patth@ccnysci.UUCP (Patt Haring) (12/24/88)
............ ...........
........... .......... THE
........... . .......... ONLINE JOURNAL
.......... . . . .......... OF DISTANCE E,
DUCATION......................AND COMMUNICATION...........................................December 1988.......................In the industrial age,
we go to school.In the information age,
school can come to us.This is the message implicit in the media and movement of distance education.
Volume #2, Issue #2
Date: December 1988
Editor: Jason Ohler.........Educational Technology Program Director
University of Alaska Southeast
11120 Glacier Highway
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 907-789-4417
BITNET USERID: JFJBO@ALASKA
During 88-89 school yr:1190 West 12th,#9,Vancouver,BC V6H1L6 Canada
Phone:604-732-9452. My BITNET ID remains JFJBO@ALASKA
Technical Coordinator................................Paul J. Coffin
Box 34166
Juneau, Alaska 99803
Phone: 907-780-6211
BITNET USERID: JXPJC@ALASKA
WELCOME TO THE ONLINE JOURNAL
OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION
FROM THE EDITOR:
--->Many of the Online readers have entered the "holiday season" in
their respective areas of the world. It is customary during
this period in many cultures to exchange greetings using print
media and postal delivery system. Please accept our alternative:
[--------------------------------------]
*
*** SEASONS GREETINGS
*****
******* From the
********* Online Journal Staff
__!!!__
[--------------------------------------]
This will be the last issue until sometime in February. The
editor is going to detechnologize for a while over the holidays
and recommends you do the same.
---> WE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN CONSIDERING YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS.
Please keep them brief, 4 screens (2 pages) maximum if its
possible. If you can, please indent one tab space on the left
and keep the right margin at 70. I look forward to hearing from
you.
This issue at a glance:
**ITEM #1: DOCTORS FROM MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY IN NEWFOUNDLAND,
CANADA, ESTABLISH TELEMEDICINE LINKS WITH AFRICAN
NATIONS summarized by the editor from a report
provided by Dr. Elizabeth Hillman, EHILLMAN@MUN
**ITEM #2: REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER
MEDIATED COMMUNICATION by Norman Coombs, NRCGSH@RITVAX
**ITEM #3: ANNENBERG/CPB OFFERS FUNDING FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION
PROJECTS by Steve Ehrmann, EHRMANN@UMDC
**ITEM #4: PHYSICS COURSE ON RELATIVITY TO BE OFFERED VIA BITNET
by Rao, VRAO@MUN
**ITEM #5: ELECTRONIC CLASSROOM SOFTWARE
by Patt Haring, patth@ccnysci
**ITEM #6: AN OPPORTUNITY TO EMAIL WITH THE USSR?
by Frank Cannonito, FCANNONITO@UCIVMSA
**ITEM #7: A report on ELECTRONIC NETWORKING IN THE POST-SECONDARY
COMMUNITY: NETNORTH/EARN/BITNET by Jim Kerr, Mary
Lambert,and Don Robertson,D_ROBERTSON@UTOROISE
**ITEM #8: A DISTANCE EDUCATION CHRONOLOGY-AND an Appeal to Readers
by the editor, JFJBO@ALASKA
**ITEM #9: READER REQUESTS-Readers Ask for Input. Topics: emailing
with Poland, a computer conferencing column(?),
networking in Central America,
**ITEM #10: THE BIBLIOGRAPHY GROWS- The cooperative distance
education bibliography that the Online Journal is
collecting from readers is off to a good start.
**ITEM #11: DISTANCE EDitorial: A NEW LEARNER EMERGES
**ITEM #12: APPENDIX: ABOUT THE ONLINE JOURNAL
**ITEM #13 FOOTNOTES
.......
... . ... This
... . . ... Issue's
... . ... Contributions
.......
......
... ... DOCTORS FROM MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY IN NEWFOUNDLAND,
... ITEM ... CANADA, ESTABLISH TELEMEDICINE LINKS WITH AFRICAN
... #1 ... NATIONS summarized by the editor from a report
...... provided by Dr. Elizabeth Hillman, EHILLMAN@MUN
[ NOTE: All quoted sections are excerpted from "Into Africa: The
Telemedicine links between Canada, Kenya, and Uganda," Canadian
Medical Association Journal, Vol. 136, February 15, 1987, with
permission from Dr. Elizabeth Hillman, Memorial University of St.
John's, Newfoundland. The article was written jointly by:
Maxwell House,MD Erin Keogh,MD Donald Hillman,MD
Elizabeth Hillman,MD Nimrod Bwibo,PhD Julius Meme,MD
Ezekiel Wafula,MD Stuart MacLeod,MD Nancy McCullough,MD ]
"During the past decade teleconferencing systems have gained a
substantial role in continuing medical education in Canada...Such
systems are particularly useful in maintaining contact between
physicians in remote areas and those in the city...(as well as) for
group consultation on medical problems,...administrative
purposes,...a diagnostic tool for the transmission of EEGs,
electrocardiograms, and the slow scan transmission of x-rays...
"It is against this background of Canadian experience and
expertise that initiatives were taken by a group of Canadian
physicians and their Kenyan and Ugandan counterparts to develop a
satellite link between Canada and East Africa, with ground
transmission between Nairobi and Kampala...
"In 1982 the telemedicine group at Memorial University, with
codirectors from the Child and Maternal Health Program (CHAMP) in
Uganda [supported by the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA)] made an attempt to set up an audio teleconference link
between the University of Nairobi and Makerere University.
"Because of political events the project was impossible to
implement at the time, but there was continuing interest in its
development because of the CIDA-sponsored program in the Department
of Pediatrics at Makerere University. Since 1983, Canadian
physicians have been serving at Makerere in a program of social
pediatrics developed by pediatricians from Memorial University.
Because of time constraints facing members of the pediatric faculty
at Makerere and their Canadian counterparts serving in CHAMP,
alternative means were required to extend pediatric teaching beyond
that normally provided by Canadian visiting professors and their
Ugandan ccounterparts
"To celebrate their 20th anniversary, the International
Satellite Organization (Intelsat) and the International Institute of
Communications made free satellite circuits available to agencies
that would organize health education programs between developed and
less developed countries. Called Project SHARE, it made
teleconference and telemedicine links between Canada and East Africa
economically feasible. Following a planning visit to Kenya and
Uganda by the director of Memorial Telemedicine Centre, Memorial's
application in the SHARE project was accepted. In Africa the
program was sponsored by CHAMP, with support from CIDA...
"In 1984-85 support for the project was obtained from several
organizations, including CIDA, the Hospital for Sick Children
Foundation, the Kenya Post and Telecommunications Corporation, the
Uganda Post and Telecommunications Corporations, the University of
Makerere University, the Newfoundland Telephone Company and
Teleglobe Canada.
"The satellite circuits between Canada and Kenya were provided
through project SHARE. Microwave circuits were utilized between St.
John's and the international gateway terminal in Montreal and
between Nairobi and Kampala. The teleconference system was in place
by December 1985 and the official opening of the link between Kenya
and Canada took place Jan. 15, 1986. A month later the link was
extended to Uganda.
"Since the inauguration there have been formal weekly
conferences as well as informal teaching sessions. The formal,
didactic sessions have covered such topics as nutritional status and
immune response, the management and treatment of idopathic
throbocytoppenic purpura, hepatitis in pregnant women and the
newborn, and the epidemiology of HTLV-III virus in East Africa. The
Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the Montreal's Children's
Hospital have also contributed, covering such topics as emergency
pediatric medicine, failure to thrive, and rickets...."
"One of the main objectives of the Memorial/SHARE project was
the transfer of expertise and technology to the University of
Nairobi and Makerere University so that they could have a functional
teleconference system after the SHARE project ended late last year.
It is anticipated that other East African countries may participate
in such a permanent system...
"While it is too early to predict the project's outcome, it is
already clear that teleconferencing has much to offer East African
medicine, and that it is a worthy contribution of Canadian-East
African cooperation in the medical field. It is particularly
appropriate for Canada to export this type of expertise to countries
like Kenya and Uganda, because they share many of Canada's
communication problems.
"As they help to develop effective telecommunication links
between Nairobi and Kampala and eventually among other East African
centres, Canadians will also learn more about telecommunications.
