Research in distance education at NKI

http://ww

w.nki.no/

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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!