Student Support – Pilot Field Testing of a Support-Rich E-Learning Model
Torstein Rekkedal, Director R & D NKI Distance Education
The student support system as operated in the pilot
Keegan (2004) has described the model in “A new model, rich in student services, for e-learning”. The following is a presentation of Keegan’s account of the ideal model and comments whether the NKI model as applied in the pilot may act as a representative for this ideal. There is no surprise that the model and the solution to a large degree are commensurable, as the NKI members of the project team had forwarded their ideas to the team and also brought ideas back to the system developers continuously from the start of the project.
Keegan (ibid.) distinguishes between Learner support and Learning support. Learner support is supplied all the way through all the phases from
Information phase
through
Guidance Phase
Registration Phase
Integration Phase
Help Desk
Evaluation System
Final Results Phase
Accreditation Assistance Phase
till the final
Guidance on Further Study Phase
while Learning support is mainly concerned with the Learning Phase from enrolment until passing the final examination. We disagree with Keegan (Ibid.) that Help Desk and Evaluation System should be categorised as phases rather than systems or organisational solutions.
Introduction
NKI has taken the strategic decision to develop online distance education based on learning philosophies of adult education and distance learning (see e.g. Rekkedal & Qvist-Eriksen 2003). It is also part of the strategy that the learning management system must be developed internally and being seamlessly integrated with the student management system and other necessary IT systems to support students from pre-enrolment till after graduation (see Paulsen et al. 2003). This system has been continuously developed and revised through regular new releases in the last 5 years, and was also developed with new functionalities parallel to the “Student Support Services in e-learning” project.
Consequently, it was decided to pilot this system with the latest improved functionalities as the test of a defined support-rich model. It seems clear that when testing a support rich e-learning model, the model must be understood as the complete delivery system: organisation, people, IT Systems, media and communication solutions. The IT systems are illustrated in figure 1.
The latest functionalities launched in the SESAM learning management systems were available just at the time of the enrolment of the pilot group. These functionalities included:
- Student planning and follow-up system
- Web-based system for assignment submission
These two solutions open for a number of improved support-service solutions for both students and tutors, such as:
- Placing students into courses and forums according to their personal progressions plans
- Information to other students and tutors about where students are at any time (opens the possibility for optional cooperation and better individual following up from tutors and institution
- Supporting portfolio evaluation solutions
- Supporting solutions for quality control of tutor comments and feedback
- Supporting solutions for following up turn-around time and giving tutors feedback on when to expect assignments and their own turn-around time compared with an average for all tutors
Design of the pilot
Situation
How to design and carry out the pilot study as planned in the project did raise a number of challenges. The solution decided in the Cork project meeting in January 2004 to pilot the project ideas through a modification of the NKI distance education e-learning system seemed to be the best solution.
The NKI distance education e-learning system is continuously tested and evaluated as part of the normal operation and quality development of courses, programmes and IT systems. The system tried out and evaluated in the pilot is an enhancement of the system of NKI Distance Education, and also the course selected for the trial is running with ordinary paying students.
The course
The course chosen for the pilot study was the introductory course, 601 Introduction to International Online Education, the SPICE programme (Specialization Programme in International Online Education) (NKI 2004). The programme contains 5 courses on online education. It was specifically suited for the pilot because it is delivered in English. The course consists of 5 study units, includes questions for reflection and assignments for submission and emphasizes forum discussions.
Selection of students for the pilot trial
Although NKI has a small number of ordinary students taking the course, the project team decided that a grouping of students from Ireland, Norway, Germany and Italy should be enrolled in a separate version of the course as students. However, to be able to try out the support measures and evaluate experiences the subjects of the experiment simulated the study situation by submitting assignments, entries to the forum, presentations etc.
Tutor and counsellor
The author of this paper acted as tutor in the pilot while Svein Qvist-Eriksen acted as student counsellor/advisor (both members of the project team). The author teaches the course also for ordinary students, while the student counsellor/advisor until this spring was head of the counselling department in NKI Distance Education.
Pilot period
The students were registered in the course at the end of April 2004, and the pilot ran from May 1st till end of June. Some students were also using the system and testing its functionalities during most of July.
