Figure 1
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept which makes it possible to interpret Virtual Education in a holistic way.
In recent years the term "Distance Education" has frequently been exchanged with "Virtual Education". Referring to an institution the common phrase used is "Virtual University".
The paper discusses what makes education virtual, and what criteria have to be fulfilled when we talk about "Virtual University". In fact the term is generally used when former Distance Education Institutions are completing only one of the following items.
Three ways to approach the subject are explained, the "Vision of Possibilities", the "Involvement of Educational Technology" and "the Methodology of Education".
Figure 1
Introduction
We are seeking to find innovative and more cost-effective means to provide quality education and training for our students and clients. In a society subject to such rapid change, it is essential to be able to change and revise content very quickly (Bates, 1995). Continuously employees have to learn and develop new knowledge and skills to keep up with the requirements of their working place.
Communication and teamwork are emphasized in the workplace because they are required for the completion of complex tasks. However, in many educational environments, and particular in distance education, individual activities remain the norm.
For these reasons we are trying to develop new, more powerful educational systems.
A fundamental issue is if we are to use technology to replicate 'traditional' instructional methods, or if we will be able to use technology to change teaching methods to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Often big mistakes are made, ignoring the need to re-organize and re-structure teaching to exploit technology (Bates, 1995).
The concept of Virtual University points out the important questions again: What and how do we want people to learn?
Vision of Possibilities
One way to define the new form of distance education is to center ideas on the potentiality of the system. The more recent developments in technology have the potential to revolutionize the education and training system (Bates, 1995). Information infrastructures are the lever for this evolution, just as the steam engine was the driver for the industrial revolution, since new tools make new forms of expression possible (Dede, 1996, p. 5).
The demand of information-technology-based teaching and learning will grow substantially, probably exponentially, over the next decade (Massy & Zemsky, 1995) .
The main expressions used are "At any Time" and "At any Place". A virtual university permits students to be in a different places from the learning media and the instruction team. They can access learning materials at any time, for example from their home computer, and participate when their personal agenda allows it.
Since a course can be offered to students all over the world, it is possible to reach wider, more diverse audiences (Dede, 1996). When taking a course over the internet or any other distance delivery technology, both the instructor and one's classmates may be located anywhere on the planet.
The flexibility opens the way to longer learning careers and extended education. Common phrases used are "Just in Time Learning" or "Competence Learning". The necessity of an increasing number of people who need to learn at their workplace can be satisfied.
The potentiality to connect students all over the world and to form collaborative learning groups, to get people of different nationalities working together, could be interpreted as a globalization of teaching and learning. The potential of communication technology makes the big difference to the common possibility of students' participation in democratic knowledge construction.
It is possible, that in a few years universities, private firms, and schools will compete for the same clients, because a three year course in IBM in computer-science could be accepted by employers as well as a three year university study. Private banks could ask virtual universities for education of employees in working or management skills. There will no longer be competition for the best degrees and grades', the vision will change to the best learning outcomes in practical application.
Some private institutions on the web use a vision of possibilities to promote their services. In their websites students are connecting new knowledge automatically to their own experiences and interests, search, find and read necessary books and interact freely with students from other countries about the course subject (e.g. Layton, 1997).
There is a wider vision: Another dimension has been created, another space which we can see by technological means but which we cannot enter. It is easy for us to upload or download information in or from this space, even voice, moving images and sound. Virtual space permits communication (text, moving images and sound) all over the world, it offers a medium for peaceful interaction which is likely to get countries nearer, to generate tolerance and understanding. All of this besides the commercial use which has emerged in recent years and which has been limited only by problems of safe money transactions.
Summarizing, the virtual university is a "vision of possibilities" of a new educational system.
Involvement of Educational Technology
The second approach focuses on included technology. Electronic mail, homepages and news- or discussion-groups are frequently mentioned, although there is a more extended range of technologies which are already in educational use: Satellite classes, Videoconferences, One-Touch, C-U-See-Me, Netscape Chat and other computer programs, some of them designed for simulation of processes.
Administration, from registration to grading, is facilitated by computers and networks.
Technology enables asynchronous non-face to face learning environments; nevertheless it is no condition for the virtual university that all parts of the educational process have to be asynchronous and away from a presence classroom.
A virtual university in this approach refers to the use of educational technology. The more technology is involved, the more faculty members and students get convinced that they are doing virtual education.
In many cases members of institutions have demonstrated the conviction that "by moving cameras, computers, and microphones into the classrooms, schools, universities, and training departments, they can increase enrollments, provide new curricula, and save money, without doing anything else. According to this view, once technology is in place, there is little else to be done except to let teachers get on with practicing their craft as they have always done. They decide what to teach, prepare the lessons, and interact with students via the camera, computer, telephone, or some combinations of these" (Kearsley & Moore, 1996). Sellers of educational technology focus on this approach, converting the pure application of some technologies (lotus-notes, hypernews, electronic boards, etc.) into an innovation of the learning process.
