A workshop for the Course Leaders Conference, Leeds Metropolitan University July 2013
Brief history of distance learning:
The distinction between training, schooling and higher education by distance learning.
A journal article from the early years of International Correspondence Schools a commercial organisation that is still in operation.
J.J. Clark, "The Correspondence School--Its Relation to Technical Education and Some of Its Results," Science (1906) 24#611 pp 327-8, 332, 333. Clark was manager of the school's text-book department.
Available on-line from JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/stable/1633383K
Some quotes:
"Our system of education is based on an idea that is almost directly opposite the views held by the regular technical schools and colleges."
"If a person desires to take up bridge engineering, and does not wish to learn the other branches of civil engineering, we offer him our dirge engineering course. He studies only those subjects that are necessary for him to know in order for him to understand everything we teach in regard to bridge engineering."
[The common model of the correspondence course...] "...is to purchase these text books, direct the student to study a certain number of pages or chapters and then answer a set of questions. The student's answers are corrected and returned to him, and if he desires to be informed regarding anything not clearly explained in the text, he may write to the schools and obtain the informatino desired."
"...the ordinary text book is not adapted to the use of a person
studying by himself."
[ICS differs from other correspondence schools in that it creates its
own texts which are pared down to the essentials for the course in
question and which are not available for general sale.]
"The only requirement necessary to become a student if the [ICS] is ability to read the Engliahs language and to write it sufficiently well to be understood."
"Quite a large number of students taking our courses in marine engineering never send in any work at all. They simply take their bound volumes, study from them, pass the examination [with their professional body, not ICS], and get their license for one of the different grades of engineer."
".. about 60% of them send in one or more pieces of work..."
"The number of students who have entirely completed their courses, passed their final examination and been awarded a certificate or diploma is 12,143, or about 2.6%."
"A large number have enrolled simply for the purpose of securing the text books, as these are not for sale and can be obtained in no other way."
"About the time we began printing bound volumes we began to organize a force of solicitors. [Salesmen] These solicitors interviewed the prospective students personally, and naturally did everything they could to increase the number of students. The result is shown by the figures above quoted."
The article has nothing at all to say about the teachers it employs to correspond with the students!!!
It seems that these correspondance courses were simply meeting the demands of Autodidacts by supplying highly focussed text books. After sales care in form of answering letters was nothing more than a unique sales proposition to attract the autodidact away from their local library.
For a historical perspective on 19th century self-help, self-reliance and autodidacticism biographies on Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) and Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) are recommended. It is possible that many 19th century tradesmen were inspired by authors such as these to become autodidacts but that many lacked the necessary skills.
For fifty years from 1944 to 1994 the school used two-way radio to run classes and paper based mail services. Strong link to the flying doctor service which provided the short wave radio facilities. Infants and juniors. Strong social element. Communication between students is vital.
Video Demonstration of Modern Technology
Most significant feature - open access. Accepts many students regardless of previous qualifications.
Second most significant feature - mostly distance learning.
One to one tutoring by phone is a key feature of teaching and learning methods. Some manadatory day schools. Some summer school weeks.
Television programmes were more about widening participation than delivering lessons. This is more targetted now - OU no longer creates television programmes for courses but contributes to general interest documentaries instead.
"Safety net" funding from HEFCE.
House of Commons Education and Skills Committee Publication: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmeduski/205/20502.htm
3. Why the UKeU Failed
56. Considerable focus and finance was given to the learning platform. £14.5 million, almost one third of all money received by UKeU was spent on developing a new platform in partnership with Sun Microsystems Ltd. In describing UKeU's key priorities in order to succeed, Sir Anthony Cleaver spoke first of the technology platform and said that 'John Beaumont immediately focused on the platform'.[41] It was clearly their number one priority.
5. Future for eLearning
In promoting blended learning, respondents requested an approach that is not restricted to the use of technology and emphasised that e-learning is a process, not a product.
Dr Kim Howells MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, Department for Education and Skills.
114. Dr Howells commented that he was surprised that UKeU were not pursuing a blended approach to e-learning.
"Yes, I was very surprised by that because the experience of mixing with other people and of speaking face to face with tutors and lecturers and so on is a key part of university experience and of the learning experience in general."
'I think it has been learned and it is a very important lesson. We know, for example, from failures in other countries as well that what people want is not simply to be able to access information and programmes on their screens; they also want face-to-face meetings and they want to be part of something that people of our generation called a university.'
Sir Howard Newby, Chief Executive, Higher Education Funding Council for England.
'The first lesson I would learn is that the development of e-learning needs to be learner-centred rather than technology driven. We need to know a lot more about the needs of learners and, if I may get a little bit technical here, the form of pedagogy that e-learning involves'.
Mr David Beagle, Account Manager of UK e-U project, Sun Microsystems Ltd
"I think you need to see the difference between UK education and education around the world. Most university education around the world is more "here is information; take it and go away and deal with it yourself" whereas the UK university experience is much more about training you how to think in certain ways. Delivering that sort of education over the web is far more difficult than the sort of education that places like Phoenix do, which is more a training sort of activity, and so that is why when we looked at the packages that could possibly be used they were more training packages and could not deliver what was required. In delivering the content they had had an easier run at it than the UK had. By the same token, if the UK experience could be delivered over the web it would be a profitable market, we believe."