKI
NKI Distance Education Established in Sweden in 1910 Established in Norway 1959 Non profit foundation from 1974 Company within the ABNU Educational corporation from 2007
Each year around 15,000 active students in 40 countries 100 programmes and 400 courses on the Internet One of few megaproviders of online distance education in Europe The only or one of very few private non research institutions with av
continuous research agenda – specifically on own activities
NKI Distance Education: One of Europe’s largest providers of online distance education More than 110 000 enrolments in online courses since 1987 Broad range of subjects from secondary to master level About 400 distance education courses online (all in Norwegian) About 10 000 online students in about 40 countries About 70 % women Revenue of 14 M Euros in 2007,
9.5 M of them from online education Individual progress plans/individual follow-up Thousands of potential learning partners Global student catalogue with 1100 profiles Always room for more students Exams at local schools and embassies Online students get better grades
Research strategy
Trustworthy knowledge of reality is necessary for development and quality development
Research is the best basis for learning Research stimulates personnel and organisational development Research motivates Research supports network building Research market and profiles the institution in the gneneral public
and to the authorities Research contributes to the bottom line
Research activities at NKI
Moore, 1985:
“Distance education is an applied professional field, and such fields - like medicine - need two kinds of research. Obviously it needs research which helps solve problems, but it also needs basic research - that is, research which tests and extends basic knowledge which is helpful to us all - and that is the theory.”
Survey and drop out studies
Survey and drop out studies – some results Drop out from distance study is larger in the initial phases of study than later A considerable number of students do not submit one single assignment There is a positive correlation between the age and success There is also a positive correlation between level of previous education and
all measures of success in distance study, and a negative relationship between time since last school experience and success
Reasons: External factors – Internal factors – Interactions
Measures taken to improve teaching and support services do have effects
Moore, 1985:
“If we want to know the effect of a particular teaching technique, the researcher must control the effects of other conditions and manipulate the technique in question and see the effect on the learners. This is the only sure way of evaluating practice, yet it is very seriously neglected in distance education.”
Experimental design
R : E X1 O1
R : C X2 O2 R random selection into groups E is experimental group C is control group X1 stands for the variable that is examined, while X2 stands for the treatment given to the control group O1 and O2 stand for measures of results, such as
achievements/study success/completions
Experimental studies – examples
Turn-around time Systematic follow-up and introduction to study techniques Pre-produced tutor comments Telephone tutoring The use of fax in two-way communication The personal tutor-counsellor in distance education
Personalizing teaching in a large-scale system
Aspects included in the experiment:
4 phases of development
The Development of NKI Internet College – 4 ’Generations’ of Systems
1987 -1994: 1. Generation – based on the ’EKKO’ conferencing system
1994 -1995: 2. Generation – ’The Open Electronic College’: Philosophy: Constructing a
system as ’open’ as possible in relation to external networks and services, based on the Internet, e-mail and Listserve conferencing system
1996-2000: 3. Generation – ’from small scale to large scale’ and permanent operation based
on the WWW
2001- 2010: 4. Generation – Introduction of a fully integrated system for development and
administration of teaching/learning, logistics, invoices and salaries to handle ten thousands of students in flexible learning on hundreds of courses, programmes and tutors
Online learning systems integration
Pedagogical challenges
Models of teaching and learning Distance Education:
Individualised Flexible Teaching
or Teaching in ’The
Extended Classroom’
Student support
John Bååth:
”We have four categories of students; there are
students who need student support services but don’t want them students who need student support services and want them students who don’t need student support services but want them students who neither need nor want student support services.”
!Comparative studies at NKI shows that distance students differ more on most variables than do ordinary students!
Students’ attitudes
Students’ attitudes towards online learning Why choose online study? Flexibility
Some other aspects Very important:
Less important:
the quality of the study guide individual reading/study work on assignments the tutor’s comments individual communication with the tutor individual flexibility
social and academic communication with fellow students social and academic conferences cooperative learning
Students’ attitudes 2010
05
101520253035404550
Individuell fleksibilitet er
absolutt viktigs
Individuell fleksibilitet er viktigere enn
samarbeid
Begge deler er like viktig
Muligheter for samarbeid er viktigere enn
individuell fleksibilitet
Muligheter for samarbeid med
andre er absolutt viktigst
29 23 43 3 2Individual flexibility much more important than possibilities for cooperation
Similar imortance
Possibilities for cooperation is much more important than individual flexibility
Online and correspondence students
Online access available for the remaining correspondence students in July 2009
Cooperative online education
NKI’s Philosophy on Online Learning
NKI facilitatesindividual freedomwithin a learning communityin which online students serve as mutual resourceswithout being dependent on each other.
Features and Tools Supporting NKI’s Philosophy
Students may start whenever they like
Tool for individual progress plans
Automatic tracking of turnaround time
Learning partners
Global student catalogue
21
Cooperative learning is based on voluntary participation in a learning community
Cooperative online education
NKI Innovations in online education
1986: First LMS1987: First online distance education course1996: First web-based courses1998: First online journal for students (Nettskoleavisen)2002: First m-learning courses2003: Speech synthesis in all courses2004: Individual planning system2004: Continuous tracking of turn around time2006: Learning partner system2008: Global student profiles2009: Individual progress reports
Individual adaption of learning materials
Characteristica of online students at NKI: Large differences between students on ”all” variables Large number of students with reading and writing difficulties Specific market within vocational rehabilitation market Many second chance students
Individual adaption of learning materials
Some solutions not related to content/message Emphasis on individual tutoring Emphasis on individual student support Emphasis on individual pace of study Emphasis on individual support systems
Individual adaption of learning materials
Learning materials Universal adaptation and acessibility Speech synthesis of all web materials Easy language Built-in tutor Individual choice of routes through materials Individual choice of exercises and tests Voluntary submissions
No real individualization of the pre-produced learning message
The FIRB AM-Learning project represents an interesting innovation
Thank you!