New approaches to education and consultation through telemedicine
can be effectively applied in many countries, including our own.
Most importantly, the telemedicine system seems to represent a cost-
effective means of exporting medical expertise and of sharing
medical knowledge among countries and among regions in a country.
"One of the major attractions of the teleconference system is
its ability to provide optimal access for a wide audience to a
variety of experts or teachers. This introduces an element of cost-
effectiveness which is lacking in the more conventional medical
support programs that require travel and accommodation for visiting
physicians.
"The medical faculties in Nairobi and Kampala require and
deserve contact with a broad spectrum of academic physicians in a
variety of disciplines, and at the moment this objective can be most
realistically achieved by promoting satellite links such as the one
described here."
......
... ...
... ITEM ...REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER
... #2 ... MEDIATED COMMUNICATION by Norman Coombs, NRCGSH@RITVAX
......
International Conference on
Computer Mediated Communication
In Distance Education
October 1988
The conference was genuinely international with delegates
from USA, Canada, Australia, Turkey, several West European
countries and, of course, England. The atmosphere was one of
mutual encouragement and sharing of information. Because the
conference had a focus on educational uses of computer
conferencing, there was a thematic unity which also contributed
to the sense of participating in a working team. This was in
contrast to the professional competitiveness that has been common
at most of the previous academic conferences I have attended.
For this reason the trip was especially enjoyable and beneficial.
The Open University serves distance learners all across England.
The main campus is in Milton Keynes 50 miles north of London.
Milton Keynes is a new city about 20 years old, but the
conference participants were all housed in a quaint neighboring
village called Stony Stratford. The hotel in which I stayed had
been built in 1470.
The university makes extensive use of television and radio
and has a BBC production center on campus. There are some 3,000
physically disabled students enrolled in its classes, and this
gave some of their faculty a special interest in my paper which
dealt with using distance education technologies to overcome
physical disabilities.
The topic which kept recurring throughout the discussions
was the need to be aware of the social and psychological factors
of computer conferencing both as they concerned the learner and
the teacher and was the topic of the first paper by Andrew
Feenberg, Western Behavioral Sciences Institute
La Jolla, California, USA. While much of the early impetus
behind distance education was the hope of reaching disadvantaged
students, Soren Nipper, Arhus Technical College, Denmark,
said it has been found that it serves those who are educationally
privileged. It requires students who already know how to learn
and who have developed habits of self motivation and discipline.
Introducing the computer into the formula further limits the
target audience to those with a computer and some minimal
computer familiarity. Although with the continuing increase in
their availability, this limitation is shrinking.
Paul Levinson, Connected Education, New School for Social
Research, NY, USA, pointed out that computer conferencing brings
a genuinely interactive learning mode into distance education.
It also makes it place-independent. Connect Ed working with the
New School is reaching students from 28 states and 15 countries.
This enables a student to select his courses by the quality of
the faculty member and not its location. While some participants
seemed worried about students who read the conference material
but remain "hidden" from teacher and class, Levinson and others
had found most shy students more willing to participate via
computer than when faced directly with their colleagues.
Computer conferencing in education can be used in at least
three different ways according to Linda Harasim, Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, Canada. It may be
an additional discussion forum for students who meet in a live
class setting. It can also be added to existing distance
education courses to introduce a group interaction component.
However, she pointed out that it could, itself, be the medium of
communication and course delivery. She had found this on-line
approach to education promoted more collaboration between students
than occurred in live settings. Students could participate when
they were most alert and eager. They could take time to reflect
before contributing, and this seemed to increase its frequency
and usefulness. Her students were found to be using the system
23 hours out of the day and seven days a week. Not only is
computer conferencing place-independent, but it is time-
independent as well.
Lynn Davie,also from the Ontario Institute for Studies in
Education, emphasized the crucial role of the moderator in
modelling participation styles and behavior in the computer
conference. If one wants a relaxed and sharing atmosphere, then
the moderator needs to post notes that are informal, relatively
brief and conversational. Many participants may have limited
computer skills, and it is important that they realize notes do
not have to be typed, formatted and spelled with total accuracy.
The teacher needs to post notes frequently so students know they
are not alone, and, often, faculty should use personal electronic
mail to give further encouragement.
Many participants noted that the computer conference itself
impacted the style of the communication. The small window of the
monitor makes reading long discourses seem awkward, and, as a
result, computer conference discussions developed a style closer
to oral than written presentations. This was especially true
when the work was done on line. Notes written off line with a
word processor often were longer and more like an essay. Nipper
found that the background of the student had a significant impact
on writing styles. Those who had been home-bound tended to
ramble and include many personal and sometimes irrelevant items,
but business executives continued to write memos. In this case,
the moderator needed to work with both groups to facilitate a
more conversational style. I noted in my paper that the
discussion style encouraged by the technology was congenial to
those hearing impaired students who had limited English language
skills. This permits their involvement in computer conferencing
without having to modify the material for them in any patronizing
manner. The fact that the system is place-independent can also
be beneficial to mobility impaired learners as well as to visually
impaired persons.
Elaine McCreary, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada,
reported on the extensive use of computer conferencing at Guelph
for administrative as well as educational functions. All members
of the university administration belong to several conferences,
and it was hoped that this would lead to a more open, democratic
style of management. Initially, it seems to show some success.
Those managers desiring greater communication across structural
barriers have found it useful and freeing. Others who prefer a
more hierarchical leadership style tend to find the glut of
communication a problem. Universities were designed as
collegial institutions, but this has faded with the growth in
size and the development of more bureaucratic administrative
organizations. More time will be needed in order to learn
whether computer conferencing can revive the original model. It
shows promise in both educational and administrative uses, but
traditional attitudes and entrenched structures pose problems for
its growth.
Tony Kaye and Robin Mason from the Open University planned
and ran a most interesting and pleasant international conference.
They are planning to collect the manuscripts and publish them in
the near future. Anyone involved in computer conferencing in
education will find these beneficial.
......
... ...
... ITEM ... ANNENBERG/CPB OFFERS FUNDING FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION
... #3 ... PROJECTS by Steve Ehrmann, EHRMANN@UMDC
......
The Annenberg/CPB Project funds projects that enhance the
quality and availability of higher education through the use
of telecommunication and information technologies. The Project
seeks to develop course materials, tools, and delivery
systems that increase opportunities for those who wish to
obtain college level education.
The Project has supported work in a number of areas relevant to
distance education including exploration of the educational
capabilities of current and emerging systems of synchronous and
asynchronous communication; hypertext; simulations; new methods for
broadcasting instruction; key evaluations; and infrastructure
improvements (e.g. a recently funded project to create an online
bibliographic database of software relevant to college level
learning).
The Project was created to improve liberal learning in the
United States but foreign partners have sometimes been
involved in projects. Similarly, though proposals are judged
for their promise for short or long term improvement in the
accessibility and quality of undergraduate learning, funded
projects often have significant benefits for informal
learning, graduate study, and high school study.
Preliminary proposals are ordinarily required to enter the
competition. Successful applicants are then eligible to write
full proposals. The next deadline for preliminary proposals
will be December 27, 1988; the next deadline after that will
be August 29, 1989. For guidelines, contact
The Annenberg/CPB Project
1111 16th Street NW
Washington DC 20036
USA
(202) 955-5251
For further information on project activities and proposal
ideas, you can contact, Steve Ehrmann (BITNET EHRMANN@UMDC),
202-955-5273.
......
... ...
... ITEM ... PHYSICS COURSE ON RELATIVITY TO BE OFFERED ON BITNET
... #4 ... by Rao, VRAO@MUN
......
I would like to inform the readers of the Online
Journal that the plans are almost complete to offer a
credit course on RELATIVITY in physics using BITNET.
The materials will be supplied to the local faculty member
who will coordinate the course at his or her institution. Students must
have the access to a BITNET account. This course will be offered
simultaneously throughout North America starting in January 1989. On
the receiving end the students will use course material and computer
software developed by Dr. E Taylor of M.I.T., available for the Mac
and IBM PC.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information, contact the author of
this announcement.
......
... ...
... ITEM ... ELECTRONIC CLASSROOM SOFTWARE
... #5 ...
