designing e-learning courses

8/7/2019 Designing E-Learning Courses

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Designing e-learning courses in WebCT environment: a casestudy

R. Põldaru, J. Roots, R. Ruus and J. Lehtsaar Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51014 Tartu, Estonia; reet.poldaru&emu.ee

Abstract

E-learning using WebCT technologies and computers to improve learner’s skill and knowledge hasthe many advantages: space is not needed, learners do not need to wait until a class is available,learners can complete training when it is least disruptive to their schedule; and the methodscan increase learner’s interesting, deliver contents clearly, and feedback students easily. Dueto these advantages of e-learning, the popularity of e-learning has dramatically increased over the past few years. Successful use of e-learning systems may be attributed to the availability of Learning Management Systems (LMS) or learning environment. One of the most popular learning

environments for facilitating the delivery of online education is WebCT. The interface is easy to useand ef cient for students taking online courses. In this paper current use of WebCT teaching andlearning in Estonian University of Life Sciences is discussed, the online course design process isdescribed. The efforts reported in this paper show that creating accessible distance learning coursesis an ongoing effort, not a one-time project. Discussion showed that using WebCT have for learnersmany advantages, the management and measurement of learning processes is automatic, but theautomatic assessment should be improved.

Keywords: e-learning, learning management systems; WebCT; operations research

Introduction

The advances in computer and network technology, advances in using data base management systems(DBMS) and new data analysis procedures provided by current data mining (DM) are substantiallychanged the situation in the eld of data processing (DP) and information and communicationtechnologies (ICT). Changes should also be taken in teaching and training of new methods andtechnologies. Learning is perhaps the most indispensable activity in the current knowledge-basednew economy characterized by industrial change, globalization, increased intensive competition,knowledge sharing and transfer, and information technology revolution.The Internet and associated technologies have spurred evolutionary business, including learning

and teaching, processes in higher education organizations. Before the last decade, most collegesand universities providing distance education used face-to-face sessions. Recently, broad use of the Internet for conducting instruction has become popular in universities.Online initiatives are changing the way we teach and learn, who we learn with, and where we arelearning.E-learning using technologies and computers to improve learner’s skill and knowledge has thefollowing advantages (Weller, 2007): space is not needed, learners do not need to wait until a classis available, learners can complete training when it is least disruptive to their schedule, and themethods can increase learner’s interesting, deliver contents clearly, and feedback students easily.Due to these advantages of e-learning, the popularity of e-learning has dramatically increased over

the past few years.



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The popularity of e-learning is characterized by the vast number of journals/magazines/newslettersand others resources publishing articles and papers on online learning. The Editor-In-Chief of The

Internet and Higher Education (Dringus, 2008) has collected over 120 resources (50 journals, 31useful web sites, recommended texts and other resources) related to online learning. All Web linksare accessible in the electronic version of the article in Science Direct.

Another example of popularity of e-learning American Education Research Association (AERA)web site (AERA, 2008) of online journals contains 246 items.Considering the constant increasing of resources on the Web (both static documents and functionalcomponents and software) it becomes almost impossible for the learners, authors and instructorsto get an overview of all the available information relevant to their current needs, tasks, roles andgoals. And even if they nd some materials, which seem to be suitable, they are not able to assesscompletely whether the found content is entirely appropriate for their goals (for instructors) or current knowledge and cognitive state (for learners) (Aroyo and Dicheva, 2004).Within the class of Web-based educational systems, a major role in various instructional contexts playthe Educational Information Systems (Virtual Learning Environment) that are aimed at providing

intelligent, task-centred information support for solving problems and performing learning tasks.A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a software system designed to support teaching and learning(Weller, 2007). A VLE typically provides tools such as those for assessment, communication,uploading of content, return of students’ work, administration of student groups, questionnaires,tracking tools, wikis, blogs, chats, forums, etc. over internet.Such e-learning systems are sometimes also called learning management system (LMS), coursemanagement system (CMS), learning content management system (LCMS), managed learningenvironment (MLE), learning support system (LSS) or learning platform (LP); it is educationvia computer-mediated communication (CMC) or online education (Martín-Blas, and Serrano-Fernández, 2009).

