Over 2000 and 2001 the Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG) funded a program of 9 research projects related to the implementation and use of online learning and delivery. This research has been managed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, the principal research and evaluation organisation for the VET sector in Australia.

Summaries of this research are being published in the LearnScope Virtual Learning Community once a week between 4 September 2002 and 6 November beginning with the article What the FLAG research says about online learning published on September 4.

This week we look at Summary 4 - Support needs of teachers and learners. This research identifies a range of support mechanisms required for both teachers and learners in order to achieve more effective online learning.

• Students need a comprehensive induction program during the pre-enrolment period, which includes clear information about the course, the institution and course options as well as contact people.
  
• Academic support should include access to a tutor/teacher to provide feedback, a good library or learning resource centre, student counsellors and a help desk.
  
• Technical support should include quick response to technical problems; help with downloading information and participating in discussion groups and a help desk available in a number of forms (face-to-face, e-mail, phone, fax).
  
• Teachers also need their changing role recognised as well as professional development support in a number of areas.  These include how to use the technology to interact and communicate effectively with students online, dealing with technology problems, assessment, evaluating the effectiveness of the online learning experience and skills to develop, maintain and improve online programs and resources.

The project also canvasses a range of strategies to overcome the barriers and improve the cost effectiveness of online delivery.

Support Needs of Teachers and Learners

Report title and authors: Learner expectations and experiences: An examination of student views of support in online learning  (S Choy, C McNickle & B Clayton)

Project outline:  Choy and her colleagues have investigated the expectations and experiences of learners studying online and, in particular, the support and access they need to study successfully. The study involved a review of the websites and databases of a variety of online providers, surveys of over 200 students (in 23 public and private providers), interviews with 12 teaching staff and a review of the literature.

The report has been published.

Information expected by students

• Prior to enrolment learners most required information about the course and what was required to complete it, how to enrol and who to approach for help. This required comprehensive information to be available on enrolment, course content, the institution and career options.

• Information needed to be presented clearly, be easy to navigate and available in a variety of modes.

Contact people

• Contact people providing advice, help or support also needed to be easy to access by phone, email and face to face.

Learners support - learners views

• comprehensive orientation programs for learners available in a variety of modes (including study skills, awareness of learning styles)

• clear statements for learners about what they are expected to learn and about assessment requirements

• a mentor/contact allocated to the learner and that this person remains with them throughout the course/module

• resources need to be comprehensive, clear and available in a variety of modes, including hard copy

Feedback

•  learners need ready access to staff, timely and helpful feedback

• there should be approaches to communicate with staff and other learners by a variety of means including chatrooms, bulletin boards, frequently asked questions (FAQs), telephone and face to face

Teaching support - teachers views

• Teaching staff believe that the most important student support services are a helpdesk with IT support, access to communication with tutorial support, an induction program and ready access to learning resources.

• Teachers considered that more attention was needed to assessing learners’ dispositional skills and suitability to using the mode (including their levels of computing skills) in order to ensure that completion rates are as high as possible.

Technical support needs

Most organisations specified no prerequisites for the programs; however the majority required the learners to have access to at least a 486 PC with Internet access running either Internet explorer or Netscape with Windows. However, teachers noted that hardware/software (e.g. older versions of applications) and bandwidth could limit effectiveness of online approaches to learning.

In providing technical support, there needs to be:

• quick response to technical problems

• easy access to technical assistance available throughout the program, access to FAQs and strategies for checking the accuracy and quality of information on the Internet

• technical support, including a helpdesk, readily available in a number of forms (including face to face, online, email, phone and fax)

• help with downloading information, using the technologies, participating in discussions, web etiquette, referencing and the use of email

Innovative practices

A range of innovative practices was in place. These included: building in resources into the learning materials for the program available online, but having other resources available by links; using workplace mentors or coaches; selecting students based on their IT skills; or running an induction program to assess or upgrade skill levels.

Professional development

Providers need to ensure that teachers using the mode have access to adequate professional development and that dedicated staff are allocated to provide rapid and consistent support to learners. It was suggested that guidelines were needed both for students and teachers using the mode. In addition more work was needed on the roles and responsibilities of both teachers and learners using the approach: a code of practice.

Impact on teachers’ work

• There was also a need for greater staff availability throughout the day and across the week, with the attendant IR issues for their institutions - including more flexible views about the nature, hours and place of their ‘work’.

• Finally there were resourcing issues, including a lack of appreciation by senior managers in the institutions concerned of the need for student support services to be seen as an essential component of any learning environment, not just as an extra.

Further information and, as they are published, a full report on this national strategy project is available at: http://www.ncver.edu.au/online.htm

This topic page also allows you to:

• Access other work published by NCVER in relation to on-line learning
  
• Conduct a search on published material in the field using VOCED, the UNESCO/NCVER international database for technical and vocational education and training research
  
• Link to other sites related to on-line learning

NCVER will be running a series of face-to-face forums on this research in all states in November and December 2002. Watch their site for details at http://www.ncver.edu.au