......
----------
What it is
----------
A computer program designed to emulate a traditional
classroom on an interactive multiuser computer system,
allowing classes to be conducted with online students.
----------------
Program Features
----------------
The program simulates a classroom by providing all the
amenities one would expect to find in a well equipped
classroom. Some of the facilities included are:
* A blackboard for the teacher to run lessons and answer
questions. (The medium for written and verbal communication.)
* A "slide projector" to display prepared course material.
Automatically display a sequence of files with student
responses controlling the presentation speed.
(Slides are displayed from saved UNIX* files.)
* Class roster and attendance list.
The teacher can restrict access to a session by user and/or
group.
* Session recording and playback.
Entire classes may be saved in a file
another time.
* Automatic note taking. (i.e. Save class material in a file.)
* Online tutorials, help and command menus.
* Execute UNIX commands with the results displayed on the
blackboard. A UNIX Shell may also be run on the blakboard.
* Teachers can give pop quizzes/tests and receive interactive
feedback from the students. (True/False, Multiple choice)
* Students can interactively ask questions by
"raising their hand."
* Preview/review of stored courses.
* Chat mode. A student may converse directly with the
instructor while the rest of the class "listens in".
* Allow a student to temporarily control the class.
* Online invitations. Invite students to join a class via
electronic mail.
* Multiple simultaneous classrooms. Separate classrooms may
be run at the same time.
------------------
Software included:
------------------
The ECR package includes several modules:
* ecrt - The teacher's version of the ECR program.
* ecr - The student's version of the ECR program.
* ecrn - A background program that will automatically
notify a student when class begins, allowing
the student to work on other tasks.
* ecrs - A status program that will display information
about each separate class that has been configured.
* ecrd - The ECR communications daemon. This program
handles the connections between the teacher and
students.
* ecrm - The ECR mail interface, called by sendmail, to route
mail to ECR classrooms.
-----------
Why use it?
-----------
The program can be used to conduct lectures, discussions
and testing,in an environment were it is difficult to
assemble students in one location. Great for domestic and
international field based education.
The program can also be used to help students with UNIX
related problems by demonstrating UNIX commands on the
blackboard.
-------------
What you need
-------------
The program requires a computer system running BSD UNIX
(Berkeley Distribution), or a version of UNIX similar to
the BSD implementation, with enough access to the system
for all students to login. ECR also works in a network
environment. The program has been tested on BSD 4.2, SUNOS
3.x,4.0, Ultrix 2.x, and UTX.
The program supports ascii terminals such as the vt100, or
others supported by termcap/terminfo and curses.
The program is written in C and uses curses, sockets, ptys
and select.
--------------
What it is not
--------------
The program is not a course authoring system, it is a course delivery
system.
-------------------------------------
For more information, please contact:
-------------------------------------
Don Joslyn, Academic Systems and Programming Manager
Nova University, Computer Center (Academic Computing Services)
3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314
Phone: (305) 475-7678
UUCP:...:gatech!uflorida,ucf-cs:!novavax!don
...:gatech!uflorida,ucf-cs:!novavax!dons3b1!don (Private)
* UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T
(Just in case you did not know :-)
Patt Haring :sun!hoptoad,cmcl2!phri:!dasys1!patth
-or- uunet!dasys1!patth
-or- patth@ccnysci.BITNET
Big Electric Cat Public Access Unix (212) 879-9031
- System Operator
......
... ...
... ITEM ... AN OPPORTUNITY TO EMAIL WITH THE USSR?
... #6 ... by Frank Cannonito, FCANNONITO@UCIVMSA
......
I just got back from a visit to Leningrad and Moscow. While
there, I broached the possibility of setting up some e-mail
contact between mathematicians here and the Steklov Institute.
For the moment there is no possibility. Sergei Adian from the
USSR claimed they don't even have a modem. My impression is
that if we provided the equipment, a way might be found.
......
... ...
... ITEM ... ELECTRONIC NETWORKING IN THE POST-SECONDARY
... #7 ... COMMUNITY: NETNORTH/EARN/BITNET
......
By
Jim Kerr, Mary Lambert, Don Robertson (D_ROBERTSON@UTOROISE)
The Ontario Institute for Studies In Education
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
November, 1988
The Canadian Context
Microelectronic research over the past 15 years has taken
major stides in the world of communications. These advances
are daunting to those at the edge of the technological
platform. For example, it has been suggested that the pocket
calculator that will be available within the next decade
could be more powerful than most computers are today.
With the stride of advancing technology comes the very real
possibility that many of us may bank, shop, "attend" courses and
possibly, even work while remaining seated in front of our home
microcomputers. This scenario has become more than a distant
possibility because of the network of communications systems
developed for computers.
Canadian academic and research institutions have added their
own entry to the expanding field of networks. NETNORTH is a
Canadian private data network, designed as a vehicle to allow
efficient exchange of data, co-authored papers, research
components, and ideas between colleagues, throughout Canada, and
around the world. In November 1983, a group of universities from
Ontario proposed that a networking system be developed "based on
the concept of Open Systems and industry recognised protocols."
(Percival, 1983).
The proposal included the research of networks that U.S.
universities were currently employing, with the result that
ARPANET, CSNET, and BITNET were chosen as suitable models. In
the final analysis, BITNET was considered to have the most
attractive features of the three, and was selected as the
paradigm. The seductive attributes included the lowest cost, the
use of standard compatible IBM software, no necessity for extra
communication processors beyond synchronous ports on the hosts,
and the structural use of point-to-point dedicated communication
links.
Many application examples were cited as rationale, and a
suggestion was forwarded that community colleges and McGill
University should also be invited to join.
From the proposal, OUNET ( the Ontario Universities Network)
was created. Another major offspring from BITNET (Because It's
Time NETwork) is EARN in Europe.
In 1984 a three year agreement was signed with IBM Canada
which provided much needed funding and equipment for the
network. At the same time OUNET was renamed NETNORTH. IBM
donated an IBM 4341 with software and established the
administration and centre for support at the University of
Guelph.
Today, there are more than ninety nodes operating on the
network and a direct line connects BITNET, at Cornell University
and NETNORTH at Guelph. NETNORTH is also linked to other world-
wide networks in the Middle East, Australia, Japan and South
America.
Electronic Publishing
In addition to a brisk traffic in inter-university mail, the
NETNORTH/BITNET/EARN network provides access to a spectrum of
packaged electronic information. The monthly-updated BITNET
Services Library currently lists 12 electronic journals and
provides gateways to even more. The content of this offering
displays a genuine diversity, from general computing news and
information, to material specific to the academic disciplines. A
key publication is NETMONTH which serves user by " . . .
providing practical guidelines for getting the most out of the
network." Subscription and access to all journals is made by
contacting an electronic address. Most are free to those on the
system.
Two journals which give some definition to the scope of the
offering are New Horizons In Adult Education (NHIAE)--an
electronic extension of the formal, learned journal, and the ON-
LINE JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION (DISTED)--a refreshingly
upstart magazine. Both are young, being active only in the last
year.
While not listed in the BITNET directory, NHIAE is accessed
through the adult education network AEDNET. Now in its second
year of publication, NHIAE enjoys a worldwide readership. Its
purposes are to provide a voice for adult education students
throughout the world, and to publish the most current thinking
and research in the field. NHIAE's editorial and distribution
centre is located at Syracuse University. Submissions are
subjected to a blind review process by an editorial board spread
across continental North America.
By comparison, DISTED, with a global readership of some 220,
is listed in BITNET directory. Material comes via e-mail, is
edited at the University of Alaska, and distributed by a
listserver at the University of Washington. The journal
originated at the University of Alaska Southeast as a
communications class project, and has been operational since
March 1988. The purposes of DISTED are to explore distance
education methods for reaching geographically disadvantaged
learners, and to develop cross-cultural communication,
particularly between the US and the USSR. Submissions to DISTED
are subjected to a much less formal editorial scrutiny.
DISTED pays attention to the medium in which the material is
conveyed. The editor requests that contributions not exceed four
screens: "Rather than trying to compete with a paper-based
magazine which does a much better job of presenting long
articles, we want contributions that present overview
information." By comparison, NHIAE did not appear to address
the reality of the electronic screen. One could conclude that
NHIAE is meant to be downloaded, while articles in DISTED can
certainly be read comfortably on-screen.