Some sources of error concerning student experiences
It should also be noted that the English language version of the LMS, SESAM, has some defects, e.g. there is a quick menu that does not function in English, and there are some explanations and links that are supplied in Norwegian only. Also the welcoming letter containing user identity and password that is automatically produced from the student administrative system, STAS, is only in Norwegian. We tried to compensate for this by making some improvised changes and translations. However, there is no doubt that these shortcomings gave some extra difficulties for the pilot students who did not speak Norwegian, and possibly even more difficulties for those who had English as a second language.
Information phase
Keegan (Ibid.) mentions the following services:
Information about the programmes/courses including an efficient search engine for courses. The system offers this facility with different search solutions, free text, on subject areas or alphabetical search.
Special pages for individuals and employers and a FAQ page. All these services are available. The information page for business and industry also contains examples of solutions and courses, some demonstrating specific solutions made for different corporate customers.
Guidance and counselling by telephone or e-mail. The system web pages give easy access to advisors by telephone or mail.
General information about research and other relevant news. The system offers a number of pages within this area. A main point is to give credibility that the student is visiting the pages of a serious recognized and accredited institution.
The information site should also have a demonstration programme (in the form of a guided tour) on Internet based distance learning.
Information in print. NKI prints a general catalogue on all courses and programmes twice a year. The catalogue is generated directly from the same (Oracle) database as the web pages. In some instances the information is deliberately different – solved through markings in the database. As the information on the web pages is continuously revised, the information may differ until the next edition of the catalogue is printed. Also in the NKI system brochures with more extensive information for all major learning programmes are distributed to potential students.
Advertisements, Information relating to courses, Information relating to the program to which the course belongs, Information relating to pricing, FAQ Section as described by Keegan are also included in the system total support system.
Guidance Phase
Student specific information concerning choices of courses and / or programs. Our experience is that individualised information is important for the student to enrol. Even when all necessary information has been available, it seems that most prospective students want to have direct contact with a live person before enrolling. NKI also has regional representatives. These are normally advising groups of prospective students, mainly in connection with studies with a local face-to-face support element.
Optional Extras The system tries to avoid optional extras. In principle all relevant materials are included in the course package. There are some few exceptions, e.g. drawing equipment in the interior architect programme. The same goes for optional Software.
Financial questions regarding loans and grants is very important and information is supplied on web pages, in print and on telephone.
Registration Phase
While the preceding phases were less relevant for the pilot group, support in the registration phase was specifically important – partly because of language problems because of some shortcomings in the English version.
Guidance on practical matters. This was in the pilot mainly supplied by the tutor. In the real situation this is clearly an important task for student advisors. Also in all other programmes all students have his/her personal advisor who can be contacted by phone, e-mail ordinary mail.
Registration information user identity and passwords. In the ordinary system this is sent automatically by the system. The student receives a letter with practical information and the necessary information to log into the system. The pilot students received a letter in Norwegian, but an English translation was sent by e-mail to explain in advance.
Registration by mail or on the Internet. Ordinary students submit their applications by regular mail or through the Internet. The pilot students were registered after the NKI administration had received an e-mail with the necessary data.
Practical study information. Incidentally, the day when the pilot started the tutor was participating in a seminar in Denmark. Through mobile equipment (PDA/mobile phone) he communicated with the students through messages to the Forum to motivate and supply practical information. Messages to the Forum are also sent to all students by e-mail. However, the students may, by changing their settings, decide whether they wish to receive all Forum messages by mail as they are entered, or only information (with links) to new messages once a day or once a week.
At the start of the trial the following Forum message was sent from the tutor:
Subject: Logging into the NKI Internet CollegeDate:30. Apr 2004
Author:TorsteinRekkedal ()
Dear students
I have noticed that Ray and Laura have logged into the course pages. Did you meet any difficulties? I understand that there was a lot of information concerning the language problem. I would like you all to log in as soon as possible.
Do not forget to change your assigned password to your personal one! And please, take the opportunity to present yourself. You will find that Truls and Aleksander have given their personal presentation. See the “i” for information on the "class list".
It would be fine if you all made a comment on logging in and navigation by responding to this message. Note that you have to respond by writing your message when you are logged into the course.
Have a nice weekend.
Regards
Torstein
All in all 6 entries to the Forum were registered during the first 5 days of the pilot, concerning ease of logging in, some problems in finding the correct information, and some difficulties concerning links in Norwegian.