In the United States, CMS and LMS are the more common terms, however LMS is more frequentlyassociated with software for managing corporate training programs rather than courses in traditionaleducation institutions.In the United Kingdom and many European countries the terms VLE and MLE are used morefrequently; however, these are two very different things. A VLE can be considered a subsystem of a MLE, whereas MLE refers to the wider infrastructure of information systems in an organizationthat support and enable electronic learning.There are many e-learning platforms. Some of them are commercial software, whereas others areopen-source software (OSS). Among the rst category are WebCT (Web Course Teaching) andBlackboard http://www.blackboard.com/us/index.bbb (that merged in 2006). Examples of open-

source platforms are Moodle http://moodle.org/, Ilias http://www.ilias.de/, Atutor http://www.atutor.ca/ and Claroline http://www.claroline.net/. All these applications have common features, but some of them are more exible and complete in speci c aspects, such as role assignments,chats management, etc.An analysis of the use of learning management systems (LMS) at colleges and universities in theUnited States of America (Falvo et al., 2007) shows, that the most popular LMS used at colleges anduniversities in the United States was Blackboard (33%). The second most used system was WebCT(18%). (Blackboard recently acquired WebCT and both systems are now owned by one company).Blackboard ( www.blackboard.com ), formed in 1997, offers various web-based software productsfor online learning. The Blackboard LMS is sophisticated and easy to use by both designers and

course participants. The use of Blackboard spans beyond higher education; Blackboard is used inK-12 schools and in corporate training environments.



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WebCT ( www.webct.com ), much like Blackboard, is used around the world in multiple learningenvironments. The interface is easy to use and ef cient for students taking online courses. TheCampus Edition of the LMS was designed to include tools for interactive learning and to helplearners ef ciently use those tools. In WebCT, the course designer’s role is somewhat complicated.However, there are numerous training and support tools for course builders built into the system.

These online courses are typically conducted in one of three environments:• completely online without face-to-face interaction;• as hybrid courses where the class frequently meets face-to-face, as well as online;• as face-to face courses with integrated web-based support materials and activities.

In Estonia the adoption of e-learning is coordinated by a consortium Estonian e-University (EeU).The consortium was founded in 2002 consisting of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Science,Estonian Information Technology Foundation (EITF) and eight higher education institutions(Laanpere et al., 2004).Majority of Estonian universities are using two different systems to support learning management:

web based Study Information System (SIS) – which is normal university level ICT-based informationsystem to help university management (student registration, statistics of study results etc.); andLearning Management System (LMS) – systems like WebCT or Blackboard which aim is to supportlearning process itself. Both systems have common parts (for example: student registration), butaccording to our study, both systems have been developed in many universities separately and arenot yet connected – lists of registered students are transferred manually not automatically fromone system to another for example. Number of universities plan to develop automatic connection

between those two systems, but obviously this will take time (Villems et al., 2005).From the very beginning of the EeU, there have been extensive discussion whether the EeU shouldhave a uni ed learning management system (LMS) platform. While WebCT has gained a good

foothold in Estonia (used by University of Tartu, Tallinn Technical University, Estonian BusinessSchool and IT college) its future acceptance has recently been seriously challenged by its changing pricing policy as well as increasing competition offered by free, open-source LMS’s (Laanpere et al., 2004, Villems et al., 2004).Estonian University of Life Sciences (EULS) is a member of consortium Estonian e-University(EeU). While the EeU recommend to use uni ed learning management system WebCT that systemis implemented in EULS.The aims of this paper are:• to determine the current use of WebCT teaching and learning in Estonian University of Life

Sciences;

• to identify the factors and requirements affecting the design of e-learning course in WebCTenvironment;• to develop (to design) a e-learning course of ‘Operations Research’ in WebCT environment;• to analyse lessons learned from designing the e-learning courses in Estonian University of

Life Sciences.

This paper is organized as follows. First, we present a review of the current use of WebCT teachingand learning in Estonian University of Life Sciences. Then, the principles of design of e-learningcourse in WebCT environment are proposed. Next, the design of an e-learning course of ‘OperationsResearch’ in WebCT environment is described. The nal section discusses the ndings of the study

and concludes the paper.




Current usage of WebCT teaching and learning in Estonian University of Life Sciences

In the resent years computers and Internet was used in Estonian University of Life Sciences for teaching and learning purposes in different directions:• simple use of Internet in teaching purposes;

• using of simple teaching programs – tutors in teaching purposes;• using special World Wide Web-based environment – WebCT.

Simple use of Internet in teaching purposesSimple use or self-study means that you learn on your own with your computer and learning materialsare on a CD, in your network or the Internet. This process is sometimes called distance education.The next step in simple use is the leader-led situation. It means that you learn with your computer.Learning materials (problems etc.) are assigned by an instructor via Internet or otherwise. Thestudents send the answers of problems via Internet to the instructor. The instructor veri es theanswers and informs the students about the results. We used this technology in several years in

teaching ‘linear programming’, ‘econometrics’ and ‘operations research’ for distance learningstudents. Our experience shows that students save time and travel expenses considerably. Butinstructor’s time spent in teaching increased considerable.