Three University of Toronto Educational Applications
Dr. A. O'Connor, Ottawa, has used NETNORTH since 1985 for
thesis supervision of Master of Science in Nursing students
involved in her area of "patient decision" research. The need
for computer-mediated communication is due to the limited number
of nurse scientists in Toronto, and the expanding number of
students needing supervision. The format involves exchanges of
information at each stage of the research, with the student
submitting entries, and the professor providing feedback. Final
thesis and revisions are also communicated electronically. The
major strengths identified are better and faster access to Dr.
O'Connor, no travel, working at home, and access to colleagues
worldwide. The major limitations are lack of face-to-face
contact, and the burden of learning new skills. NETNORTH as a
medium for patient education is identified for future research.
NETNORTH will continue to be used for thesis supervision, as a
medium for multicentre research trials, and for communication
with Canadian nurse researchers using NRIGNET (O'Connor, 1988).
During the spring term 1987-1988, Donald Bellamy and Simon
Mielniczuk offered a computer conference as a supplement to the
social planning practicum for graduate social work students.
They chose LISTSERVE software on NETNORTH because it was used by
the computer support staff facilitating the electronic network
HUMANIST. All but one of the university social work programs in
Canada have access to NETNORTH. There are no membership fees and
the network is academically oriented. Bellamy and Mielniczuk
believed that the computer conferencing format has potential for
a more active/involved style of student learning. The format
consisted of abstract postings, prior to face-to-face seminars,
as well as advance questions and comments. Major issues or
questions were reported on-line, post-seminar. Bellamy and
Mielniczuk (1988) conducted an exploratory study of this first
computer application. The strengths identified by the professors
and students were the ability to access data banks, linking
worldwide, sharing with others, and the development of a
perspective on the use of computers. The limitations were lack
of equipment, excess consumption of time, lack of integration of
material, and inexperience. They plan to offer similar courses
in social planning in the future, and are maintaining the FUTURE
EXPLORATIONS SOCWORK network.
Willard McCarty, Centre for Computing in the Humanities, is
the editor of HUMANIST. He describes it as an international
electronic discussion group for computing humanists, and for
those who support the application of computers to scholarship in
the humanities (McCarty, 1988). The membership is over 300 and
represents 15 countries. Its main strength is supporting
vigorous argumentation. A hot topic is entered and members
react. The moderator's activities include keeping people on
topic, censuring, and editing. The limitations include
development of e-mail loops, flaming, financial restraints for
some countries, entries becoming public property, and a lack of
co-publishing opportunity with print journals. Electronic
publication is not recognized as publication for tenure. One
examination of network activities indicated nearly 500 of the
600 messages created during a six month period were sent by just
8 people (Burnard, 1988). The active network topics have been
etiquette, programming in the curriculum, professional
recognition, electronic publishing, and hypertext.
Conclusion
The current mixed review of computer-mediated communication
by the academic community is symbolic: symbolic of the tensions
between old and new paradigms in scholarly enterprise --
especially reporting. Without question, they also reflect the
onset of a permanent change that telecommunications is making in
the way were present and express, our world and our learnings.
[A belated p.s. for Paul Coffin: We couldn't have done our work without your hel
p. Don Robertson.]
......
... ... A DISTANCE EDUCATION CHRONOLOGY-
... ITEM ... And an Appeal to Readers
... #8 ... by the editor,
JFJBO@ALASKA......
What follows is a chronology of major distance education events. The
chronology is far from complete. DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD TO IT?
Send it on to the editor and it will be posted.
Most of the material is directly quoted. Quotation marks should be
assumed but for reasons of readibility have been left out.
* * * * * * * * * *
1728 - US: Caleb Phillips advertises in the Boston Gazette as a
correspondence teacher of shorthand. [Valore, 6] [Holmberg, 6]
1826 - US: Lyceum introduced to America by Josiah Holbrook, bringing
education to communities through the renting of community halls for
lectures and classes. [Jameson, 11] Postman, 40]
1833 - SWEDEN: Advertisement in the Lunds Weckoblad (published in
the Lunds) offered the opportunity to study composition by
means of the post. [Holmberg, 7]
1835 - US: More than 3000 Lyceum halls in fifteen states. [Postman,
40]
1840 - ENGLAND: Sir Isaac Pitman offers short hand courses by
correspondence. [Holmberg, 7]
1843 - ENGLAND: Phonographic Correspondence Society formed to take
over Sir Isaac Pitman's courses, which later became Sir Isaac
Pitman's Correspondence Colleges. [Holmberg, 7]
1856 - GERMANY: Frenchman Charles Toussaint and German Gustav
Langenscheidt organize a foreign language correspondence school in
Berlin. [Holmberg, 7]
1870's - US & CANADA: Chautauqua born on Lake Chautauqua in New York.
It consisted of, among other things, intensive summer school course
in many subjects areas. Arrangements were made with New York state
first for the awarding of degrees (later rescinded) and then for
the granting of credits for Chautauqua courses. It served as
the basis for the many 'traveltauquas' that borrowed its
name and acted as a travelling university. [Jameson, 1-15]
1873 - US: Anna Eliot Ticknor (daughter of a Harvard professor)
based on her studies of English correspondence education, founds
Society to Encourage Studies at Home, reaching over 1000 students
in 1882, appealing mostly to women who were left out of mandatory
education, offering mostly liberal arts courses (history, math,
literature, foreign language). [Christensen, 27-30] [Mackenzie, 25]
1873 - US: methodist Illinois Wesleyan University begins offering
courses which were phased out by 1906 mandate of the church due to
skepticism of external degrees. [MacKenzie, 25]
1878 - ENGLAND: Skerry's College, Edinburgh founded, preparing
candidates for Civil Service exams. [Holmberg, 8]
1880's - US & CANADA: Travelling imitations of Chautauqua begin to
appear across US and Canada, bringing education to remote people,
paving the way for extension courses and other education
experiments. [Jameson, 6-15] [Wedemeyer, 203]
1881 - US: William Harper begins offering Hebrew by correspondence.
By 1885 he was made dean of Liberal Arts for Chautauqua college. In
1892 he became pres. of Univ. of Chicago and included the first
correspondence delivery component of an American university in the
field of liberal arts. It ended in 1964 and was highly criticized
on assumed, not proved, lack of quality. [Christensen, 7-13]
[MacKenzie, 27]
1883 - US: Correspondence University formed as cooperative venture
among professors from many universities (including Harvard, John
Hopkins, and Univ. of Wisconsin). Based in Ithaca it was designed
to supplement residential teaching and was non-degree granting.
[Christensen, 39-40] [Mackenzie, 26]
1884 - ENGLAND: Foulks Lynch Correspondence Tuition founded,
specializing in accountancy. [Holmberg, 8]
1886 - US: Thomas Foster, after Pennsylvania passed mining safety
laws requiring mining foremen to pass state exams, devotes columns
to Q&A about mining safety, in the newspaper he edited, Shenandoah
Herald (which was distributed in the mining valleys of
Pennsylvania) and through pamphlets. By 1891, he had prepared
regular correspondence courses. Driven by supply and demand, this
is one of the 1st private, commercial correspondence education
ventures. By 1901, it had expanded and become International
Correspondence Schools which claims to have served over 8,000,000
students. [Christensen, 31-34] [MacKenzie, 39]
1887 - ENGLAND: University Correspondence College, Cambridge,
prepares students for University of London external degrees.
[Holmberg, 8]
1889 - CANADA: Queen's University begins credit correspondence courses
in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. [Rothe, 6]
1890's - US: Professional and trade organizations begin using
correspondence education to upgrade the skills of its members.
Beginning in the 1920's, companies and labor unions did the same
for its employees. [MacKenzie, 44-50]
1894 - ENGLAND: Diploma Correspondence College (now called Wolsey
Hall, Oxford) offers university preparation as well as other kinds
of courses. [Holmberg, 8]
1895 - US: The American School begins in Massachusetts and moves
to Chicago in 1902 at the invitation of the Armour Institute of
Technology, where it was part of an experiment to develop and
improve home-study methods. By 1960, it could claim to have
100,000 students at any time, the "largest high school in the world
based on enrollment." [MacKenzie, 42] [American School Pamphlet]
1897 - US: The American School is founded to "...bring much-needed
training to America's wage earners." In 1902 it accepted an
invitation from the Armour Institute, a well-respected technical
institute (of a non-correspondence type), to move to Chicago and
join forces. In 1903 it offered the first high school completion
program.