Today technology is driving instructional design, and decision-making is often based on the wish to incorporate the newest technology.
Often there is no consideration of the necessity, that "if technology is applied to the teaching practice of schools, there is a need to change all the other subsystems of the school. If these changes are not considered, the desired changes are minor or cosmetic" (International Conference On Technology and Education [ICTE] 1996, p. 103).
Methodology of Education
At last virtual education can be defined by methodology used in the educational process.
There are many ways to think about educational methods. One could focus on a theoretical reflection of imaginable consequences of teaching methods and on what the teaching practice in the virtual university should be like.
On the other hand, one could attempt to analyze the teaching practice critically demanding congruence between what is intended to do and what is actually done. Because there is still a lack of extensive quantitative research on pedagogical strategies and designs (Dede, 1995), it is necessary to evaluate learning processes and outcomes by intended and documented observation. In many cases, as Kearsley and Moore (1996) point out, the evidence of success of distance education programs is based on anecdotes offered by persons or institutions with vested interests in the techniques or the programs they were evaluating (p. 76).
The following paragraph refers to visible, consciously used and evaluated teaching methods, not to a theoretical intention. The notion is important, because anything that cannot be made visible and perceptible as applied educational method in teaching practice, is not factual in this discussion .
Focusing on the effectiveness of the communications media in distance education there is some evidence (Kearsley & Moore 1996, pp. 61-65) that shows no significant difference in student achievements between face to face and distance education. The purpose of this reflection is to define ambitious objectives which can be accomplished only by sophisticated procedures. The intention of the methodology mentioned here is to improve quality in teaching and learning not to achieve the same results as face-to-face instruction.
Planning of on-line courses
In the first place, on-line courses must have clearly defined objectives whose accomplishment is easy to validate, such as seen in successful training courses in the business sector . We have to define what we want students to learn, for example:
Considerations on Methodology
It is possible that people who apply for a job in industry will no longer be evaluated on the basis of their certifications obtained from educational institutions, instead they will be measured by their performance in specific job relevant areas and they will be dismissed if they cannot act accurately. Employers and industry are interested in abilities. New paradigms of student evaluation which are based on the outside world of work and which can be globally supported, will emerge.
"Access to data does not automatically expand students' knowledge; the availability of information does not intrinsically create an internal framework of ideas that learners can use to interpret reality. While presentational approaches transmit material rapidly from source to student, often this content evaporates quickly from learners' minds. To be motivated to master concepts and skills, students need to see the connection of what they are learning to the rest of their lives and to the mental models they already use" (Dede, 1996, pp. 12-13).
The same idea is expressed by Dolence and Norris (1995), who postulate the transformation of the concept of higher education from seat time-based education to achievement-based learning. "Classroom centered instruction should begin to embrace and make the transition to network learning. Indeed, the network becomes the fundamental organizational metaphor for Information Age educational enterprises. Our current emphasis on information acquisition should be replaced by a more sophisticated emphasis on knowledge navigation" (p. 57) and team based problem solving.
Methods
The center of the learning process in virtual space is the student, acting as an autonomous, self-directed human being who, collaborating with others, constructs his own knowledge. It requires the student to take a very active role. Various learning activities, such as projects, case studies, investigation, experiments, etc. substitute the passivity of listening to a teacher's lecture. The role of the instruction team is to create a learning environment which is interactive and participatory, with activities that are cooperative, collaborative, relevant, adapted to various learning styles and requiring higher order thinking skills. To reach autonomy of students, teachers only interfere when necessary, for example, when they become convinced that students will not find adequate solutions to certain problems on their own. It requires control of learning processes and the possibility of interaction. The role of the teacher is to facilitate and moderate a learning process, providing students with significant information about the course, learning activities and evaluation.
This process demands many work and study skills and high motivation on the part of students which they do not have necessarily when they begin to study. Therefore, the faculty has to provide extrinsic motivation, not by grades, but more by generating interest and convincing students about the significance of course subjects in real life issues.
But we are still far away from an educational system which is based on student autonomy. Just remember how much time and energy faculty spend to accredit or test students, a sign that we do not believe that students would learn voluntarily and that we do not observe the educational process.
Again, the methodology used to transmit knowledge, the reading of course material, interrupted with little interaction or group work, has a very limited suitability in a virtual university if there is the aim to reach the defined learning outcomes. The use of technology demands reconsideration of the design of teaching and learning activities.
Recommendations
In distance education it is necessary to identify "how best to present knowledge in a particular subject area, and what kinds of learning (comprehension, analysis, application of principles to actual cases, problem-solving, inter-personal skills, mechanical skills, attitude change, etc.) are required. This means that a good understanding of what is required to teach a particular subject needs to be combined with good knowledge of the pedagogical strengths and weaknesses of different media (Bates, 1995, p. 8). Good teaching may overcome a poor choice in the use of technology, but technology will never save bad teaching; usually it makes it worse" ( p. 12).
