1. ED-LEARN 2008 World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Goverment, Healthcare, and Higher Education November 17 - 21, 2008 – Las Vegas, Nevada Konrad Michalski Athabasca University konrad@athabascau.ca Learning Styles and Blended Learning: Challenges and Opportunities in Distance Education Environment

2. Athabasca University -Created in 1970 – Distance Education courses and programs -Canada, Alberta - 150 km North of Edmonton (moved to Athabasca in 1984) -1075 employees -More that 700 courses -Students 66% women -Total 260000 students served since 1970 -Average age – 29 years, 44% under age of 25 -Geographic origin – Alberta ~40%, B.C. ~9%, Ontario ~30% -New students ~44%, Returning ~56%

4. Learning Styles -Evaluation (questionnaire) -Historically print based materials -Internet allows variety -Learning styles database VisualAuditoryKinesthetic / Tactile Visual presentations and written language, Presented visually in design or picture format Auditory or oral language format, Discussions, lectures, talking, listening Physically engaged in hands-on activity

5. Distance Education and Blended Learning VisualAuditoryKinesthetic / Tactile Textbooks, Study Guides, Summary discussion board, Key points, Step-by-step instructions, Electronic sticky notes board, Limit the group work, Full motion videos, Charts and maps, Photographs, Visual online metaphors, Discussion/bulletin boards with diagrams and symbols to remember the text, Boards allowing to create drawings and charts, Spreadsheet and database to organize materials, Present words, concepts and ideas as diagrams, pictures and symbols, Color coded highlights online for online materials, Audio posted on the Internet, Audio posted by other students can be replayed, Interacting with others with audio recording and posting capability on discussion boards, Small study groups to interact (Microsoft Messenger, Skype, etc), Digital recording of the material to play it back (to post it on the Internet, to play it on MP3 player), Students explain (or even read) the problems as they were tutors (audio format), Record audio with important facts, Hands-on and build own physically active environment, Online notes keeping systems (allowing to draw diagrams, charts, etc), Sticky notes to the textual materials, Lab like environment, Simulations, Online models of the concepts (drawing ability), Building online environment, Field work, Step-by-step software with drawing capabilities (e.g. discussion like, Lotus Notes) to organize the materials, Personal online notes related to the online materials (like highlights, notes on the margin, etc.)

6. START Login Process - Student Login, - Password Login Lookup Process (Table) Login Correct EXIT (Or Create Login) Profile Exists No Yes No Yes Learning Styles Test Student Learning Style Profiles Database Retrieve Student Learning Style Profile Learning Styles Evaluation Evaluation Document (Journal Paper) Profile Based Learning Style Study Paths LS1 LS2LSn Course Revision Process Figure 3: Learning Styles Guiding Processes

7. Blended Learning Evaluation Learning Styles Evaluation Course Revision Process Student Learning Style Profiles Database Student Record System Figure 2: Learning Styles Evaluation

8. Learning Styles Database Individual Students By ProgramBy Course Student Record System Student ID Learning Styles Data Mining

9. Conclusions -Evaluation of Learning Styles -Database of Learning Styles -Connected to Student Record System -Data mining by: -Course -Program -Age -Gender -Location -Blended learning customized by area, e.g. chemistry, biology, English, etc -Continuous improvement process (through course revisions)