1900 - US & CANADA: By this date, several hundred study books to be
used for Chautauqua's extension programs were available. [Jameson,
10]
1901 - SWEDEN: Hermods publishes 'Korrespondens,' in which he
describes his approach to correspondence education. [Holmberg, 21]
1901 - US & CANADA: The Correspondence School of the Moody Bible
Institute is founded. It is the first religious correspondence school
to open (and is still in operation), followed by Home Study
International in 1909. By 1960, 32 schools served 259,000, to
prosletyze, train ministers, educate lay people in US and Canada.
As of 1987, International Correspondence Institute was the largest
religious correspondence school. [Valore, 19] [MacKenzie 37]
1903 - GERMANY: Rustin developed 'Methode Rustin' in correspondence
education. [Holmberg, 22]
1905 - US: Calvert School in Baltimore, Maryland establishes first
correspondence program to meet primarily the needs of elementary
education students, gaining momentum over the years due to the
high mobility of the American work force. [Christensen, 35-38]
[MacKenzie, 43]
1906 - US: Univ. of Wisconsin's president Van Hise commits his school
to correspondence education. First to make major commitment in
vocational education. [MacKenzie, 29]
1907 - CANADA: University of Saskatchewan provides off-campus
learning opportunities such as 'Better Farming' demonstration
trains, the 'Homemaker' short courses and 'Canadian Youth
Vocational Training Workshops.' [Rothe, 6]
1910 - AUSTRALIA: Distance ed. offered for first time at the tertiary
level by University of Queensland. [Holmberg, 11]
1914 - AUSTRALIA: Correspondence education begins at the secondary
level in Victoria as an experiment with 5 students led by the
Victorian Dept. of Education at the request of a forest ranger
seeking an education for his children. [Mackenzie, 17] [Holmberg,
12]
1915 - US: William Lighty identifies essential 'characteristics,
requirements, and potentials of distance education.' [Holmberg, 25]
1915 - US: The first National University Extension Conference held at
Madison, Wisconsin. [MacKenzie, 29]
1918 - US: Compulsory education through high school nearly universal.
[Frost, 433-434]
1923 - US: First use of correspondence to enrich secondary school
curriculum at Benton Harbor, Michigan. [Holmberg, 13]
1926 - US: NHSC (National Home Study Council) with its independent
Accrediting Commissions established. It is a voluntary, nationaly
recognized organization which may be joined by home study schools
which meet prescribed standards. Two other associations followed:
NUCEA (National University Continuing Education Association) which
is made up almost wholly of divisions or departments of regionally
accredited colleges and universities, and PONSI: the Program On
Non-College Sponsored Instruction, which operates as a division of
the American Council on Education, ministering independent evaluations
of home study and other education techniques for equivalent college
credit. As of 1987, over 1500 colleges and universities accept PONSI
evaluation. [Valore, 9]
1930-40 - US: North Dakota, Montana, Alaska create state sponsored
education programs. [MacKenzie, 34]
1936 - Alaska, US: Alaska begins using correspondence, purchasing
elementary grade courses from Calvert School, and secondary grade
courses from the University of Nebraska. Cost of average course
in 1940 is $20. Average annual salary of correspondence teacher is
$1,818. [Alaska Dept. of Education archives]
1935 - CANADA: Antigonish Movement begun as joint venture of Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and
Canadian Association for Adult Education. It is credited as first
prominent mediated adult open learning system, based on principles
of St. Francis Xavier University's Dr. Colby. [Rothe, 6]
1938 - US: First International Conference on Correspondence Study
held in Victoria, British Columbia, at which Knute O. Broady says
"By equality of educational opportunity we mean extending education
to everyone no matter how humble his birth, no matter where he may
live and no matter what his reasonable aspirations may be."
[MacKenzie,16]
1939 - FRANCE: In response to the disruption of education brought on
by the war, Centre National de Tele-Enseignement was established by
the government. It continues today as the Centre National
d'Enseignement par Correspondence, serving mostly adults.
[Holmberg, 14]
1943 - US: Army Institute, a government sponsored correspondence
establishment, became USAFI (US Armed Forces Institute), offering
civilian education for thousands of military people. A number of
other military-based correspondence 'schools' followed. Today, the
military personnel comprise the bulk of the correspondence student
body in the U.S. [Valore, 19] [Mackenzie, 35]
1950 - CANADA: University of British Columbia's Centre for Continuing
Education opened, offering up to 18 courses. [Rothe, 7]
1964 - US: AIM (Articulated Instructional Media) inaugurated at the
University of Wisconsin, laying the theoretical, academic,
technological, and operational bases for the creation of new
institutions of open, distance, and independent learning.
[Wedemeyer, 204]
1965 - US: A survey of Fortune 500 corporations claims that of those
responding, a majority say correspondence study is an effective way
to upgrade employee skills. [MacKenzie, 154]
1969 - ENGLAND: Open University of the United Kingdom established.
[Wedemeyer, 204]
1970 - CANADA: OECA established to offer educational programming,
design servicing, community development, cable system services to
remote communities. In 1974 it established a network of
transmitters and named it TV Ontario.[Rothe, 11]
1970 - US: Commission on Non-Traditional Study set up by College
Entrance Examination Board and the Educational Testing Service to
study pros and cons of non-traditional study. [Wedemeyer, 204]
1972 - CANADA: Athabasca University receives government mandate to
provide new kinds of study programs that incorporated technology
and home study techniques.[Rothe, 9]
1972 - CANADA: Tele-universitie of the Universite du Quebec
established to fill an important vacuum left by conventional
universities by offering distance education services. [Rothe, 12]
1973 - CANADA: ACCESS Alberta (Alberta Educational Communications
Corporation) established to provide delivery technologies such as
satellite transmission, digitalization, teletext, videodisc
multiplexing, video-taping, and radio transmission. [Rothe, 13]
1977 - CANADA: Open Learning Institute of British Columbia
established. It is charged with developing programs to meet the
full spectrum of educational needs of the adult population and
to do so in a manner that would allow students to study part-time
in their own homes. [Rothe, 19]
1980 - CANADA: Knowledge Network established in British Columbia,
designed to become an inter-organizational educational
telecommunications authority whose major role was to assist
existing distance education organizations through the development
and distribution of programmes by means of satellite and cable TV.
[Rothe, 20]
* * * * * *
The source materials and the manner in which they are identified in
the chronology are:
1. CHRISTENSEN: MacKenzie, Christensen. The Changing World of
Correspondence Study. Penn State University Press, London, 1971.
2. FROST: Frost, S.E. HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
WESTERN EDUCATION. Merrill Books, Columbus, 1966.
3. HOLMBERG: Holmberg, Borje. GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION. Croom Helm, London, 1986.
4. JAMESON: Jameson, Sheilagh. CHAUTAUQUA IN CANADA. Glenbow-
Alberta Institute, Calgary, 1987.
5. MACKENZIE: MacKenzie, Ossian & Christian, Edward & Rigby, Paul.
CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES. MacGraw-Hill, New
York, 1968.
6. POSTMAN: Postman, Neil. AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH. Penguin, New
York, 1986.
7. ROTHE: DISTANCE EDUCATION IN CANADA., ed. Mugridge & Kaufman,
Croom Helm, Kent, 1986. From "An Historical Perspective," by J. Peter
Rothe.
8. VALORE: Valore, Leonard & Grover, Dahl. "The Effectiveness and
Acceptance of Home Study." National Home Study Council Monograph,
1987.
9. WEDEMEYER: Wedemeyer, Charles. LEARNING AT THE BACK DOOR.
University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1981.
......
... ...
... ITEM ... READER REQUESTS-Readers with Ideas Look to Other
... #9... Readers for help and input.
......