Some examples of student experiences:
Subject: Re: Logging into the NKI Internet CollegeDate:30. Apr 2004
Author:MM ()
Hallo folk!
I've just logged in and had a first navigation experience.
As far as logging in concerned I found no problem at all!
About navigation... I found a bit of overlapping info about SPICE structure.
Anyway it is better to have more info than needed, not way around.
The real problem (maybe my problem?) was to find the way to present myself.
Can you give me a tip?
That's all at the moment.
M
Subject: Re: Logging into the NKI Internet CollegeDate:01. Mai 2004
Author:LP ()
Hi!
I logged into the course pages without any problem at all. Navigation is easy and quick.
As for the language problem, well...I was a little worried about Norwegian words. They are very fascinating but...absolutely incomprehensible! I was afraid not to get important information but... this happens to me in English as well, so never mind!
Bye
L
These difficulties were solved. Another problem occurred – lost password:
Subject: Lost user id and passwordDate:06. Mai 2004
Author:TorsteinRekkedal ()
This morning I received this e-mail from one student:
“Sorry to bother you Torstein but I have just sat down to get to grips with the NKI system and cannot find my username and password. I know they were to be mentioned in a Norwegian e-mail but I cannot find this anywhere (perhaps I have deleted it?)
Can they be sent to me again?
NN”
Just to tell you again some of the support functions:
Students forget their passwords. If you have forgotten the password, you just try to log in with your user id and any password (or no password). Then you get a page with support and a possibility of getting a new password.
If you have lost both you user id and password (which is seldom, as the user id is your customer number at NKI) you must contact NKI to receive help. This would normally not be your tutor but you study counselor, who in your case is Svein Qvist-Eriksen.
We try as far as possible to protect the tutors from non-academic communication to keep work-loads acceptable.
Torstein
This message illustrates an often-experienced support decision to be taken. The tutor receives a message for help from a student. This should preferably have been sent to the advisor. The tutor decides to answer the individual e-mail in the Forum, because other students may experience the same problem. In addition he gets the possibility to inform all students that this type of questions should not be directed to the tutor.
Information on the web site. On the personal web page the student has links to all courses that he/she is signed up for, a link to a survey of progression and the grades he/she has obtained and a link to the page where the student can change the registered personal data. There are also links to news from the institution and other resources the student may need during the programme.
Figure 2 shows the personal page for one of the pilot students. We may note that on the personal page there is one link in Norwegian “Hurtigmeny” (Quick Menu). Also the links displayed when clicking the Quick Menu is in Norwegian. Otherwise, we see the top links Settings, Study Information and Site Map. On the right we see the link to the student’s pages, where she might retrieve previously submitted assignments. There are also links to:
Resources:
FAQ (no)
Search engines (no)
Using search engines (no)
Usenet News(no)
Archive previous exams (no)
Examination register form (no)
Software (no)
Teacher instructions (no)
Whom to contact?
The parenthesis (no) says that the information available is in Norwegian only.
Figure 2. The personal page of one of the pilot students.
Figure 3. The planning part of the personal page above.
The planning part shows that the student has planned the progression schedule for the course and to complete by submitting the final assignment 18th October. The student submitted the first assignment July 1st. This was during the summer holidays of the tutor (and actually after the formal pilot was ended. The assignment was returned with grade B July 19th. By clicking the calendar icon, the student may change plans. By clicking the letter icon a page for assignment submission is shown.
How to study online. On the NKI web site the prospective students and students can get a demonstration through a guided tour of how to use the web sites in their online education. This is presently only in Norwegian. The previous evaluation part of student support services (Rekkedal & Qvist-Eriksen 2003) found that there was need for a better course in study techniques for online distance education. This will be developed in Norwegian. It was not ready during the pilot period.
Personalised web site The students are encouraged to register some personal information on their personalised web site. This information is available to the other students in the programme, as well as the tutor and other staff. The intention is to create an online environment where the students get to know each other and also the staff.
Integration Phase
Technical Recommendations – The NKI system is based on the philosophy that the Internet College should be as open as possible concerning technical requirements. Thus, participation requires equipment and software generally available in the market.
Technical support.
If the student has difficulties logging in, the following message pops up: