The Internet and Higher Education: Silicon & Fiber Replacing Bricks & Mortar Prof. Burks Oakley II Assoc. Vice President for Academic Affairs University of Illinois May 20, 1997 1

Challenges to Learning Students in introductory courses need rapid feedback, while they are working on a particular subject. Students need to have access to TA’s and faculty when they are studying – not the next day. Teamwork is important, but it is often difficult for team members to meet outside of class. 2 2

Challenges to Learning We recognize the importance of active learning, but it is not easy for faculty to incorporate active learning exercises into their courses. Students need sense of community. Retention in many courses is too low, and needs to be increased. 3 3

Challenges to Learning Place-bound adults need access to university courses to keep their job skills current or to advance their careers (life-long learning, continuous learning). What can we do to limit costs and to increase faculty productivity? 3 4

How to Address these Challenges? We believe that networked computers and appropriate software can provide the answer to this question We call this approach “Asynchronous Learning Networks” (ALN) See: http://www.aln.org/ 4 5

Sloan Center at UIUC We have received financial support from the Sloan Foundation and from Chancellor Aiken & Provost Faulkner to implement the Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments (SCALE). We now are integrating Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) into courses in many different curricula.

SCALE – Revised Courses During the Spring 1997 semester, we supported over 90 undergraduate courses in 8 different colleges. Most of our efforts are aimed at “on-campus” learners, but we are starting to develop on-line courses that can be taken by “off-campus” students.

What is an ALN course? Access to networked learning materials Interactive course materials Simulations and multimedia Homework and quizzes Access to people via the Internet Subject matter experts (faculty, TA) Other students (peer-peer interactions) 7 6

What software is used in an ALN course? World-Wide Web browsers Mosaic, Netscape, Internet Explorer Asynchronous conferencing FirstClass, Lotus Notes WebCrossing, Allaire Forums Proprietary courseware & software Including Word, Excel, PowerPoint 8 7

What is needed to get started with ALN? Motivation Time – to learn, to develop materials Institutional support structure Access to hardware and software Quality training Administrative recognition 9 8

Preliminary ALN Results Increased retention – fewer drops Improved test performance Very positive student evaluations. More efficient use of faculty time – increased “transaction density” Need for quality training and support for both faculty and students 10 9

Improved Retention Average of previous 7 semesters in ECE 270 – 12.8% drop rate (ranging from 9.4% to 19.0%). Spring 1995 semester – we observed a 6.6% drop rate. See: IEEE Transactions on Education, 39:287-296 (1996). 11 10

Impact on Course Grades ECE 270 – Fall 1994 – 2 “traditional” sections, 3 “computer-based” sections: Course Grade Computer- Based Traditional A B C D E 17.4% 31.8% 35.6% 6.8% 8.3% 38.1% 26.0% 21.5% 6.6% 7.7% 12 11

Evaluation of ALN courses at UIUC - Fall ‘96 Data collected from students 1033 post-course surveys (23 courses) 14 student group interviews Data collected from faculty 17 post-course interviews 37 post-course surveys Two courses’ use of conferencing monitored 13 12

Ease of Participation 93% of students found conferencing easy to do. 86% of students reported few problems in using the web. 90% of students reported that computer access was only a minor problem. “It’s just a matter knowing where and when to get a computer”

ALN Promotes Greater Communication 64% of students reported increased communication with their instructors. 43% of students reported increased communication with other students. 57% of students reported an increase in the quality of the interactions with their instructors. 14 13

ALN Promotes Greater Communication 92% of faculty reported increased interactions with students. 88% of faculty reported increased quality of interactions with students. All TA’s interviewed reported improved communication with students. 15 14

ALN Promotes Greater Communication Student: “I learned much more than I ever had due to the high interaction between student-student and student-teacher.” Faculty: “I believe the quality of my interactions with students was the highest I have ever experienced.” 16 15

ALN Increases Access to Information “Information when you want it” “personal control of information” “study material was easy to access” “Web was great supplement to lectures” “I could pay more attention in class and worry less about taking notes” 17 16

ALN Enhances the Learning Environment 80% of students rated their overall experience good, very good, or excellent. ALN enables students to “be more prepared for class,” gives them “a lot of time to learn out of class,” and allows them “to work at own pace”. 18 17

Students Like: “asking questions that couldn’t be answered in class” “better understanding of different points of view” “the ease in getting in touch with the professor” “talking more to my peers” 19 18

Implications for the Future Students and faculty will need increased access to networked computers both on- and off-campus. Faculty will need assistance in using new learning technologies and in developing new networked courses. There will be an on-going need for quality training and support. 20 19

Implications for the Future We will see more inter-institutional cooperation in course development and implementation. These ALN technologies will break down barriers and lead to a new type of distance education. These technologies also will be used by off-campus individuals in life-long learning. 21 20

The Internet and Higher Education Prof. Burks Oakley II University of Illinois phone: 217-244-6465 e-mail: oakley@uillinois.edu web: http://www.online.uillinois.edu/oakley/ 22 28