Given global demands for knowledge and tough global competition, higher educational institutions are rushing to develop Internet-based courses for learners around the world. After investing in the development of infrastructure for distributed education, higher educational institutions now have major concerns about the effectiveness of their programs. The key issue is how to develop instructional processes and resources that can foster teaching and learning in online education. Simply, the old pedagogical approaches based on the objectivist model of learning do not meet possibilities created by technology and expectations of learners and society. The development of an effective pedagogy that can benefit from new opportunities created by information technology and the global network is a very important issue for higher educational institutions around the world. This report, based on findings from collected data, will discuss the need for the development of an effective constructivist pedagogy, teachers’ new needs, and institutions’ responsibilities in online education.
The 1996 and 1998 research revealed that there is a great need for knowledge and information about elements of an effective pedagogy and new instructional processes that can benefit from possibilities created by information technology. The key questions were 1) what are the ingredients of a constructivism learning environment?, 2) what are elements for the development of an effective constructivist pedagogy?, and 3) what are the new roles and responsibilities of faculty and students in online education, which fit well with constructivist pedagogy?
The importance of Internet-based distance education and its vital roles in the future of institutions, as well as tough global competition for distance education market obligate higher educational institutions to evaluate needs and effectiveness of Internet-based courses that offer pedagogies beyond that of only digital content and materials development. The key is to understand pedagogical advantages created by technology and to develop effective processes that can foster teaching and learning by using the enormous opportunities created by the advancements in technology.
The "Search for a New Pedagogy" research study reported the responses of higher educational institutions’ faculty members who have taught Internet-based distance education classes. The study focused on pedagogical issues in the development and delivery of the Internet-based classes. In this study, faculty members indicated that technology has the potential to enhance active participation of learners in the development of process and learning activity. They thought technology could enhance new pedagogical strategies and support the design and development of the constructivismlearning environment. But there is a great need for support in order to design and develop content and activities that can benefit from the possibilities created by technology and satisfy instructional goals of learners and teachers. There is a major need for more research studies in the field of Internet-based distance education, particularly in development of online courses that are pedagogically sound and educationally effective.
Spss statistical package on the Open VMS (Alpha computer) was used to analyze collected data. Frequency distributions analyzed responses to the close-ended questions. Responses to the open-ended questions were tabulated as frequency counts, and some of the comments were published at the end of this report.
Faculty members who participated in this study were from twenty-five (25) different higher educational institutions in the United States, two (2) higher educational institutions in Canada, and one (1) in England. The majority of the faculty members were from disciplines such as health, nursing, computer and information science, education, English, business, and history. Faculty members in this study were teaching 43.7% (38) undergraduate, 43.7% (38) graduate, 5.7% (5) both undergraduate and graduate, and 6.9% (6) associate level courses. Over 95% (84) of the faculty used e-mail and Web, 56.8% (50) used bulletin board, 43.7% (38) used chat room, and 22.7% (20) used Listserv in their Internet-based distance education classes.
2. Student's New Roles:
Over 96% (84) of the faculty participants saw Internet-based students
as learners with the main objective to learn,
69.0% (60) saw students as researchers who investigate subject matter
and learning materials from different resources in their online courses,
56.3% (49) saw students as partners to accomplish the task of teaching
and learning, and
29.9% (26) indicated that students are clients of the education market
in online courses.
Ingredients of Constructivism Method:
The following findings reveal some of the important issues in the design
and development of constructivism learning environment for Internet-based
distance education.
Over 97% (82) of the faculty participants thought technology can enhance
active participation of learners in an Internet-based course,
96.4% (81) indicated that the Internet has both the potential and tools
for creating an active (constructivist) learning environment, and 97.7%
(85) thought technology can enhance pedagogical strategies in Internet-based
distance education, and 96.3% (79) indicated that a constructivist pedagogy
can encourage active participation of learners and enhance Internet-based
courses.
Over 97% (84) indicated that they have contents, materials, and tools that support active participation of learners in their Internet-based courses. At the same time, 78.8% (66) indicated that an objectivist (passive learning process) pedagogy is not effective with the Internet-based courses.
When the survey asked what are the main ingredients of a quality Internet-based course, effective pedagogy had the highest number of responses at 88.8% (77) whereas 77% (69) indicated student-centered education, 75.9% (66) indicated focus on learning, 69% (60) indicated support staff, 58.6% (51) indicated needed infrastructure for digital communication and collaboration, 49.4% (43) indicated outcome-oriented program, 49.4 % (43) indicated teacher's technical competency, and 33.3% (29) indicated student's technical competency.