========READER REQUEST #1 =========
From John Poirier, POIRIER@IRISHVX2
Are there any articles which relate to the procedures/
possibilities of establishing new BITNET or other electronic
mail links with places like Cracow, Poland??
Thanks,
John poirier
U of Notre Dame
Notre Dame IN 46556 USA
========READER REQUEST #2 =======
From Norman Coombs, NRCGSH@RITVAX
Could we have a column running over several issues in which
teachers describe different computer conference moderator
styles?
I have been teaching using computer conferencing for about three
years. My conference replaces a highly structured classroom
discussion. It is almost a question and answer format. It works well
for the course in which it is integrated, but I would like to learn
more about other conferencing and teaching styles.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Anyone interested in managing such a column?
Let me know, JFJBO@ALASKA.
=========READER REQUEST #3 ==============
From Edgardo Richards and Irvin Boschmann
ID: cdp!csupax@labrea.stanford.edu
CSUCA is an organization founded in 1948 to serve as a
co-ordinating and integrating body for university education in
Central America. The member universities are: Universidad de San
Carlos de Guatemala, Universidad de El Salvador, Universidad
Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de
Nicaragua, Universidad de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional de
Costa Rica and Universidad de Panama.
Most of our efforts at present are being devoted to the
organization and implementation of a distance education project
connecting all seven of these universities. We are doing this in
conjunction with the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada.
This is the first project of this type in Central America, so any
information we might receive is valuable. We are interested both
in the exchange of technical and organizational information as
well as feedback on the potential of distance education as a tool
for peace and development. If possible, we would like to
establish an ongoing conference on these topics.
We are subscribers to Peacenet, which can be accesed through
Telenet. Peacenet has the type of conference facility which we
would need, with charges much lower than most commercial
networks.
Please let us know your reactions to the ideas of the exchange
and the conference on distance education. We look forward to your
reply.
[Editor's note: Of course this raises the question, Should BITNET
offer conferencing (or maybe other) capabilities?]
......
... ... THE BIBLIOGRAPHY GROWS
... ITEM ... Additions to the distance education bibliography
... #11... By the editor, JFJBO@ALASKA
......
In the last issue of the Online Journal, I appealed to readers
to share their distance education bibliographies. The response
was heartening. I will continue this feature as long as people
have bibliographies to share.
I will take the bibliographies in any form, though it would be
appreciated if they were indented one tab space. Please include
a short description of what the general topic of the
bibiliography pertains to in order to orient the reader.
===========BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY=========================
The Yukon College has prepared the following document:
DISTANCE EDUCATION- AN APPROPRIATE APPROACH FOR YUKON
COLLEGE FOR YUKON PILOT PROJECT PROPOSAL
It has been compiled and submitted by the Yukon College
Distance Education Program Team:
Karen King, Coordinator, Community Campuses
Dudley Morgan, Coordinator, Community Campuses
Ray Marnoch, Community Campus Instructor, Skookies
Debbie Volbrecht, Academic Development Instructor
Aron Senkpiel, Coordinator, Arts and Science
Lois Hawkins, Director, Research and Planning, Dept.
of Ed.
For more information contact USERMARS@UALTAMTS, or:
Karen King, Yukon College, PO Box 2799, Whitehorse,YT,
Y1A 5K4 PHONE: (403) 668-8713
========= BIBILOGRAPHY ENTRY=============================
From Norman Coombs, NRCGSH@RITVAX, available through ERIC.
EJ369525 SO517717
History by Teleconference.
Coombs, Norman R.
History Microcomputer Review, v4 n1 p37-39 Spr 1988
Language: English
Document Type:JOURNAL ARTICLE (080);
PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141)
Journal Announcement: CIJAUG88
Discusses use of computer conferencing in history
instruction at Rochester, New York Institute of Technology.
Describes how students hand in papers and communicate with
their blind professor using personal computers and modems
to send and receive electronic mail on the mainframe.
Examines student reactions to project and evaluates
program in terms of student achievement, overall efficiency,
convenience, and productivity. (GEA)
Descriptors: Blindness; *Computer Networks; *Computer Uses
in Education; Higher Education; *History Instruction;
Teaching Methods; *Teleconferencing
Identifiers: IBM Personal Computer; *Rochester Institute of
Technology NY; VAX Computers
========BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY=============
From Don Robertson,D_ROBERTSON@UTOROISE....The bibliography
of the report "Electronic Networking in the Post-Secondary
Community: NETNORTH/BITNET/EARN" By Jim Kerr, Mary Lambert,
Don Robertson.".....
Bellamy, Donald and Mielniczuk, Simon. (1988). Computing
conferencing: A new teaching/learning tool in social
work. Paper presented at the CANADIAN ASSOCIATION
OF SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL WORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE. June,
1988. Windsor, Ontario, 1-25.
Burnard, Lou. (1988). HUMANIST so far: A report on
activities, August 1987 to January 1988. HUMANIST
Discussion. <HUMANIST@UTORONTO> 1-6.
CDNET REPORTS. (1988). Available on CDNET through
NETNORTH/BITNET <CDNET-HQ@EAN.UBC.CA>
Condon, Chris (Ed.)(88 Aug.). Electronic list of electronic
journals. The Bitnet Services Library. <BITLIB@YALEVM>
Condon, Chris (Ed.)(88 Aug.). List of network servers and
services. The Bitnet Services Library. <BITLIB@YALEM>
or <M_LAMBERT@UTOROISE> 1-20.
Coffin, Paul to Robertson, Don. (88 Oct.31). Electronic
correspondence re: ON-LINE JOURNAL OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION (DISTED). Juneau, Alaska: DISTED <JXPJC@ALASKA>
or <D_ROBERTSON@UTOROISE>.
Eringhaus, Michael to Morrison, Ian et. al. (88 Sept.14).
Electronic correspondence re: NEW HORIZONS IN ADULT
EDUCATION. Syracuse,New York: <MICHAELE@SUVM> or
<D_ROBERTSON@UTOROISE>.
Martin, M to Kerr,Jim.(88 Oct.25). Electronic correspondence
re: information services available through CDNet to
Netnorth. CDNet REPORTS. Vancouver: University of British
Columbia, <MARTIN@EAN.UBC.CA> or <CEFKERR@BROCKU.CA>.
McCarty, Willard. (1987). HUMANIST so far: A review of the
first two months. ACH Newsletter, 9(3), 1-2.
McCarty, Willard to Lambert, Mary. (88 Nov.7).
Online information describing HUMANIST and
providing instructions for membership.
<MCCARTY@UTOREPAS> or <M_LAMBERT@UTOROISE>
O'Connor, Annette to Lambert, Mary. (88 Nov.2).
Online response to questionnaire describing
use of Netnorth in Education. <M_LAMBERT@UTOROISE>
Ohler, Jason (Ed.). (1988). The On-line Journal of Distance
Education (DISTED). Juneau, Alaska: 1(4), Item 6.
<JADIST@ALASKA>.
Quarterman, J. S. & Hoskins, J.C. (1986). Notable Computer
Networks. COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM. 29 (10), 932-971.
Southwel, M. to Kerr,J.(88 Oct.26). Electronic communication
re: resources for history and background of Netnorth.
<SOUTHWEL@UOGUELPH.BITNET> or <CEFKERR@BROCKU.CA>.
Walker, D.F.(1983). Reflections on the educational potential
and limitations of microcomputers. Phi Delta Kappan,
103-107.
===BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY=======
From Pat Dubbs, FFPJD@ALASKA
"Distance Education in the Canadian North: An Annotated
Bibliography" (September, 1984). Published as Occasional
Paper No. 12 of the Association of Canadian Universities
for Northern Studies, 130 Albert St., Suite 1915,
Ottawa, Canada K1P 5G4 ($3.00). 28 pp.
==BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY=========
From the editor, JFJBO@ALASKA.
These sources were used in developing the paper, "The
Social Context of Distance Education," concerned with the
history of distance education, the social conditions from
which distance education arose, and the new types of learners
that have emerged as the result or, perhaps as the cause of,
distance education.
Agency for Instructional Technology. PROCEEDINGS OF
CONFERENCE ON TECHNOLOGY AND STUDENTS AT RISK,
Bloomington, Illinois, 1986.