As already mentioned, moderated communication among teachers and students is a non-negotiable part of distance education to reach efficiency. The majority of this two-way communication is noncontiguous and supported by technology (Anderson & Schlosser, 1994).
"Adequate inter-personal student support, in terms of contact with both 'human' counselors and tutors, and with other students, is still critical (Bates, 1995, p. 2). It must be remembered that additional costs will be necessary for all one-way technologies to cover tutorial activities or to provide students feedback and inter-personal interaction through other technologies "(p. 4).
The challenge for the facilitator or moderator is to convince students to use this communications technology for real interaction with other people. Only providing the means of communication does not make students communicate.
Instructional Design should be based on the learning process, not on the learning product or outcome.
Conclusions
The concept of virtual university should consist of the three dimensions to represent an innovative educational system. It should have a vision of possibilities, educational technology enabling distance learning and a congruent pedagogy. Only the vision does not change anything in reality, the technology is useless if not employed in an educational way, and a progressive methodology remains impotent without integration into a greater concept.
Even if two parts get together, it is not sufficient: Without vision
aims remain trivial, without technology the system remains powerless and
without an adequate methodology it remains inefficient.
Figure
2
An important challenge for the coming years is to define quality standards for all parts of virtual education, for learning media (videotapes or television, cd-rom, homepages etc.) and the types of interaction, all based on evaluation of the learning process and real learning outcome.
The concept of virtual university is on the way to solving many problems educational systems have been confronted with for a long time. It is a real chance to diminish costs and raise the efficiency of education, generating an environment of participation and developing skills. Peaceful communication could open the way to new forms of solving even international conflicts.
"Lack of criticism and cultural perspectives have lead to an illusion of the power of technology in changing pedagogy (ICTE, 1996, p103). Instead of highlighting the technological solutions, we should focus on the goals and methods of education and establish after that the role which we wish to give to technology" (p. 105).
"Teachers and instructors need training not just in the choice and use of appropriate technologies, but more fundamentally in how people learn, and in instructional design. Lack of appropriate training is the biggest barrier to the use of technology in education" (Bates, 1995, p. 14).
The distance educator will need to learn how to use technologies to facilitate group learning experiences, because it is not the technology which produces the interaction, the technology only establishes the opportunity.
There is an urgent need for institutions to employ instructional designers well trained in pedagogy centered in the learning process and in the use of educational technology. Knowledge and application of adequate teaching methods require in-service-training and teamwork of all individuals involved in the educational process.
The design, elaboration and performance of distance education courses involves the teamwork of teachers, instructional designers, technicians and media specialists. Every team-member takes decisions to reach the predefined purposes, sensitive to the needs, talents and area of the other team-members. Instructional Design should drive the implementation of technology.
Competition for clients and markets will lead in the coming years to a transformation of education as we know it today. We now have the possibility to transform education, to influence people to create a peaceful, global and responsible society.
After years of emerging new technologies we all know what is possible. The question of the coming years will be if we are able to plan and realize basic changes in education.
Hartwig Stein, May 1997 hstein@campus.ruv.itesm.mx / http://homepages.mty.itesm.mx/~hstein/Bates, (Tony) A.W. (1995). Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education. New York: Routledge
Dede, Chris (1996). "The Evolution of Distance Education: Emerging Technologies and Distributed Learning". The American Journal of Distance Education, 2
Dolence, Michael G., & Norris, Donald M. (1995). Transforming Higher Education. A Vision for Learning in the 21st Century. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 USA: Society of College and University Planning
International Conference On Technology and Education [ICTE], Inc. (Comp.)1996. Technology Changing The Pedagogical Culture. In: The Thirteenth International Conference On Technology and Education: Proceedings Volume I. Technology and Education: Catalyst for Educational Change. Grand Prairie March 17-20, New Orleans, Louisiana
Layton, Tom: Description of a CyberSchool Class. <http://CyberSchool.4j.lane.edu/About/CSClass/CSClass.html>(18. April 1997)
Massy, William F., & Zemsky, Robert (1995): Using Information Technology to Enhance Adademic Productivity. Washington: Educomreg., Interuniversity Communications Council, Inc. <http://www.educom.edu/program/nlii/keydocs/massy.html>(31. March 1997)
Moore, M., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance Education: A Systems
View. New York: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
The author is actually working as an Instructional Designer and Assistant Professor at the Virtual University of the Monterrey Institute of Technology System in Mexico. In this function he has facilitated the redesign of several distance education courses. As an instructor he has moderated on-line interaction in various pedagogical classes. He holds a Master's Degree in Adult Education and is now writing his Ph.D. thesis. He has worked in course organization for adult learners and in group learning activities with groups with a high potential for conflict (e.g. prisoners, medical personnel).
ITESM is a private university system comprised of 26 campuses throughout Mexico enrolling over 70 thousand students and employing over 5000 faculty members. The Virtual University is a distance education unit of the system with students in Mexico and other Latin American countries. ITESM is a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). More information about the Virtual University can be obtained by visiting its home page at http://www.ruv.itesm.mx/