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Aims
Previous Reports Sponsored or Undertaken by
the Commonwealth Government
Broad Government Policies in Relation to
Information Technology
Specific Initiatives for the Educational
Sector
What is Happening at the Grass-roots Level?
This project aimed to:
The investigation carried out to achieve these aims was undertaken in the context of a changing educational system brought about by a variety of forces, including new developments in technology. Although by no means universally so, traditional teaching and learning paradigms are being questioned and, in some cases, overhauled as institutions try to adapt to the demands of a changing society and culture in an information age. As highlighted by Tinkler, Lepani and Mitchell (1996, p. 105), the pressure toward increased flexibility to meet the challenges of the future and to move beyond the standard mode of delivery of education (such as single location lectures and tutorials) arise from several sources. By way of introduction we have summarised and commented on the various pressures for increased flexibility identified by Tinkler et al. (1996) as these are likely to continue to have an impact over the next three to five years. While these factors continue to be relevant, we can expect increased pressure to use technology to help meet the various requirements.
Current and future pressures for increased flexibility and hence the use of technology include:
With these issues as background, the project sought opinions from a range of informed experts about likely developments, forces and barriers to the introduction of computer-mediated communication in teaching.
Previous Reports Sponsored or Undertaken by the Commonwealth Government
The Commonwealth has taken a lead in investigating, reviewing, and encouraging the adoption of and integration of communications technology into the delivery of educational programs. This is evidenced by the numerous reports commissioned by the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, the National Board of Employment, Education and Training and its Higher Education Council, and others, looking at the role and impact of technology on our education system. These include:
The reports collectively identify the different technologies in use, and discuss issues associated with their application, providing direction and recommendations for change. For example, a tangible outcome of these reports has been a growing acceptance of the inevitable move towards the integration of technology into university practices.
Commonwealth support and encouragement for movement in this direction can be seen in the broader policy statements and programs of relevance to all sectors of the community, and in a number of initiatives that have targeted the education sector.
Broad Government Policies in Relation to Information Technology
Although existing policies may change emphasis under the new Federal Government, a legacy exists of a strong level of interest in information technology and its application. This is not only in relation to education but also in relation to Australian society as a whole. Previous reports (Moran 1995; Tinkler et al. 1996) have identified several initiatives that are of major significance to the wider community:
Telstra has been an active partner in the Government initiatives and, increasingly, Optus too is involved. The developing and changing role of Telstra and Optus has not been addressed in this report as it was beyond the brief of the project. However, we see these developments as critical to the general availability of student and staff off-campus connectivity, and for the link between universities and the community at large.
Specific Initiatives for the Educational Sector
In the higher education sector several initiatives have been introduced to provide direct incentive and direction for the adoption of information technology.
Open Learning Technology Corporation (OLTC)
In 1993 OLTC was established as a company owned by Australia's Ministers of Education and Training. OLTC's main role is to encourage and support the equitable provision of high quality, cost effective open learning on a national basis, providing a focal point for collaborative activities and general promotion. The mission of OLTC is to assist the education and training community to use technology to improve learning opportunities and to foster information technology developments throughout the education sectors.
Educational Network Australia (EdNA)
EdNA was established in 1995 under the direction of OLTC. Its role is to:
Open Learning Australia was established as an innovative educational venture offering all Australians, regardless of age, location or educational qualifications, the opportunity to study university and TAFE units leading to diplomas, degrees and other qualifications.
Open Learning Australia involves the collaboration of 29 Australian universities and TAFE colleges. It is assisted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which broadcasts, and in some instances produces, a range of television and radio programs which complement many OLA units. Fifteen per cent of current units are supported by Computer Aided Learning (http://www.ola.edu.au/olafacts.htm. May 1996).
In 1995 the Commonwealth Government established OpenNet, the national electronic network to provide value-added services to support educational providers and students.
An agreement has also been reached between Open Learning Australia and the Commonwealth, worth $2.4 million, that will lead to the establishment of an Open Learning Innovative and Quality Enhancement Scheme, the aim of which is to encourage projects developing teaching material and academic support for on-line delivery (Moran 1995).
Formation of Cooperative Multimedia Centre Program
The Cooperative Multimedia Centre program is an initiative from Creative Nation which aims to bring together the educational, technical, artistic and commercial communities to help meet the needs of the multimedia industry. Currently six Cooperative Multimedia Centres have been established.
1. Access Australia Cooperative Multimedia Centre-one of the first consortia established. Its members include Charles Sturt University, Southern Cross University, the University of NSW, the University of Sydney, University of Western Sydney, along with NSW TAFE and a number of NSW cultural organisations, as well as the SBS and Telstra.
2. EMERGE Cooperative Multimedia Centre-consortium membership is drawn from a wide range of Victorian education and training, arts and cultural organisations.
3. IMAGO Cooperative Multimedia Centrethe members of this consortium include Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia in cooperation with Apple, Philips Electronics, Silicon Graphics, Tandem Computers, and Xerox/Fuji.
4. Ngapartji Cooperative Multimedia Centre-members include Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of South Australia; South Australian TAFE; both primary and secondary school education providers; arts and cultural bodies and local industry.
5. QANTM Australia Cooperative Multimedia Centre-membership is drawn primarily from Queensland and the Northern Territory; this Cooperative Multimedia Centre embraces a wide cross-section of educational, cultural and private sector organisations.
6. Starlit Multimedia Cooperative Multimedia Centre-a Brisbane based Cooperative Multimedia Centre with membership interests across the other eastern states. Its plans are to develop multimedia based interactive education, training and information systems.
Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching (CAUT)
The Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching (CAUT) was established in 1992 under the auspices of the National Priority Reserve Fund (NPRF) to raise the status of university teaching and to contribute to better quality teaching and learning in Australian universities. CAUT has had a substantial influence in the area of information technology and higher education. As an indicator, CAUT's National Teaching Development Grants established in 1992 had $4 million for distribution in 1993 of which 63 per cent of the projects funded involved computer related technologies (Hayden & Speedy 1995).
Professional and Postgraduate Education (PAGE)
PAGE was established to provide practitioners in a wide range of professions with access to quality academic programs that are designed to meet their need to update skills, acquire new knowledge and maintain professional competencies. It is supported by a number of universities across Australia and offers the convenience of professional education at 'your time, your place'. Each subject consists of packaged resource materials and is supported by specialist academic coordinators. Most subjects comprise a television component (broadcast nationally by SBS and internationally by ATV).
The Commonwealth Staff Development Fund (CSDF)
The CSDF is a funding mechanism to enhance the quality of teaching, research and scholarship, management and public interface across the higher education sector. Developments are encouraged within institutions and between institutions. A number of Universities have used this funding to develop staff knowledge and skills in the use of information technology.
What is Happening at the Grass-roots Level?
Despite these national level initiatives, for those putting policy into action the adoption rate is slow. Although change is happening, it is not uniform across the university sector. In some sectors there is confusion, indecision, resistance, as well as lack of resources and know how. Targeted support is needed in a number of areas if the adoption of information technology is to become more widely accepted and integrated into the work practices of both staff and students (Moran 1995). This support will be needed to increase staff and student information technology literacy, and to provide high level technical expertise in instructional design.
Outline of the Types of Technology Currently Being Used
Although information technology applications have not penetrated university teaching at more than a superficial level, examples do cover a range of functions including course administration, the delivery of content and interaction and communication between staff and students. These information technology applications are mostly delivered by way of digital technology through CD-ROM, diskette, Internet, intranet or the World Wide Web. Although the majority of developments and interests are associated with digital technology, there is still substantial use of video and broadband TV for the delivery of content. With the expansion of pay TV and associated interactive services, the future impact and adoption of video and broadband TV by educational services is uncertain.
By way of summary the range of technologies in use covers:
Despite the number of studies, recommendations and initiatives that have been put into place, a critical mass of expertise and practice is not yet sufficient to ensure that computer-mediated communication or the wider use of information technologies are considered viable alternatives for developing and delivering courses. Additionally, we do not have cross institutional or cross sector standards permitting students to have guaranteed and flexible access to the institutions and courses of their choice.
This study aimed to get a picture of how long it will take for computer technology to gain a critical mass or sufficient momentum to effectively penetrate, become an alternative to, or replace or enhance traditional practices. We are looking at this issue from the perspective of those within the sector who are working with the new technologies, and who are responsible for putting policy into action. Opinions have been sought from university staff about likely future developments to provide a realistic informed projection of the penetration of electronic communications technology into university teaching within the next 3-5 years. Included among the university staff are:
Definition of Communications Technology
For the purpose of our study we have loosely defined the term computer-mediated communications as including the full range of digital applications to the teaching learning process as outlined earlier. That is, communications relating to administration, content delivery, interaction and communication between staff and students. To provide a comprehensive picture of what is happening, the role of a broadband TV service, while not strictly falling within this domain, has been included in the questionnaire since it has a well established presence in the delivery of content courses for both Open Learning and PAGE and their future impact is still to be determined.
The commissioned study was conducted over a period of nine months. The methodology used was a modified Delphi Technique constituting a two phase processthe administration of a questionnaire in Phase 1 with feedback and opportunity for further comments in Phase 2. Of particular significance is that the entire data collection process involved in Phases 1 and 2 was conducted using email communication.
The development, administration and analysis of the questionnaires will be discussed in greater detail in the following sections. However, for ease of reference provided below is an overview of the methodology.
The establishment of the advisory group was the first task of the project team. Members are listed below and they have provided ongoing support and advice throughout all stages of the project.
The development of the Phase 1 questionnaire was an extensive process which involved a literature review; a series of interviews of experts in the use and administration of information technologies from representative universities across Australia; a series of focus groups using practitioners from Macquarie University; and interviews with the project Advisory Group.
To add authenticity to the study of computer-mediated communication we decided to use this medium, principally email, wherever possible in the conduct of the study. This we discovered was a relatively new approach with minimal available documentation of previous attempts to provide protocols or guidelines. Because of this we adopted a two stage process to pilot both the technical aspects of the email
process and the suitability and formatting of the questionnaire items. The first stage was a pre-pilot study with the Macquarie project team and later the main pilot study involving the advisory group, the interviewees and the focus groups.
The aim of the study was to provide an informed prediction of the usage in the next 3 to 5 years so it was especially important to select an informed group of experts to respond to the questionnaire. Representatives from all Australian universities, covering a range of functions were contacted by email and invited to participate.
Phase 1 was distributed in December 1995 using email with an invitation to respond using the 'reply' function present on most email software packages.
Phase 2-Analysis and Feedback of Phase 1
The results from Phase 1 were analysed, and ranked according to the mean score for each item. These were then distributed in February, firstly to the Advisory Group for comment and then to all the experts invited to participate in Phase 1. This actually included a small group of people who hadn't responded to Phase 1.
Responses from Phase 2 indicated there was reasonable consensus of the rankings from the respondents so there was no need to have a further iteration of the process. Further analysis was undertaken taking account of the comments arising from Phase 2. Results from both Phase 1 and Phase 2 are described in detail in the results section.