Over 52% (45) indicated that they do not have instructional designers to help them with new pedagogical strategies. But 94.2% (81) of the participants mentioned that they have clear instructional goals for their Internet-based courses, and 65.1% (56) indicated that they asked about their students' objectives for participation in Internet-based courses. The key point is that 73.8% (62) of the faculty members indicated that they adjust their instructional goals in order to fit better with the learning objectives of their students.
Elements of Effective Pedagogy
When the survey asked what are the needed elements for success of the
Internet-based courses, participants indicated the following:
effective pedagogy 86.0% (74), adequate competency of teacher and student
79.1% (68), needed infrastructure and tools 70.9% (61), contribution of
support team 57.0% (49), and quality of digital resources 55.8% (48).
When the survey asked in your opinion, what are the needed elements
for
practice and development of an effective pedagogy for Internet-based
courses? The responses were:
Clear instructional goals of course 91.7% (77),
Adequate infrastructure and tools 83.3% (70),
Quality of digital learning resources 67.9% (57),
Knowledge of learning objectives of learners 66.7% (56),
Clear definition of student's roles 63.1% (53),
Clear definition of teacher's roles 60.7% (51),
Needed expert support team 60.7% (51),
Faculty development programs 60.7% (51),
Knowledge of constructivist model of learning 50% (42)
Finally, 62.4% (53) of the faculty members indicated that there is a need to define and to develop a new pedagogy that supports and enhances Internet-based distance education.
Faculty Development
When the survey asked about their training in new pedagogical strategies that would be effective in the Internet-based courses, 54.8% (46) indicated "yes" they had training, and 45.2% (38) indicated "no." Over 77% (66) indicated that they had training in computer communication (e-mail, chat,..) and collaboration (bulletin board, discussion group,..), only 52.3% (45) had training in distance education concepts and methodologies, and only 40.5% (34) had training in digital content development.
Over 88% (76) indicated that their institutions have faculty development programs, and the main components of their institutions' faculty development programs are: 78.5% (51) grant program, 52.3 (34) faculty release time, 41.5% (27) teacher assistance, 36.9% (24) reduced course load, and 44.6% (29) stipend.
Additional Findings:
Over 83% (71) of the faculty members indicated that they feel pressure to keep up with learning technology and keep up with constant changes in technology, while about 26% (22) indicated that keeping up with technology hurt their focus and development in their disciplines.
Finally, about 55% (46) of participants preferred traditional teaching (face-to-face) over Internet-based teaching.
In this new paradigm, students have clear objectives and instructional goals for their participation in Internet-based education. Over 96% of the faculty members indicated that students are learners and their main objective is to learn. With the vast amount of available online resources, over 69% of participants saw their students as researchers who can investigate and find needed information and knowledge from a variety of resources. Over 56% saw their students as team members to accomplish the task of teaching and learning. The new roles of students will help teachers to focus more on the quality of materials and activities, and instructional goals of learners, teachers, and the institution. The new responsibilities will enable the student to be a self-directed learner and active participant in the learning processes and activities. These new ways of learning can help students to be lifelong learners. Simply, the new roles of teachers and students are major forces for the changes in current pedagogy to a new pedagogy that can benefit and support new roles of both teachers and students in Internet-based distance education.
A constructivist pedagogy fits well with Internet-based courses. This method provides opportunities for active participation and helps students to gain needed skills and knowledge. Over 97% (82) thought technology can enhance active participation of learners in Internet-based courses, and 96.4% (81) indicated that the Internet has both the potential and tools for creating a constructivist learning environment.
The development of an educational program based on the constructivism method needs many different ingredients, some of which are beyond the teacher's reach and responsibility. In this study, faculty members indicated those important ingredients for the development of quality Internet-based courses. Over 88% (77) indicated effective pedagogy, 77% (69) indicated student-centered programs and activities, 75.9% (66) indicated focus on learning, 49.4% (43) indicated outcome-oriented programs, 69% (60) indicated support staff, 58.6% indicated infrastructure for digital communication and collaboration, 49.4% (43) indicated teacher's competency, and 33.3% (29) indicated student's competency.