Bascur, Raquel. "Technology Choice and the Andean
Countries," from Alan Hancock's Technology Transfer and
Communication, Paris, UNESCO, 1984.
Batey, Anne and Cowell, Richard N. "Distance Education:
An Overview, "(A Northwest Regional Educational
Laboratory publication), Nov.1986.
Carpenter, Edmund. OH, WHAT A BLOW THAT PHANTOM GAVE ME,
New York: Holt Rhinehart, and Winston, 1974.
Coles, Edwin. MAVERICK OF THE EDUCATION FAMILY, Oxford:
Pergamon Press, 1982.
Cordosco, Francesco. A BRIEF HISTORY OF EDUCATION, New
Jersery: Littlefield, Adams, & Co., 1976.
Frost, S.E. HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
WESTERN EDUCATION, Columbus: Merrill Books, 1966.
Harris, W.J.A. and Williams, J.D.S. A HANDBOOK ON DISTANCE
EDUCATION, Manchester Monograph, University of Manchester,
England, 1977.
Ho, Thomas, "Project Intelenet," in Volume 1, Issue #2,
Online Journal of Distance Education and Communication,
Juneau: University of Alaska, 1987.
Holmberg, Borje, GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION,
Worcester, England: Croom Helm, 1986.
Holmberg, Borje. STATUS AND TRENDS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION,
Lund: Lector Publishing, 1985.
International Council on Distance Education. DEVELOPING
DISTANCE EDUCATION, Proceedings of the 14th World ICDE
Conference, Varnamo, Sweden: Falths Tryckeri.
Jameson, Sheilagh S. CHAUTAUQUA IN CANADA, Alberta: Glenbow-
Alberta Institute,1987.
Keegan, Desmond. THE FOUNDATIONS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION,
London: Croom Helm, 1986, p.57
Lines, Patricia. "An Overview of Home Instruction," Phi
Delta Kappan, March 1987.
Mckenzie, Ossian; Christensen, Edward, and Rigby, Paul.
CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES, New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Mackenzie, Ossian and Christensen, Edward. THE CHANGING
WORLD OF CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTION, University Park:
Penn. State Press.
Mattingly, Paul. THE CLASSLESS PROFESSION: American
Schoolmen in the Nineteenth Century, New York: New York
University Press, 1975.
McLuhan, Marshall. UNDERSTANDING MEDIA, New York: McGraw
-Hill, 1964.
Moeller, Martin. Internal paper on computer conferencing,
Jutland Open University, Aarhus, Denmark, 1985.
Moore, Michael. "On a Theory of Independent Study," Hagen:
FernUniversitat, 1977.
Mugridge, Ian and Kaufman, David. DISTANCE EDUCATION IN
CANADA. London: Crommhelm, 1986.
Postman, Neil. AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH, New York:
Penguin, 1985.
Sewart, David; Keegan,Desmond, and Holmberg, Borje.
DISTANCE EDUCATION: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES. Kent:
Croom Helm, 1983.
Simkins, Tim. NON-FORMAL EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT,
Manchester Monograph, University of Manchester, England,
1977.
Valore, Leonard and Diehl, Grover. "The Effectiveness and
Acceptance of Home Study,"Monograph of the National Home
Study Council, Washington, D.C.,1987.
Wedell, E.G. THE PLACE OF EDUCATION BY CORRESPONDENCE IN
PERMANENT EDUCATION, Strasborg: Council for Cultural
Cooperation for the Council of Europe,1970.
......
... ... DISTANCE EDitorial:
... ITEM ... A NEW LEARNER EMERGES
... #12... by the editor, JFJBO@ALASKA
......
THE NEW LEARNER
What has emerged over the past century is a new student body
consisting of a number of related but not synonmous kinds of learners:
distance learners, home learners, independent learners, continuing learners,
extended learners, open learners and others. Each of these terms
describes a different interpretation of non-traditional post
industrial-age education. Common to all of these new learners is an
insistence on the right to situate themselves differently with respect
to the education infrastructure than students immersed in the typical
classroom-based, teacher-centered industrial age model of learning.
Though small in number relative to the campus-based student population,
this new student body is growing steadily.
As Anne Batey and Richard Cowell noted in "Distance Education:
An Overview", "Distance education may force us to redefine what a
school is." In fact, distance education al us to reinvent
what school is and allows us to redefine what it means to be a student
in the 1980's and beyond. Its presence allows us to begin a community
dialogue about what boils down to a compromise between total
individuality in designing one's learning experience and total
acceptance of the cultural transfusion that schools usually insist on.
Most important is to dispense with the very common misconception
that all distance learners live in remote areas. What we are talking
about are dispersed, or decentralized learners. The word is hardly
new or under utilized. Techno-philosophers from Toffler to McLuhan
have used it exhaustively to describe the fundamental shift from
industrial to information ages in the way we work, play, learn, and
live. Note that it is the student body that is decentralized, while
the teacher or provider of materials is usually quite centralized.
There are many ways to view or categorize the decentralized
learner, two of which are of primary importance to me: from the
perspective of 1) the sociologist, and 2) the psychologist. This
editorial deals with the first of these. I leave the psychologist's
perspective for another issue of the Journal.
The sociologist recognizes trends in distance education by
observing student populations. I identify eight primary reasons that
students are lead to use distance education methods:
1) BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO RECEIVE A STATE-SANCTIONED
EDUCATION DUE TO GEOGRAPHIC ISOLATION. To many, these constitute the
real distance learners. This category also includes those so
severely disabled and without support that they are essentially
isolated from nearby schools, an area which is just now being
explored. The important aspect of the students in this category is
the apparent lack of choice about attending a centralized school,
'apparent' because although they could move to more populated areas it
would often be done at such a high cost to the integrity of home,
job, and family that such a move becomes impossible.
2) BECAUSE THEY WANT TO AVOID OR REINFORCE A PARTICULAR LEARNING
DYNAMIC. This is often associated with home learning. The students in
this category are often avoiding the socialization at the nearby
learning institution. The most obvious example are those who learn at
home in order to receive an education with a religious emphasis.
Patricia Lines estimates that fully half of all home learners fall
into this category. [1. Lines]
Some parents choose this method for their children so that they
avoid negative influences such as drugs and gangs, while others are
simply disenchanted with the school system's ability to educate.
Perhaps the most interesting of those in this category are those who
do not like the distance in local education, both physical in the case
of large, lecture-based classes as well as psychic and social in the
case of teachers and students who are unable to develop a rapport. [2.
Wedemeyer] It is interesting to note that some high risk youth
respond to computer-aided instruction simply because they can avoid
the teacher-student hierarchy dynamic.
3) BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO ABANDON THEIR SCHEDULES, LIFE STYLES,
CULTURES,OR HOMES. This continues to be the most poignant rationale
for the use of distance education by indigenous populations. It
theoretically allows students to import western education at arms
length and on their own terms. Home and local culture, rather than
the schools of a foreign culture, become the context in which growth
(applied learning) occurs. No matter how well this process is
controlled, at least some displacement of local culture by the
delivering culture is unavoidable.
Also included in this category are those who simply cannot
attend scheduled classes due to home and job responsibilities. They
accept education on their terms, listening to or watching tapes and
reading materials as their schedules permit.
4) BECAUSE THEY WANT TO EXPAND THEIR LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND
RESOURCES BEYOND THOSE IMMEDIATELY OR TRADITIONALLY AVAILABLE TO THEM
BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY THAT MEDIA PROVIDES,
TRANSPORTING EXPERTS INTO THEIR HOMES, BUSINESSES, AND SCHOOLS. Anyone
can fall into this category, including those usually identified with
the other categories. Typical examples are people who attend
regular school but need a particular course not offered, or home
learners who want to supplement their education by using any one of
the number of services available, from electronic mail to two way
interactive video. The courses they take are often referred to as
'enrichment' or 'specialty' courses. This is currently seen as a very
profitable area in education, as a number of Talk Back services now
provide upper level courses to remote schools who cannot afford to
hire specialty teachers. I use audio-conferencing to 'import' into
classes authors and experts who are simply unreachable in person.
Foundations are being constructed for distance education services
that will compete directly with the school next door.
