Respecting the human needs of students in the development of e-learning

Abstract

This paper deals with the process pupils, aged 11 and 12, go through in the course of distance learning using electronic mail. Based on the constructive approach principles for teaching, the idea underlying this course was that students may acquire basic computer skills through experiential learning while actively using the software programs being learned and experiencing through trial and error. During the course of the research, detailed instructions were sent to the learners who performed the assigned tasks and returned the completed work, or any question, problem or ambiguity, to the teacher for evaluation and reassignment if necessary. The teacher's role was that of guide, facilitator, mentor, manager of resources and students and disseminator of tasks and questions. Collection of data was carried out through interviews, observations, questionnaires, tasks that the students were required to send in, and the portfolios that the students were asked to prepare. The data analysis strategy was that of “content analysis”. Six themes appeared over and over again and it appears that there are two dimensions that all of them have in common. The first dimension relates to the technological aspect and the second dimension relates to the social aspect. A summary of the findings shows that children aged 11–12 find it difficult to learn in a distance learning computerized environment, a situation in which there is no face-to-face contact with the teacher or with other students. The main conclusions of this paper indicate the importance of personal contact and direct connection between teachers and their pupils. It is important for the teacher to take into consideration and respect the varied and various human needs of the children when developing electronic learning for such young learners.

Introduction

This paper presents the findings of a study that examined the challenges with which 11–12 year old students are faced when participating in a ‘Basic Computer Skills’ course that is based on distance learning by way of electronic mail. The aim of the study was to examine what happens (cognitively, affectively, and conatively) to the students participating in this course.

Distance education is a method of education in which the learner is physically separated from both the teacher and the institution providing the instruction. Distance education may be used on its own or in conjunction with other forms of education including face-to-face instruction. Learning may be undertaken either individually or in groups. In its original form, teachers using distance education corresponded with students through regular mail, telephone, or fax machine. The use of various forms of electronic media increases time effectiveness, enables flexibility of place and improves the delivery of information. Electronic delivery can occur using synchronous communication, in which class members participate at the same time, or asynchronous communication where participants are separated by time (Mielke, 1999).

The course described in this paper was based on the use of e-mail which is, in fact, a form of asynchronous communication. During the course a number of face-to-face meetings took place. However, the main form of activity was that detailed instructions were sent to the learners who performed the assigned tasks and returned the completed work, or any question, problem or ambiguity, to the teacher for evaluation and reassignment if necessary.

The idea was to apply the constructive approach (Glaserfeld, 1995, Krajcik et al., 1999, Vygotsky, 1986) principles to teaching, having the students learn basic computer skills (specifically speaking, familiarization with Windows, Word processor, Power Point program, and e-mail program) through active learning, trial and error and active use of the programs learned.

In the course presented here, the method of teaching also made it possible to apply some of the ‘individualized learning’ (Corno & Snow, 1986) principles, which allow for the setting up of appropriate individualized levels and rates of learning adapted to each and every student individually. “Distance education offers students considerable benefits including convenience of time and place” (LeLoup & Ponterio, 2000).

E-mail was in use before the Internet as we know it today even existed and still one of the most commonly used Internet application. The infrastructure requirements for email are minimal, making it the most available of all Internet tools. Today's e-mail software can handle texts in a wide variety of languages and can include word processed files as attachments. The software also allows sending sound and images as attachments that enhance the context of the written communication (LeLoup & Ponterio, 2000). In the course described in this paper, much use was made of the Attach function of the e-mail program.

In reviewing literature it appears that most of the research carried out on the effectivity of distance learning through the use of e-mail has been carried out at the level of higher education. Only very scanty material exists that examines the 11–12 year old age group discussed in this paper. Later (in the discussion section of this paper) we will try to compare the results of our research with the results of research on higher education.

Findings of research that has been carried out in recent years in higher/adult education suggest that students in distance education settings perform as well or better on assignments and exams when compared to campus-based students (St. Pierre, 1998). Web-based instruction provides a learning environment in which participants can develop electronic literacy skills as well as various other skills and are able to share their ideas and projects (Hindes, 1999, Marttunen and Laurinen, 1999). Overall, students found electronic interaction a meaningful, enjoyable experience (LaMaster and Morley, 1999). The e-mail education seemed to create more personal interaction between teacher and students than traditionally scheduled courses (Ross, 2000). Nevertheless, students must maintain persistence, enthusiasm, personal commitment, and a clear focus in order to succeed in a distance-learning situation. Self-direction, a passion for learning, and strong individual responsibility are important influences on achievement. There are indications that distance education works best for more mature, motivated, well-organized, and already accomplished learners (Rintala, 1998).

More findings of research in higher education suggest that web-based-training programs should be designed to accommodate the learner's needs and to allow learners the freedom to follow unique paths to learning in their own cognitive styles (Brown, 2000, Oosterhof, 2000). Task-oriented and detail-oriented people who are focused in their study habits and engaged in learning tasks requiring creative thinking and analysis are those who are most successful in using computer-based programs (Wonacott, 2000, Hubschman, 1999). In research carried out by Brown (2000) that compared between adults studying in regular classes and those studying through distance learning, it was found that in general, web-based-learning students felt that electronic instruction facilitated greater depth of learning and afforded greater opportunity for them to participate in discussions since no one student could monopolize the conversation. In discussing the difficulties with electronic instruction, students mentioned that they felt disconnected from their class members, frustrated by a poor flow of communication and technical problems, and confused by feedback that was not always clear. They missed having face-to-face contact with their instructor.

The instructor teaching the course described in this paper used the Garrels (1997) model which describes five critical elements for successful teaching at a distance: instructor enthusiasm; organization (i.e. teaching materials must be prepared in advance); strong commitment to student interaction; familiarity with the technology used; and critical support personnel.

Indeed, four of these critical elements were maintained in our research: the teacher of the course was extremely enthusiastic over using this new teaching approach which was new to her; the entire course and the student tasks were all pre-planned; the teacher was committed to interacting with the students and responded quickly to each request; and the teacher was well-acquainted with computer technology. Despite fulfilling all the above criteria, we assume that the teacher was still faced with some difficulties when moving from traditional classroom teaching to distance learning teaching. However, in this research we chose to examine what was happening to the students. In follow-up research, it will certainly be necessary to examine the difficulties with which teachers who use this kind of teaching method in teaching 11–12 year olds are faced.