We can divide these ingredients into two categories. Some are within the reach of faculty members: development of self-directed and student-centered activities with more focus on learning and not teaching, and development of outcome-oriented activities and programs. The other ingredients, such as needed support staff, infrastructure, and teacher's and student's competencies, are the responsibility of the institution. For example, one of the key factors in the development of an effective pedagogy is the contribution of an instructional designer and other support staff in help desk, development, consultation, labs, and networking. Unfortunately, over 52% (45) indicated that they do not have instructional designers to help them with the development of new and needed pedagogy. The necessity of using technology in teaching and learning, tough global competition, and high expectations of society from higher education obligates higher educational institutions not only to provide a technologically rich environment for teaching and learning, but also to develop needed support and service teams of experts for developing quality resources and programs that can satisfy learners' and employers' expectations and can compete at the local, national, and global levels.
Elements of a Constructivist Pedagogy:
Today, society, employers, and learners all expect learning environments that help and in some cases guarantee that learners will acquire needed skills and knowledge. A learning environment that uses technology very effectively and provides learners the opportunity to discover knowledge from various interactive multimedia resources is essential. The new learning environment should also provide learners opportunities for collaborative work with teachers, experts, and other students in the learning processes and activities. Even with the best materials and content, and communication and collaboration technologies, the course and program will fail if it is not supported with an effective pedagogy that can take advantage of new opportunities to improve teaching and learning. The guiding principles and philosophy for the development of a constructivist pedagogy are changing rapidly. The new pedagogy should be adaptable to opportunities created by technology and learners' learning styles and instructional goals. Experienced teachers who have taught Internet-based distance education courses from 28 different institutions indicated that many different elements must be present in order to develop an effective constructivist pedagogy. They indicated that the key elements for the development of an effective constructivist pedagogy are the following:
Knowledge of instructional goals of the course 91.7% (77), which should include the institution's, learner's, and teacher's instructional goals for the course. The institution should find a way to articulate instructional goals of online courses from instructional goals of the teacher, learner, and institution.
Adequate infrastructure and tools 83.3% (70), which include needed communication, collaboration technologies, and instructional development and delivery tools, rich infrastructure that can help on-demand access to multimedia resources and communication between teacher and student and among students, and tools that can support development of quality learning materials and activities.
Clear definition of the students' roles 63.1% (53) and teachers' roles 60.7% (51), which indicate new roles for both teachers and students. These new roles should be part of the educational culture and be accepted by teachers, students, the institution, and the general public. These new roles should be a groundwork for the development of needed pedagogy for Internet-based courses.
Over 60% (51) indicated that a needed expert support team is an important element in the development of an effective pedagogy. The expert support team should include not only content developers and problem solvers, but also instructional designers and trainers. We all should remember that the potential of technology is extraordinary, but so are the challenges of developing quality technology-based programs and resources. The expert support team can help faculty to benefit from the full potential of technology in instructional development and delivery.
Over 60% (51) indicated that a faculty development program is another important element in the development of an effective constructivist pedagogy. A teacher's knowledge about the possibilities of technology is essential for the development of quality programs. A campus-wide faculty development program should include all faculty members regardless of their skills, age, talents, and disciplines.
A knowledge of the constructivism model of teaching and learning 50% (42) was another element of developing an effective pedagogy for online education. Faculty must have opportunities to learn about some of the factors in the constructivism method such as active learning opportunities, effective digital communication and collaboration, frequent feedback, digital problem solving, online resource finding, peer-peer learning, team work, self-directed activities, and life-long learning.
In this study, participants indicated that faculty development is the key not only for successful instructional development (content and resources), but also for development of an effective pedagogy to foster technology in teaching and learning. Most institutions have isolated faculty development programs that focus on the skilled faculty and early adapters. There is tremendous need for a campus-wide faculty development program that includes faculty with different skills, talents, styles, disciplines, and needs. Over 77% (66) indicated that they had training in computer and communication technologies. Over 52% (45) had training in distance education concepts and methodology, and only 40.5% (34) had training in digital content development. For the Internet-based course, teachers should have opportunities for development of basic skills (e-mail, discussion board, chat, current networking and infrastructure) and instructional delivery (resource development, development of interactive activities, concepts of distance education, design of effective pedagogy). In addition, faculty who teach Internet-based courses should have opportunities of on-demand training (one-on-one, workshops, peer-to-peer) and package training, which includes different subject matter, tools, technologies, and methodologies that faculty members need to learn in order to be effective teachers and content developers for Internet-based courses. Over 97% (85) indicated that technology can enhance pedagogical strategies, but only 54.8% (46) indicated they had training in pedagogical strategies for the Internet-based courses. Simply, if faculty are going to teach Internet-based distance education courses, the institution should provide faculty with an adaptive, on-demand, and package-based training program before development of online courses and programs.
