European Conference Educational Research - Preconference, Hamburg, September 2003.

Distance students' practices : a French experience.

TROUILLET Hélène, LECLET Dominique

New Educational Technology group - Sa.So laboratory

University of Picardie Jules Verne

33, rue Saint Leu, Bât. F, 80039 Amiens Cedex 1

{helene.trouillet, dominique.leclet}@u-picardie.fr

ABSTRACT : This communication presents the results of a study about the distance students' practices. This study was carried out in 2002, among the post graduate students of a DU course in multimedia called "Conduct of Projects Multimedia", This course is supported by the INteractive platform E-learning System (INES) of the University of Picardie Jules Verne. This study comes equally within the scope of a research project financed by the regional pole New Educational Technology of the Picardie area.

The study, that us interests, include a double objective. The first one is to understand how students organize their distance studies. The second one is how they use tools proposed by the distance learning platform INES. So, we shall try to determine which computer environments are relevant within the framework of distance learning, and more particularly in that of the follow-up of the students and collective learning. To conduct our research, a survey by questionnaire containing 43 items among 137 students was carried out.

A first part describes the context of our research. A second part presents the method of the study, that was implemented. A third part presents the results about the students' apprehension of a distance course, their studies' organization, the relation with the tele-tutoring and the use of communication tools proposed by INES. Finally, a last part concludes about these results and the further developments of our research work.

KEYWORDS : Distance learning. Practices' analysis. Tools of platform. Pedagogical scenarii.

  1. Introduction

This article relates to a research project, which started in January 2002 and which is financed by the regional pole New Educational Technology of the Picardie area. Indeed, the generalization of the access to Internet led to carry out a certain number of reflexions on the place and the contribution of Internet in distance learning. Thus, problems of research which interests the Picardie area aim to conceptualize and implement standardized devices of distance learning, which are regarded as bricks software integrable in distancielles platforms. However, this integration cannot be done without defining the objectives of training formalized in upstream of the formation. A survey was realized between May and September 2002, among the post graduate students of the DU course in multimedia called "Conduct of Projects Multimedia" (CPM) of the University of Picardie Jules Verne. The final objective of this study aims at allowing development of a method of design of distance learning. (Lapujade and al., 2003)(Cravoisier and al., 2003).

The reflexion carried out on problems of e-learning goes up in 1998 with a project of multimedia distance course (Weidenfeld and al., 1998). This project was registered in the contract of establishment of the University of Picardie Jules Verne. It profited also from label EDUCAPOLE of the Picardie area. It was carried out in partnership with the Masson editions and the National Center of Distance Learning (Leclet and al., 1997). With the starting of the project, the open and distance course consisted of the supply of supports of interactive course, of a tutorial system, realization of studies of students via Internet and co-operative tools like the mail or the chat. This course was at the origin of the creation of the platform of e-learning INES[1], in particular used within the framework of international numerical the campus project e-miage[2]. The third version of this platform now brings the "standardized" functionalities which we find in all platforms. The survey that we carried out, carries, on the one hand on the use that learners make functionalities offered by INES platform and on the other hand on their manner of organizing their distance work.

