As of August 1st, 2008, the Edutech web site will no longer be updated. Edutech was funded by the Swiss Virtual Campus programme, which ended on July 31st, 2008. Some activities will be taken over by the e-Learning Services group at the SWITCH foundation.
eLearning Environment Scenarios
Introduction
This page describes 5 types of usage scenarios for eLearning using virtual environments provides links to demo examples done with Vista. Find an extended introduction to Blended Learning Szenarien in German at the eLearning Center of the University of Vienna. Mail any question to edutech Vista Support.
Table of Contents
Basic eScenarios Integrated and complex eScenarios1. Online Text Companion
This scenario allows teachers to provide students with an unlimited wealth of information in any form that information in the internet comes in. This might basically be text in the form of web pages or PDFs, but includes also sound, movies, animations and simulations of all sorts readily available when ever or where ever the users have access to the internet. You might also want to consult the German Szenario 1: Content-Ebene.
The main advantages of this scenario are:
- Low-cost distribution for the University and students: reduction of library places and less need for buying books
- Rapid distribution and adaptation of last minute information, mistake corrections and adding of further material
- Provision of recommended learning paths: Grouping of learning material in Learning Modules
- Integration of text with Glossary, Comprehension Questions, Notebooks, Bookmarking and other tools allowing to support the learning
- Simplifying difficult learning aspects with lively animations
- Timed information release allowing to provide a just-in-time reading
- Immediate feedback on students reading preferences through quantifiable tracking records
Problems and difficulties
- Overload. Due to the easiness of uploading ever more material teachers easily underestimate the reading load they accumulate.
- Confusion. The more text there are the more you are in need of a classification system and the alphabetical one will not be sufficient.
- Frustration. The more text there are the more you are in need of a qualification system. What is the core material to concentrate on, what is background material?
- Much knowledge but little skills. To much text leads to the temptation of limiting ones learning to read only.
- Fatigue. Online reading is more tiring than 'normal' reading.
- Inflation. Rising cost for the students that are expected to pay them-selves for the print outs.
Find help with these topics at Writing for the Web from Jacob Nielson.
See a Vista Example of such a Text Companion
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2. Online Debate Center
This online debate center provides students with the opportunity to react to tasks, to conduct theme based discussions or continue classroom debates as well as individual exchanges. The discussion and chat tool allow the choice between synchronous or asynchronous discussion where as the individual exchanges are taking place through the mail tool but all free the users from geographical constraints. You might also want to consult the German Szenario 2: Content-Ebene mit kommunikativen Elementen
Main advantages of this scenario
- Secure task distribution reaching all students through the notification of new tasks in the discussion forum. See German task list or French task list.
- 'Deeper' reflection initiated by the need of having to write and having the time for pondered reaction.
- Continuing classroom debates and not being limited by the class time frame
- Practical collection of questions and answers leading to the creation of a FAQ
- Opening private exchanges to all allowing evreybody to profit from answers that formerly might have happened in a one to one setting
- Helping to cope with absences caused by illness or travel needs
- Providing just-in-time support to the learners
- Distribution of standard bulletin board information but also last minute material
- Giving shy students a means to come out of the shadow of their brilliant comrades
- Providing Warm-up and get-to-know each others exercises before the class starts
- Introducing students to the upcoming topic before the class starts
- Exchange tool for groups allowing group work to proceed through closed online discussions
Problems and difficulties
- Moderation skills needed
- Question formulation skills needed
- To few or to many contributions
- Low quality contributions
- Discussion is straying of topic
- Unfriendly or lewd comments
Find help with these topics at the E-pedagogical FAQ for Online Discussions and Bulletin Boards
Edutech HOWTOs Moderation Guidelines for Discussion Forums
See a Vista Example of such a Debate Center
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3. Online Trainer
The online trainer helps students acquire skills through three types of activities. Task-based learning with the Assignment tool, test based learning with the Assessment tool and discovery based learning with simulations that can be integrated into many of Vistas tools. You might also want to consult the German Szenario 3: Kooperative Ebene
Main advantages of this scenario
- Availability. Unlimited number of study places in the online setting (especially valuable when lab space is limited).
- Work load reduction. The tool guided task management (Assessment and Assignment) helps teacher to keep an eye on students' submissions and can automate the scoring for certain types of exercises.
- Economies of scale. Online exercise places get cheaper with each new student.
- Autonomy. Students gain more freedom of directing their own learning
- Error control. Immediate feedback in self-correcting exercises reduces the memorizing of errors.
- Differentiation. Weak students can repeat the exercises as often as needed.
- Justice. Each students exercise results get the same attention of the 'corrector' (especially valuable for large student groups).
- Accessibility. Simulation of field or lab exercises provide training opportunities normally inaccessible (especially valuable for dangerous training such as Vulcanology or Chemistry, or when rare or expensive objects are involved as in Archaeology or Paleontology).
Problems and difficulties
- Quality. The ease of exercise creation tempt teacher into hasty production of sub-standard material. MC-questions who's answers can be guessed, oversimplified questions, context-less activity that stay abstract.
- Low requirements. Putting to much effort into less demanding exercises, since they are much easier to create.
- Misjudging tools. Taking a test for a learning tool.
- Missing orientation. Absence of clear learning objects for the individual exercises making it difficult for students to know if they are training what they need to learn.
- Timing problem. Not getting students to do the exercises when they profit best of it.
Find ideas for these topics at the edutech HOWTO Learning Activities in Vista.
See a Vista Example of such a Trainer
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4. Integrated Online Course
The whole is more than its parts. Thus an integration of the three usage scenarios drawing on all available tools in Vista will allow much more demanding pedagogical aims (we owe the following list to learnactivity.com),
enabling learners to
- Relate key concepts to prior knowledge;
- Look for information;
- Explore and evaluate alternatives when constructing their own views;
- Collect evidence, analyze it to construct interpretations;
- Recreate information and collect artifact of knowledge construction;
- Develop understanding of application and generalize by understanding problems and where knowledge can be applied;
- Reflect on experience and develop an approach to learn similar concepts or solve similar problems;
- Learn from others by sharing answers and strategies, and appreciate multiple perspectives;
- Provide and obtain support;
- Pose new problems.
See a Vista example for such an integrated course explained in the HOWTO eLearning Scenario: Integration of Information, Communication and Training
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5. Complex Learning Scenarios
Complex learning tasks such as Project Learning, Cooperative Learning, Problem Based Learning, Case study based Learning and others will depend on elaborate combinations of the base scenarios. For more information go to:
- eLearning Scenario: Case Study & Self-Analysis from the HOWTOs of this site
- Teaching/Learning Activities Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with Technology at the University of Maryland University College
- Pedagogical Designs for eLearning at the University of Melbourne
- Teaching and Learning Technics Links List at the Forum New Learning
- Lehren mit neuen Medien from the Learntechnet of the ETHZ