5 th Generation Distance Education Professor J C Taylor Vice-President (Global Learning Services) The University of Southern Queensland Australia Professor J C Taylor Vice-President (Global Learning Services) The University of Southern Queensland Australia

1982 ICDE Conference in Vancouver: Technologys the answer, but what is the question? Today, the technology has changed, but the question hasnt.

Change is the only constant The Internet is unleashing a whole series of disruptive forces: technological, commercial and social. If not a revolution, it is an e-volution on fast forward

The transition from the Industrial to the Information Age was encapsulated by Dolence and Norris (1995), who argued that to survive organisations would need to change from rigid, formula driven entities to organisations that were fast, flexible and fluid. Fast, Flexible and Fluid

Trying to change a university is like trying to move a graveyard --- it is extremely difficult and you dont get much internal support. Institutional Inertia

Assuming your organisation is not fast, flexible and fluid? n Two approaches to change management. n Conflicting advice from the experts. n Two approaches to change management. n Conflicting advice from the experts.

The Internet has reached a stage that isnt so much about vision and proprietary innovation, as about execution and competition. Schendler (2000)

Five Generations of Distance Education Technology n The Correspondence Model n The Multimedia Model n The Telelearning Model n The Flexible Learning Model n The Intelligent Flexible Learning Model n The Correspondence Model n The Multimedia Model n The Telelearning Model n The Flexible Learning Model n The Intelligent Flexible Learning Model

Variable costs tend to increase or decrease directly (often linearly) with fluctuations in the volume of activity. In traditional distance education delivery, the distribution of packages of self-instructional materials (printed study guides, audiotapes, videotapes, etc) is a variable cost, which varies in direct proportion to the number of students enrolled.

HIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSHIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERYADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERY CHARACTERISTICS OF DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES Yes Yes Yes Yes No FLEXIBILITYFLEXIBILITY TimeTimePlacePlacePacePace INSTITUTIONALVARIABLECOSTSAPPROACHINGZERO THE CORRESPONDENCE MODEL THE CORRESPONDENCE MODEL Print First Generation No

HIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSHIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERYADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERY CHARACTERISTICS OF DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES Yes Yes Yes Yes No FLEXIBILITYFLEXIBILITY TimeTimePlacePlacePacePace Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes INSTITUTIONALVARIABLECOSTSAPPROACHINGZERO THE MULTIMEDIA MODEL Print Audiotape Videotape Computer-based learning (eg CML/CAL) Interactive video Print Audiotape Videotape Computer-based learning (eg CML/CAL) Interactive video Second Generation No

HIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSHIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERYADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERY CHARACTERISTICS OF DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES No No No No Yes FLEXIBILITYFLEXIBILITY TimeTimePlacePlacePacePace No No No Yes Yes INSTITUTIONALVARIABLECOSTSAPPROACHINGZERO THE TELELEARNING MODEL Audio-teleconferencing Videoconferencing Audiographic communication Broadcast TV/Radio and Audio-teleconferencing Audio-teleconferencing Videoconferencing Audiographic communication Broadcast TV/Radio and Audio-teleconferencing Third Generation No

THE FLEXIBLE LEARNING MODEL Interactive multimedia (IMM) Internet-based access to WWW resources Computer mediated communication (CMC). Interactive multimedia (IMM) Internet-based access to WWW resources Computer mediated communication (CMC). HIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSHIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERYADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERY CHARACTERISTICS OF DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes FLEXIBILITYFLEXIBILITY TimeTimePlacePlacePacePace INSTITUTIONALVARIABLECOSTSAPPROACHINGZERO Yes No Fourth Generation

The current applications of fourth generation Internet- based delivery tend to generate resource allocation models similar to tutorial-based on- campus teaching.

The underlying resource model is not significantly different from conventional on campus teaching, with a staff member being necessary to manage groups of approximately 20 students to maintain a reasonable quality of interaction and academic support.

HIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSHIGHLYREFINEDMATERIALSADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERYADVANCEDINTERACTIVEDELIVERY CHARACTERISTICS OF DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES MODELS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes FLEXIBILITYFLEXIBILITY TimeTimePlacePlacePacePace INSTITUTIONALVARIABLECOSTSAPPROACHINGZERO THE INTELLIGENT FLEXIBLE LEARNING MODEL THE INTELLIGENT FLEXIBLE LEARNING MODEL Interactive multimedia Internet-based access to WWW resources CMC, using automated response systems Campus portal access to institutional processes & resources Interactive multimedia Internet-based access to WWW resources CMC, using automated response systems Campus portal access to institutional processes & resources Fifth Generation Yes

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) RENDITIONS: STYLE SHEET: CONTENT REPOSITORY: INPUT: Print Web CD DVD XSLXSLXSLXSLXSLXSLXSLXSL XML DTD (Document Type Definition) XML Editor

USQOnline demonstration…….

The reflective and explicit nature of the written word is a disciplined and rigorous form of thinking and communicating …… it allows time for reflection and, thereby, facilitates learners making connections amongst ideas and constructing coherent knowledge structures. Garrison (1997)

Automating e-Learning n In the USQ approach, many teaching staff make use of discussion groups, which entail students posting reflections via the asynchronous CMC system. n Storing such interactions with appropriate metadata tags in a database is technically straightforward, and provides a rich resource for mining by key word/matching, using an automated response system.

n Responses can be directed to the whole cohort of students, or at individuals; Automated Response Systems n They have the advantage of providing more- or-less immediate advice to students at minimal variable cost; n As the intelligent object databases become more comprehensive, the institutional variable costs for the provision of effective tuition will tend towards zero.

Using intelligent databases, the knowledge generated by solving student problems/enquiries is being progressively stored so that students with similar problems can have their enquiries dealt with immediately through the self-help, automated response capacity of the USQAssist system. e-Learner Relationship Management

As the intelligent databases become more comprehensive, the institutional variable costs for the provision of effective student support will tend towards zero. USQAssist

In many universities the development of web-based initiatives is not systemic, but is often the result of random acts of innovation initiated by risk-taking individual academics. Organisational Development

USQs institution-wide approach reflects one element of the corporate mission statement: To be a leader in flexible learning and the use of information and communications technologies. The USQ Approach

The USQ approach is to give people: What they want, Where they want it, When they want it. WWW is purely incidental! WWW is purely incidental! The USQ approach is to give people: What they want, Where they want it, When they want it. WWW is purely incidental! WWW is purely incidental! The USQ Approach

As a case study, the USQ experience exemplifies the necessary institution– wide corporate approach necessary for an organization to become fast, flexible and fluid as it strives to develop the capacity to implement fifth generation distance education. USQ Case Study

The fifth generation model of distance education has the potential to provide students with a valuable, personalized pedagogical experience at much lower cost than traditional approaches to distance education and conventional face-to-face education. The fifth generation model of distance education has the potential to provide students with a valuable, personalized pedagogical experience at much lower cost than traditional approaches to distance education and conventional face-to-face education. 5 th Generation

If this can be achieved on a sufficiently large scale, then tuition costs can be significantly lowered, thereby engendering much greater access to higher education opportunities to many students throughout the world, who presently cannot afford to pay current prices. 5 th Generation

In effect, fifth generation distance education is not only less expensive, it also provides students with better quality tuition and more effective pedagogical and administrative support services at lower cost. 5 th Generation

Any new technology environment eventually creates a totally new human environment. Marshall McLuhan The e-Revolution

Clicks and Mortar are not enough n The Internet is set to connect virtually everyone and everything – the Web is turning into humanitys collective brain. n Any organisation hoping to survive must mirror the Internet itself. n It must become: n The Internet is set to connect virtually everyone and everything – the Web is turning into humanitys collective brain. n Any organisation hoping to survive must mirror the Internet itself. n It must become: open non-hierarchical democratic experimental tightly networked endlessly adaptable open non-hierarchical democratic experimental tightly networked endlessly adaptable

Clicks and Mortar are not enough Your organisation needs to mirror the Internet and to develop a collective brain capable of - habitual and radical innovation. (Gary Hamel, Inside the Revolution, 2001) habitual and radical innovation. (Gary Hamel, Inside the Revolution, 2001)