Using of simple teaching programs – tutors (tutorials) in teaching purposesThe second possibility to use e-learning are special simple teaching programs. Studies have shownthat students with private human tutors have outperformed students in a standard classroom(McArthur et al., 1990). A major strength of such one on tutoring is, that it can be used to identify thestudent’s missing skills and then teach that absent skill so that the problem can be solved correctly.This appears to be similar to the notion of programmed instruction. Programmed instruction is

a teaching innovation introduced by the renowned psychologist B.F. Skinner. It is described asspecially designed written material that sequentially presents small amounts of information, provides prompts to elicit the correct response, and immediately reinforces the knowledge base with correctresponses. This also allows the student to work at his or her own pace and leads to a smoother transition from previously learnt knowledge to recently acquired knowledge.The existence of a tutorial on the web could help those students who need relearning. The tutorialsin particular offer a unique opportunity for topics where knowledge acquisition requires a better understanding and practice in problem solving. This is especially so in such areas as breakevenanalysis, project management, computer programming, and linear programming. Tutorials mayalso help students to develop general analytical skills for business decision making.

For example, the researchers of the Estonian University of Life Sciences have some experience indesigning and implementing such tutors in teaching linear programming simplex algorithm. Therst version of a tutor was designed about ten years ago using Lotus macros. This courseware was

organized as menu-based dialog system. The tutor was used during many years in teaching linear programming simplex algorithm for face to face and distance students also. A new version, a VBA based tutorial on the MS Excel environment was designed in 2003 (Põldaru et al., 2004). The newversion was used during many years in teaching linear programming simplex algorithm for faceto face and distance students also.Another example of using tutor programs in teaching of mathematics and mechanics. The simple

procedure of animation in the Mathcad environment makes it possible for the learners to visualise

mathematics in the learning process (Heinloo and Saks, 2003; Heinloo and Tärgla, 2006).




Using WebCT in Estonian University of Life SciencesThe next step to use e-learning is special educational environment in teaching. WebCT is used inEULS since 2002. Next we discuss some examples.We have implemented the e-learning courses ‘Theory of Probability and Statistics’ and ‘OperationsResearch’ in Estonian University of Life Sciences both for full-time and distance learning students

in the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences. Those are face-to-face courses with integratedweb-based support materials and activities. The main accent of the e-part of those courses is solvingexercises and problems purposed to make students work all the term round, not only during their examination sessions.

Design of e-learning course in WebCT environment

Short characterisation of WebCT environment One of the most popular software products for facilitating the delivery of online education isWebCT. Designed by a company in Canada nearly a decade ago (UBC, 2004). WebCT has grown

in features and customers steadily. As early as in 2001 over 2200 institutions in over 70 countrieswas using WebCT (Clark, 2002).In February 2006, WebCT was acquired by rival Blackboard Inc. As part of the acquisition termswith Blackboard, the WebCT name will be phased out in favor of the Blackboard brand.WebCT had long been criticized for being the most dif cult of the course management systemsto use. This criticism partly re ected the exibility of the system - where other systems presenta single way of organizing or adding course material, WebCT offered several options with moreof the structure left to the individual instructor. The ‘Vista’ version of the product represented anattempt to derive a more even balance between exibility and ease of use, and while it has beensuccessful in some ways, it still suffers from being more exible but less easy to use than some

of its competitors.Some WebCT criticisms which were apparent include problems using it in multiple tabs or browser windows, heavy reliance on Java for its user experience (LSEPS, 2006), usage of too many browser,issues with some features requiring pop-up blockers to be turned-off and problems using standard

browser navigation tools (i.e. the Back and Forward commands).In addition, organisations that have bought licences for the non-vista version of this product haveno rights to re-write script and experience ‘bugs’ which they cannot resolve themselves and whichoften seem to cascade from ‘ xes’ written by the Blackboard programmers.Despite the critics WebCT is known as one of the best course management systems. WebCT providesa number of learning tools, including an online Discussion Board, course content searches, a course

calendar, electronic mail, auto-marked quizzes, navigation tools, access control, grade maintenanceand distribution, student progress tracking, etc. (Clark, 2002). Like some other learning systems,it provides a standard way to organize course materials and integrate multimedia presentationsin course delivery. More important, it is designed to support collaborative learning, knowledge

building, and multiple representations of ideas and knowledge structure. The literature indicates thatcooperation, coordination, and collective approaches are all desirable characteristics. Learners ina cooperative environment have been found to outperform other work groups. In addition, studentlearning and satisfaction can be signi cantly enhanced when a collaborative assessment approachis taken (Yip, 2004).

Design of e-learning course in WebCT environment Design of an e-learning course can be divided into several steps.