Indeed, as specified it already Dessus (Dessus and al., 1997) in 1997, it is necessary to sit the design of distance learning systems a priori rather than to justify of it only the validity and the use a posteriori. This is why, we carried out, initially, a bibliographical analysis (Leclet and al., 2001) of the distance learning platforms existing. This analysis is based on the studies of the Observatory of Audio-Visual Ressources for further education (Oravep, 2000) and the studies of PREAU (Preau, 2000). The mission of ORAVEP, renamed ALGORA in february 2001, is to bring to the professional actors of the formation informations concerning the transformation and the development of these new systems (Oravep, 2000). The association PREAU is presented like an evolutionary laboratory of assistance, of council, exchanges and of day before of New Educational Technology (Preau, 2000). These two studies meet, amongst other things, about the definition of the actors of a platform of distance formation and about the functionalities offered by those. In the second place, it seemed to us relevant to analyze the practices and thus the needs for the users of these devices and more particularly those for the users of INES platform. This qualitative and quantitative analysis will then allow us to carry out the development prototypal of our device of distance learning and to propose adapted pedagogical scenarii. The qualitative analysis, in progress, corresponds to carry out exploratory talks among the originators of distance course and tele-tutors managing of the distant teaching activities. The talk of research is a "talk between two people, an interviewer and a person interviewed, lead and recorded by the interviewer; this last having for objective to support the production of a linear speech of the person interviewed about a topic defined within the framework of a research " (Blanchet and al., 1992). The quantitative analysis, as for it, corresponds to the study by questionnaires presented in this communication. Indeed, Blanchet says "The questionnaire is a whole of questions written in advance, strictly put by the researcher; it produces a series of answers which constitute a split up speech, delinearized". The essential difference, in this case, between qualitative and quantitative analysis comes from the sampling of the questioned users and the objectives of our work. Indeed, contrary to the originators of course and the tele-tutor of CPM, the students are more numerous and less accessible because of their very diverse geographical origins. It is, also necessary in the long term, to analyze a posteriori the practices induced by the integration of the data-processing prototypes in INES platform. This formed part of a later stage of the research project of our team.

The section 2 of this communication describes the methodology of the survey within the framework of the survey and the section 3 has the results. The last section concludes about the further developments of our study.

2.  Presentation of the method used

2.1. Context of the survey

In order to describe the distance students' practices, a study by questionnaire was carried out. The sample of the population was selected among the students of the DESS Systems of Multimedia Information (SIM) which, since 1998, is exempted in presence and distance. At that time, it was also divided into two DU courses to relieve the distance work of learners. Among these distance DU courses, the DU CPM is, which we chose to study, because it aims at the training of multimedia practice and not of an academic knowledge. Moreover, the experiment of the tele-tutorial system goes up at the origin of the project and its expertise seemed to us interesting to collect.

Thus, the objective of this diploma aims at allowing the students to lead and manage a multimedia project, to analyze the requirement in multi-media information system and to evaluate the loads for such a project. To access this formation, the necessary titles are, either of the diplomas of second cycle of Bac level + 4, or a procedure of validation of the professional assets among the cell "Reception of the Adults in recovery Studies"of our university. Once registered, learners reach the contents of by the means of a password, delivered with the inscription. They have access to the lesson then in the form of modules, with communication tools and more general functions.

The functionalities of platform INES as regards communication tools cover an electronic mail, a general forum, a forum by module and a chat. Navigation passes as for it via menus, as the figure 1 shows it below.

Figure 1. : Reception page of DU CPM.

Thus, we find :

-  The menu "to sail" allows to access the other formations, the other modules.

-  The menu "directories" allows to access the list directories of the teachers, students, managers and tele-tutors.

-  The menu "information" allows to access the planning of the formation.

-  The menu "perso..." allows to carry out changes on the identification sheet of the actors of the formation.

-  The menu " course" allows, on the one hand, the learner to visualize the list of documents consulted since its inscription. It allows also, on the other hand, the teacher to follow the course of the training of each of learners.

-  The menu "tutorial" allows to access Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of different modules.

-  The menu "to leave" which allows to leave the platform.

Moreover, it's important to underline that the modules are cut out in objectives, contents of course, QCM, exercises autocorrectifs and duties to be returned for an individualized correction. Lastly, learners have the possibility of communicating, during an involved presence regrouping (one day per module is devoted). After having described the functionalities of the platform of distance learning INES, let us see the characteristics of the sample of our study.

2.2. The representative sample

To access to DU CPM, students must have the diplomas of second cycle of Bac level + 4, or have a procedure of validation of the professional assets. Thus, the students can be registered with a level Bac or to be an autodidact. Their geographical origins are very various. We find people living in Metropolitan France, in the territories of Overseas or in foreign countries like Great Britain or Japan.

