Needs Analysis Blended Learning and Cultural Dialogue (November 2008)

BLAID-project

Needs analysis blended learning and cultural dialogue (november 2008)

The growing use of internet and ICT-based tools worldwide opens up new learning prospects for adults. Research has shown that “1 out of 8 adults outside formal education uses the internet for formal learning – both for research and downloading of learning content” (The Use of ICT(..), Commission Staff Working Document, 9/10/2008) . The growing use of ICT enables both formal and informal learning which are essential to the development and success of today's knowledge society and economy; a society that demands mobility, flexibility and adaptability in regard of its citizens’ skills.

This tendency in society breeds a new learner type: “the Net-generation of learners" (Oblinger 2005) who are known to engage and interact with each other through various technologies such as MSN, mobiles, blogs, Wikis, etc. and who are characterised by different learning styles with a demand for greater flexibility concerning settings, time and content – thereby making it possible for the individuals to choose appropriate learning paths. Studies also show that “Interactive forms of e-learning can lead to a more reflective, “deeper” learning and more empowered discussion, better suited to and more motivating for adult learners.” (OECD, 2006).

However studies has also shown that for many, adult learning is a way of meeting people with similar interests and therefore it is important not underestimate the social motive of adult learners.

This means a further demand to adapt learning and teaching practises to accommodate both the "Net generation of learners", different learning styles, social motives and the tendency and demand from society, divers groups of learners (second chance, immigrants, disabled people...).

As a response to these new demands it seems evident to focus on presenting ways of optimising learning processes with innovative digital teaching solutions and social interaction, which we define under the overall category "Blended learning" which is “a combination of e-learning (mix of ICT based learning resources) and a variety of other delivery methods to provide for a superior learning experience” (Grey 2006):

The Live Long Learning Programme in practice implies more diversity within the groups. In the KHKempen, the number of adult learners, most of them in a full time job, trying to become engineer, was 2 in 2005 but is 45 in 2OO8. They follow individual pathways, in different formations (bachelor, master, electronics, mechanics, bio science, electricity°. They all start from a different working situation. In the education formations and nursery the situation is a little less complicated, but analogue.

Also the multicultural society and in particular the immigrants, brings more diversity: immigrants are analphabetic or can have a PhD. We learned from our BLAID-project :immigrants of the first and second generation often have question about their roots: who am I, what is my place in Europe, the country, the city or village I live in. The autochthones need to develop enough language, multicultural and international competences to fulfil their future role in the new international society.

In most countries disabled people are stimulated to follow adult education of high level, but specific learning assistance is not evident.

Some adult learners are underprepared: they have forgotten some of the basis skills they need or the starting competences have changed with time.

In the accepted but not yet published study of Lotte Brants, Katrien Struyven,e.a. Literature Scan on Online Remedial Teaching and Learning:A European Perspective, Development of effective online remedial education we find:

“Referring to Levin and Koski (1998), the following ingredients are central for designing successful interventions for underprepared students in higher education (Levin & Calcagno, 2008):

• Motivation: building on interests and goals of students and providing institutional credit towards degrees

• Substance: building skills within a substantive or real-world context

• Inquiry: developing students’ inquiry and research skills to help them investigate subjects and areas

• Independence: encouraging students to do independent meandering within the course structure, in order to develop their own ideas, applications and understandings

• Multiple approaches: using collaboration and teamwork, technology, tutoring and independent investigation as suited to student needs

• High standards: setting high standards and expectations that all students will meet if they exert adequate effort and if they are given appropriate resources to support their learning

• Problem solving: understanding learning as a way of determining what needs to be learned and how to develop a strategy that will succeed

• Connectiveness: emphasizing the connections among different subjects and experiences, showing how they can contribute to learning

• Supportive context: understanding that learning is a social activity that prospers from healty interaction, encouragement and support.”

This study is only focussed on the universities, but most of it is certainly also applicable to other levels of adult learning.

These factors align with the success elements defined by Kozeracki (2002).

Following the same article of L.Brants, K.Struyven, and according to research (El Mansour & Mupinga, 2007; Yang & Cornelius, 2004) positive experiences with online education are:

• Flexible instructional pace and flexible class participation

• Less barriers of time and space

• Cost-effectiveness of online courses

• Electronic research availability

• A well-designed online course makes it easy for students to navigate and find the adequate information.

On the other hand, the new opportunities offered by ICT also create new barriers (Mac Keogh, 2001). Research (El Mansour & Mupinga, 2007; Yang & Cornelius, 2004) claim that students’ negative experiences are caused by:

• Delayed feedback from the teacher or coach

• Problems with technical support

• Lack of self-regulation and self-motivation

• Sense of isolation, caused by the lack of interpersonal communication and interaction among students or between students and the instructor

• A poorly designed course interface makes students feel lost in seeking information

Moreover, the potential of ICT is also leading to fears of the ‘digital devide’ where ICT will enhance further social exclusion, creating a society of technological haves and have nots.

In the project, iCamp - innovative, inclusive, interactive & intercultural learning campus, we found: “the term ‘Web 2.0’ was coined by O’Reilly (2005) as a common denominator for recenttrends heading towards the ‘Read-Write Web’, allowing everyone to publish resources onthe web using simple and open, personal and collaborative publishing tools, known as

social software: blogs, wikis, social bookmarking systems, podcasts etc. The main features

of these tools are dynamism, openness and free availability. According to MacManus and

Porter (2005), the power of social software lies in content personalization and remixing

with other data to create much more useful information and knowledge. The continuously

growing dissemination of social and open software in e-Learning is expected to reshape

those e-Learning landscapes that are currently based on closed, proprietary, institutionalized

systems. Thanks to the evolution of the web, the use of social and open software forlearning, is becoming an increasingly feasible alternative to these closed, proprietary, institutionalized

systems.” Web 2.0 offers possibilities to answer some of the diversity problems noticed above.

In our definition “Blended learning” consists of a mix of e-learning and other forms of education: forms of distribution of learning contents, forms of communication, didactical strategies and variations of learning environments in relation with the type of learning process or a combination of them." Blended learning tries to develop individual pathways, adapted to the needs of the learners and to their start competences. It tries to combine the advantages of classical learning and e-learning and to avoid the disadvantages.

Europe needs more people that are better qualified.

Needs

We conclude

-The Policy Priority 2009: Implementation of the Communication on "New skills for new jobs” More and more jobs will require high and medium education levels. By 2020, almost three quarters of jobs in the EU-25 will be in services. Transversal and generic skills will be increasingly valued on the labour market. Skills upgrading is critically important for Europe’s short-term recovery. So the need to open more pathways to education for more adults is clear.

-A growing diversity in the learner groups, asking for more individualised answers.

-More internationalisation, asking for empowerment and more education for the immigrants and more international and intercultural competences for the autochthones. The multicultural society demands other methods of education: the learners often start with another personnel idea of education and also with other personnel needs and objectives.

-More adults from marginalised groups or disabled people tries to follow adult education, but they also needs individualised answers.

-A growing group of adults want to reach higher degrees of education, the classical adult education does not always offer this degrees (engineering, nursery, education…). So they are “student” in the higher education institutes. For working adults distance and time management give problems to develop these competences.

Juan Freire, Universities and Web 2.0: Institutional challenges, eLearning Papers , , 2 Nº 8 • April 2008 • ISSN 1887-1542

iCamp - innovative, inclusive, interactive & intercultural learning campusInformation Society Technology programme of FP6, October 2005 - December 2008, .