The rst step in this process is to determine the target group of the course and it’s level of knowledgein the eld of the course.After that the next step – design must take place. It is a very complicated process. The designer must point out the objectives of the course, nd the most suitable tools to gain the objectives anddecide how to control the results of learning process. These decisions depend on the type of the

e-course – either is it a completely online course without face-to-face interaction or is it a face-to-face course with integrated web-based support materials and activities or is it something else.The next step – development is the phase where syllabus, teaching materials and the means of control are created in LMS. Usually these two steps are more or less integrated.Before the implementation of the e-course in real learning process it is advisable that the e-courseis tested by colleagues or by a small group of students. Evaluation of the course must take placeat the end of the e-learning course to determine the effectiveness of the learning process. Usuallyit follows that some changes must be taken in the e-course. It seems that ‘ nally ready’ e-courseis a ‘dead’ course.

Design of an e-learning course of ‘Operations Research’ in WebCT environment

Designing of an e-learning course of ‘Operations Research’ in WebCT environment consist of different steps:• The rst step in this process is to compose the course content le, that provides course name

(Operations Research), determines the target group of the course (students in the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences), it’s level of knowledge in the eld of the course, courseenvironment (a face-to-face course with integrated web-based support materials and activities)and course assessment (tests and nal exam).

• Next step is the design the learning modules folder of the WebCT. In that case it provides

syllabus, lecture notes (in PDF format) and PowerPoint presentations for 12 lectures.• Next step is the design the assignments folder of the WebCT (provides assignments, exercisesand problems for the students to solve (in PDF format) and the answers for multiple choicequestions for self control. The course includes 30 assignments).

• Next step is the design the assessments folder of the WebCT (provides tests for the studentsto solve (in PDF format) and the answers for multiple choice questions. The course includes 8tests. Each test contains 10 questions, problems).

Most time consuming steps were the design of assignments folder and assessment folder.

Discussion

First generation e-learning systems tend to focus almost entirely on the management and measurementof training processes. They add little or no value to the learning process.The missing ingredients from most e-learning programs are clear and measurable objectives andcohesive strategies. Before an organization can evaluate any offerings from an e-learning provider or implement any internal initiative, it must rst create a cohesive strategy that clearly de nes anddocuments the value each program must deliver – before any program moves beyond the conceptstage.The role and importance of technology in the development of e-learning systems is often overstated

by technology providers. Instead, designers should seek to understand the basic components of what constitutes an e-learning ‘‘ecosystem.’’




The framework will specify a learning systems architecture for pedagogical development andsystems integration. Learning and the needs associated with supporting learning evolve and changeover time, and so should learning systems.Once the systems framework has been adopted by an organization, the next step is to identify theactual applications that can be developed or acquired.

As can be seen from discussion, the management of learning is but one component of the LearningSystems Framework.Consequently, cohesive strategy should clearly de ned, designers should seek to understand the

basic components of what constitutes an e-learning project, learning evolve and, and learningsystems should change over time.E-learning does not imply that all learners will be individually advancing at their own pace, rather,most organizations will tend to provide online learning support to traditional instructor-led programs.Instead of reducing interaction between learners as was originally feared, effective e-learning

programs will tend to increase collaboration and communication between learners and instructors. Next some comments from our experience on using WebCT. First, positive conclusions:

• using WebCT improves accessibility of learning materials;• learners will be individually advancing at their own pace;• learners do not need to wait until a class is available ( exible time consuming);• learners can complete training when it is least disruptive to their schedule;• using WebCT can increase learner’s interesting;• solving exercises and problems purposed to make students work all the term round, not only

during their examination sessions;• automatic assessment (control) during the term;• outline of student attendance in learning process.

Next comments to negative observations:• Automatic assessment using multiple choice questions has only limited implementation. For self control in solving assignments (exercises) the automatic assessment is wholly acceptable,

but for assessment of tests and exams automatic assessment using multiple choice has limitedimplementation. Our experience shows, that the answers spread very quickly amid learners,and the questions must be often renewed.

• When automatic assessment (control) is in principle unacceptable (the answers are texts), thevisual control is very time consuming (especially using feedback instruments). Our experienceshows, that the visual control requires more time than control handwritten exams.

• As mentioned above learning systems should change over time. The updating of learning

objects should be simple.

Conclusions

The efforts reported in this paper show that creating an accessible distance learning courses is anongoing effort, not a one-time project. E-learning using WebCT environment improves learner’sskill and knowledge and has the following advantages: space is not needed, learners do not needto wait until a class is available, learners can complete training when it is least disruptive to their schedule, and the methods can increase learner’s interesting, deliver contents clearly, and feedback students easily.

Discussion showed that using WebCT have for learners many advantages, the management andmeasurement of learning processes is automatic, but the automatic assessment should be improved.




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