The inscriptions are done on line and the students can start their formations either with the session of January, or with that of July. The exam sessions then take place respectively in June and in December. The students have the possibility of capitalizing the modules obtained in examination over one maximum duration of three academic years consecutive. They have, thus, six six-month periods starting from their inscription to validate their diploma. Nevertheless, the student is always registered in same promotion. Indeed, the group of learners registered with the same session forms a promotion, and the manpower can be rather variable, as table 1 shows it below.

Promotions
/ Manpower
Promotion 1 / 16
Promotion 2 / 30
Promotion 3 / 41
Promotion 4 / 34
Promotion 5 / 32
Promotion 6 / 26

Table 1. : Promotions' manpower of DU CPM

In order to obtain the maximum of answers, the selected sample for our survey includes the promotion 2, 3, 4 and 5, that is to say 137 students. We can wonder about the fact that selected promotions do not include nor first, nor last promotion. In fact, that comes owing to the fact that the tele-tutorial system did not exist at the time of the first promotion and that the last, as for it, had not started the DU CPM at the beginning of the study. Once this sampling carried out, we sent, by mail, 137 questionnaires at the end of June 2002 and makes a revival at the beginning of September 2002. Fifty four answers arrived between the beginning of July and the end of September. Thus, among 54 answers, 33 included a filled out questionnaire, 10 were refusal either because learners had finished their formation, or because they had not finished and "didn't want to intend any more to speak about this formation", 8 were returns of obsolete electronic address and 3 remained on standby. The 33 "positive" answers are distributed according to promotions 2, 3, 4 and 5 as shows it table 2 following:

Promotions
/ Manpower
Promotion 2 / 4
Promotion 3 / 8
Promotion 4 / 10
Promotion 5 / 11
TOTAL / 33

Table 2.: Answers' manpower by promotion

We can notice that learners having finished their formation (promotion 2 even 3) are fewer to answer. The rate of answer is thus 39.42% and the rate of answer with questionnaire of 24.09%. Among these 24.09% of learners having answered, 54.5% are men against 45.5% women. Their age varies between 24 and 50 years. The three quarter of learners, having answered the questionnaire, are paid and work in the field of data processing and of multimedia in particular as webmastor, engineer, or multimedia trainer, against a quarter of unemployed, students, tradesmen or of teachers. Lastly, 70% of learners having answered have their diploma. Let us see now which questionnaire these learners they answered.

2.3. The questionnaire proposed

The questionnaire containing 43 items devoted to the functionalities of INES platform and the characteristic of a selected module. The name of this module is M2 " Representation of knowledge ". This choice followed upon an exploratory talk with the originator of the module. It acted, for us, of iunderstanding how the distance module had been designed before questioning the use of it. Moreover, this questioning falls under the continuations of our educational researches in term of scenarii. With regard to the design of the studied module, it is based on the version paper and present bonds hypertextes and a hypertexte plan. This module is not downloadable but presents a printable version.

The constitution of the questionnaire is done from the specific objectives of our research. We would like to determine the relevant data-processing environments whithin the framework of distance learning and more particularly in that of the learners' follow-up. We have choosen also the methodology employed by Tessier (Tessier and al., 2001) and Déro (Déro and al., 2001). Indeed, Déro uses a quantitative method in order to define user profiles of statistics' distance course. It calculates amongst other things, the number and the time of connections to an experimental training environment. Our study joins this statistical analysis method but haven't the same objectives. Tessier, as for it, studied how students of sciences of education behave with respect to a online course, this using participating observation and method of the questionnaire (20 items). Contrary to Tessier, we can't carry out a participating observation, that is to say to bring together students in a room of course and to observe their use of a online course, given the geographical distribution of the learners' sample of our study. On the other hand, the installation of their questionnaire enabled us to note relevant questions or not within the framework of our work, such as for example time per day devoted to the distance studies.