5) BECAUSE THE DEMANDS OF FORMAL EDUCATION EXCEED THEIR SKILL LEVELS
OR COPING ABILITIES. As might be expected, this means different things
in different countries. In the United States, where high school
dropout rates are high, and where there appears to be a strong causal
connection between being a drop out and a convicted criminal 35 , new
models have sprung up, from supervised correspondence study leading to
a GED (General Education Diploma), to on-the-job-education.
In Japan, adults must pass an entrance exam to enter college
which can create a vicious cycle of the smart getting smarter while
enforcing the ignorance of the rest. Recognizing that there needed to
be ways to re-educate a society dependent upon a skilled public,
Japan recently turned to distance education, in particular University
of the Air (UOA). UOA does not require an entrance exam and
broadcasts course work for eighteen hours a day using radio and
television. [3. ICDE]
In Thailand there is a similar situation. At each grade level,
students must pass exams in order to advance, a system
that has bred much corruption in the falsification of the coveted
diplomas. This also produced large number of semi-educated people who
typically would live in the rural villages. Besides the ever present
Buddhists who offer a great deal of Thailand's education,the Ministry
of Education, sensing the cost to the advancement of Thailand in the
ways of progress, developed the 'second chance' night school. The
'second chance' school used radio, print, and tutorials to help train
in the areas of civil service, general interest, and exam
preparation.[4. Harris]
6) BECAUSE CENTRALIZED EDUCATION IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO BE PROVIDED BY
THE STATE. This is particularly true for developing countries. This
rationale drove Tanzania's development of a distance education
infrastructure that used radio, print, and tutorials.[5. Simkins] In
1984 the government of Kenya recognized that with education using
34.9% of the government's budget, cost effective alternatives had to
be found. In 1967 the government established the CCU (Correspondence
Course Unit) which employed radio, print, and short face-to-face
courses as an alternative to building elaborate educational
infrastructures common in developed countries.[6.ICDE]
7) BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO MOBILE TO ATTEND A CENTRALIZED SCHOOL WITH ANY REGULARIT
Y. The Calvert school, arguably the most successful
correspondence school for elementary students in the U.S., counts
among its many patrons the children of parents in the circus,
entertainment, and sports industries, who move frequently and need a
consistent form of education for their children. The parents of Tammy
and Michelle Walsh sold their house bought a boat, and enrolled their
daughters in American (correspondence) School. They organized ways to
to send homework and a receive lessons so that they could sail the
Carribean as a family. Both daughters are now in college. [7. Fatsis]
Migrant education, as defined and funded by the federal government,
falls into this category, usually comprised of students whose families
are involved in seasonal or remote businesses, like fishing and
logging.
8) BECAUSE THEY WANT TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS.
This is one of distance education's greatest contributions
to 'local' education, the use of improved communication (FAX,
electronic mail, phone) to connect teacher and student who exist in a
more or less distance learning environment due to scheduling (meeting
once a week or two weeks) or the fact that a teacher or student is
hard to to get hold of for a number of reasons (on the road,
conducting research, ensconced in a library heeding the publish or
perish imperative). My technology of choice is electronic mail. As
a result of the near-omniscience it affords me, I deliver a far better
service to students who no longer play telephone tag or find me out of
town unexpectedly during office hours. Much of the 'business' of
being a teacher can be handled by electronic communication. For the
25% that forms the true human interaction of a teacher-student
relations and which cannot be handled electronically, electronic mail
is used to set up times for face-to-face meetings.
----
There is a great deal of overlap among these categories. However the
purpose is to point out the primary reasons distance education
students find themselves drawn to this rather new and distinct mode of
learning. In that sense, each is legitimately a reason of its own.
How will the new learners be accomodated? It is clear that not only
is distance education emerging as a mode of learning in its own right,
but that it is influencing regular education as well. Perhaps this will
lead to the creation of one student body consisting of all learners,
local and distant, served by an integrated local/distant publicly
supported delivery system. Ideally we would hope that within such a
system the use of distance delivery methods would be driven by a belief
in the right of people to have access to mainstream, dominant culture
on their own terms while maintaining local culture as their contextual
base. More realistically we must be careful that distance education does
not become the stepchild of local education, lest we misunderstand that
the emergence of this type of new learner is a healthy sign.
--------
Footnote references appear at the end of the Journal.
......
... ...
... ITEM ...
... #12... APPENDIX- ABOUT THE JOURNAL by the editor
......
WHAT IS THE ONLINE JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND COMMUNICATION?
[What follows is an excerpt from the first issue of the Journal.]
This first issue will be primarily concerned with the Journal
itself. Once we provide an idea of the Journal's identity and
direction, we hope you will contribute to this rapidly growing
field of education and communication.
THE MEDIUM
==========> We want short contributions, 4 screens maximum. Rather
than trying to compete with a paper-based magazine which does a much
better job of presenting long articles, we want contributions that
present overview information. Based upon information gleaned in
contributions, readers can directly contact the author for more
details.
THE MESSAGE
===========> The issues that the Journal is concerned with fall into
four basic content areas:
Content Area #1- *** Distance Education ***
The Journal is interested in distance education as the
organized method of reaching geographically disadvantaged
learners, whether K-12, post secondary, or general enrichment
students. Areas of interest include:
* delivery technologies,
* pedagogy,
* cross cultural issues implicit in wide area education
delivery,
* distance education projects that you are involved with,
* announcements and workshops, or programs of study,
* anything else regarding the theory and practice of
distance education.
Content Area #2- *** Distance Communications ***
The Journal recognizes that education encompasses a broad area
of experience and that distance education includes distance
communications that fall outside the domain of formal learning.
The Journal welcomes contributions that deal with serving people
at a distance who aren't necessarily associated with a learning
institution. The Journal welcomes information about, for
examples:
* public radio and television efforts to promote cultural
awareness,
* governmental efforts to inform a distant public about social
issues,
* or the many training programs run by private business to
upgrade employee skills.
Content Area #3- *** Telecommunications in Education ***
Once the distance education infrastructure is solidly in
place, local learners will want to tap into it, because they
simply prefer learning in a decentralized setting or because
they want to expand their learning opportunities and resources
beyond those immediately available to them. This phenomenon,
which we call 'bringing distance education home,' will grow in
the coming years and we look forward to hearing from people
about telecommunications in education, as a tool or a content
area.
Content Area #4- *** Cross Cultural Communication Efforts ***
--> Particularly Between the US and the USSR <--
The Journal is interested in projects concerned with
overcoming cultural barriers throughributions concerning:
* efforts to improve electronic communication between the USSR
and the US
* international electronic conferences
* cultural domination through the inappropriate use of media
* the use of telecommunications to promote understanding of the
human condition
* * * * * * * * * *
**ITEM #13 FOOTNOTES
---------------------
1. Partricia Lines, "An Overview of Home Instruction," Phi Delta
Kappan, March 1987, p. 510-517.
2. Charles Wedemeyer, Learning at the Back Door, Madison: University
of Wisconsin Press, 1981, p. 39.
3. Developing Distance Education, Proceedings of the 14th World ICDE
Confernence, Varnamo, Sweden: Falths Tryckeri, p.10-11.
4. W.J.A. Harris and J.D.S. Williams, A Handbook on Dis Education,
Manchester Monograph, University of Manchester, England, 1977, p. 59-69.
5. Tim Simkins, Non-Formal Education and Development, Manchester Monograph,
University of Manchester, England, 1977, p. 44-48.
6. Developing Distance Education, Proceedings of the 14th World ICDE
Confernence, Varnamo,Sweden: Falths Tryckeri, p.350.
7. Fatsis, Stefan, "Sisters Get Education as Family Roams Seas," Chicago
Tribune, March 6, 1988.
* * * * * * * * * *
To subscribe to The Online Journal of Distance Education and
Communication, send the following command to LISTSERV@UWAVM :
SUB DISTED your_full_name
All contributions should be sent to JADIST@ALASKA
Any other questions about DISTED can be sent to: Jason B. Ohler,
Editor
JFJBO@ALASKA
or
Paul J. Coffin
JXPJC@ALASKA
Disclaimer: The above were the opinions of the individual contributors
and in no way reflect the views of the University of Alaska.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
***** End of the Online Journal of Distance Education & Communication
*****