Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The “many to many” mode is not as frequently used in the traditional distance education
or the online approaches to teaching. Even when this mode is practiced, it is more than likely
to be seen as a parallel process to the traditional view of
real
teaching (Romm & Taylor, 2001).
Despite the foregoing, a major and continuing influence of ICT in education has been
to cause a paradigm shift from a teacher-directed model to a group-based learning model as
shown in Table 1 (UNESCO, 1998).
The extent to which the above-mentioned learning environments and education models
can be used for distance education students depends on a number of variables, including
geographical location, student learning style, availability and access to ICT, as well as cost
factors (Watkins & Biggs, 1996).
As mentioned above, online distance education courses can take many approaches and
include new forms of interaction that involve learners in open discourse, providing increased
contextual and emancipatory dimensions. In the provision of a distance education, new
approaches can involve an open discourse approach as part of the delivery mechanism. Such
an approach can also address issues of differences in understanding brought about by
cultural diversity.
AN ONLINE TEACHING MODEL FOR
DISTANCE EDUCATION
A number of approaches (methodologies) have been reported for the delivery of online
courses in the above-mentioned literature. In this section, the benefits of an online course
devised by Romm and Taylor (2000) that provides opportunities for learners in meeting a
range of individual and group learning needs are described and explained. The online course
is for distance education students and has been trialled for a number of courses at the
postgraduate and undergraduate levels and uses “one to many,” “one to one,” and “many
to many” forms of interaction with students.
The instructional materials for this course (irrespective of what area is being taught)
include: a video that contains detailed explanations on how the course functions; a Course
Outline that provides necessary student information about the course, e.g., the study
schedule, assignment and exam requirements, contact persons, etc. (this document is
available online as part of the course's Web site and is also available to the students on a
CD-ROM or as a hard copy); a textbook; and a class email list.
Table 1. Successive education models
Model
Focus
Role of
Student
Technology
Traditional
Teacher
Passive
Blackboard/TV/radio
Information
Student
Active
PC and AV
Knowledge
Group
Adaptive
PC and network and
AV