Society, learners, employers, and institutions have new expectations from faculty regarding Internet-based distance education. They expect that faculty use technology effectively in teaching and learning in order to help students gain needed skills and knowledge in subject matter. The new expectations will force faculty members to spend more time on learning and using technology, developing digital content and activities, and participating in digital communication and collaboration. These additional loads are taking faculty away from research activities, focusing on their disciplines, and extending their knowledge in their subject matter. Over 83% (71) indicated that they feel pressure to keep up with learning technology and constant changes in technology, and about 26% indicated that keeping up with technology hurt their focus and development in their disciplines.
Finally, the following are some of the written comments of participants in this study about the new pedagogy. "The new pedagogy is freed from constraints of space and time," "It draws heavily on student/faculty collaboration and permits a high degree of student-based pacing, decision-making, and evaluation," "Regardless of the mode in which instruction is delivered, there continues to be a need for clearly stated objectives, optimally designed learning strategies that fit with the content," "I have found that using constructivist principles in the design and implementation of the course encourages the students to participate more," "The new pedagogy should be based on the needs of the learner, not the ability of the technology," and "Alternative strategies should be implemented to address online learning styles, motivational issues and managing a distributed education environment."
CONCLUSION
It is evident that as a result of vast resources available to teachers and students, and the possibilities created by technology, faculty members conceive of new roles for themselves and for their students. Where as a teacher's role formerly consisted of being the sole knowledge provider in a teacher-centered, hierarchical environment, teachers now conceive of themselves as facilitators, motivators, and coaches who play a significant part in promoting students' learning through collaboration, problem-solving, and student-centered activities and programs. Students, instead of passive listeners, become active learners and researchers. In other words, these new roles and resources act as forces in developing a constructivism learning environment, one that can both be enhanced by and help to support the learning environment of Internet-based courses.
This emerging constructivist pedagogy is a catalyst for additional needed change in teaching, learning, and support. The constructivist paradigm places effective pedagogy, with elements such as active participation of learners, at its heart. This new pedagogy dictates that many forces can and should positively contribute to the development of an effective constructivist pedagogy. Some of these factors fall within the control of the teacher (for example, emphasis on student-centered learning activities and the development of outcome-oriented learning activities), while others are the institution's responsibility. Briefly, institutions need to be responsible for creating or providing needed support staff and infrastructure, as well campus-wide faculty development programs, to ensure that faculty members can utilize the opportunities provided by technology to their full potential.
In conclusion, new technologies and resources, as well as newly defined roles for faculty and students, affect and support the emerging constructivism learning environment. The constructivism learning environment can help teaching and learning if it is supported by its main ingredient, which is constructivist pedagogy. The new elements of an effective constructivist pedagogy will change the process and development of educational programs for Internet-based education. It is imperative that institutions support this new pedagogy through planning and funding, that faculty remain knowledgeable about the best, most appropriate ways to utilize technology to enhance learning, that students actively participate in the learning process provided to them, and that support teams provide needed consultation, training, development, and problem solving.
There is a need for more investigation about teachers', students', and institutions' new roles and responsibilities in the Internet-based distance educational programs. Without more knowledge about their roles it is very hard to develop quality programs and effective pedagogies for the Internet-based courses.
There is a real need to further understand and develop a pedagogical methodology that can foster technology in education. Most of the current designs of the process of teaching and learning are based on the face-to-face methods of teaching and learning. As Twigg (1996) said, "the emphasis must not be on the technology, but on change in pedagogy enabled by information technology."
There is a need to investigate needed elements for the development of the constructivist pedagogy and evaluate the effectiveness of the constructivist pedagogy in the Internet-based distance education program.
There is a need for evaluation of the effectiveness of on-demand and package-based training. This type of training will prepare faculty members with most of the necessary technologies and methodologies before starting Internet-based courses. This method will also help faculty members to be effective team members in the development of materials, resources, and pedagogy for their online courses.
There is a need for evaluation of the necessary support programs for teachers and students in computer-based distance education. A support program is necessary to help faculty in the development of digital instructional materials, Internet-based instructional delivery, and development of a constructivist learning environment.
This new field will continue to grow. It is
very important to have a rich knowledge base in order to build a strong
foundation for the future of this method of education. The reality of a
global network and capability of the web are revolutionizing teaching and
learning. Asynchronous education and digital resources are the way of future
for every higher educational institutions in global education. Tough competition
in the global education and economy, and demand of learners for quality
education obligate institutions, agencies, businesses, educators and researchers
to generate more knowledge about this method of education.
Copyright © Bizhan Nasseh 2001