E-learning at its best

Kathrin Rick, LL.M.Eur., Trade-Academy Konstanz, Adviser International Projects
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Edgar Hoch, Trade-Academy Konstanz, Head of e-learning competence centre

The Trade Academy Konstanz has an eight years` experience in e-learning and has successfully trained more than 1000 students so far via its own ets-learning platform. E-learning concepts have been developed for universities, vocational training schools and small and medium sized enterprises and more than ten telecoaches are constantly busy putting these e-learning contents into practice. We are thus not talking about e-learning as an theoretical model nor is e-learning a mere substitute for classroom learning. We are talking about a new method of learning that works in practice and helps bridging the digital divide as well as a gap in training, knowledge and job opportunities.

This presentation offers an introduction to e-learning and shows the possibilities to implement e-learning in partner countries.

Overview on subjects of Presentation

The presentation will give you an overview of what is required to implement e-learning successfully and it will answer the following questions:

• What are the advantages of e-learning in general and which advantages go for which country?
• What are the different forms of e-learning and which form is suitable under what conditions?
• What are the technical requirements?
• How to become a telecoach?
• How to develop e-learning contents?
• What are the costs of e-learning?

Advantages

When we talk about e-learning we usually use the term that you can learn wherever, whenever and whatever you want.

But the wide range of advantages that e-learning offers differ from country to country. In the heterogenous countries with large rural areas and inaccessible areas it is mostly the point of overcoming distance and reaching far away areas that prevails. Very often these rural areas are not as wealthy as their urban counterparts, so it is also the reduction of costs by simulation instead of practice and by avoiding any traveling of teachers and students that are very important.

However, with e-learning a whole country can learn on common standards and thus avoid to leave parts of the population behind. All that is necessary is a frequent update of the e-contents via the internet. And as learning becomes independent from schedules, even those who are employed will find the time for further studies.

Finally communication between teachers and students or among students becomes easy as they are all connected by an e-learning platform. Such a platform can also be developed into a network of training institutions or small and medium sized enterprises and enable them to exchange know how.

Explanation

Classical presence learning comprises

• teachers
• students
• learning contents and
• and tools like black boards, flip charts, beamers etc.

E-learning uses these components as well. Only that they are combined by the internet and a platform instead of a classroom.

Depending on the conditions under which e-learning is implemented one form of e-learning or a combination of several forms are chosen. In tele-learning a student can learn with a software that is available on a disc (= computer based training) or in the internet (= web based training). He /she is free to learn whenever and wherever he/she wants, and whether cbt o wbt is chosen depends on whether an internet access is available or not. But as communication is limited in these cases, this form of e-learning is only used when the alternatives are not likely to being implemented.These alternatives are called tele-teaching and tele-cooperation and they become possible when a platform is available. The first means that teaching takes place virtually as it would have taken place in a classroom. Teacher and students are connected by the platform and the teacher uses the same means to teach that he would have used in a real situation: sound, video, writing on a white board. Part of the teaching are also conferences among all participants. Tele-cooperation means that students learn in groups and work on results together. This form of e-learning is used when teamwork is a substantial part of the learning process.

Blended Learning

Blended learning is a combination of presence learning, e-learning, tele-teaching and tele-cooperation and it has been the most successful form of e-learning so far. Blended learning is organized in a way that at the beginning of a course its participants meet, get to know each other and learn how to use the media, i.e. the platform and the internet.

Then the e-learning section follows. The teachers puts information and exercises on the platform and the students learn and do the exercises whenever it is convenient to them. The results are corrected by the teacher.

Usually once a week a tele-conference is held and all participants communicate realtime. Discussions in the group become thus possible.

A frequent part of the course is tele-cooperation to have the whole group work together.

Technical requirements and platforms

Blended learning requires technique:

• multimedia computers to install the learn programme,
• internet access,
• platform (The platform of ets didactic media is worldwide accessible and it is open to every content.) and learning management system

Computer based training only requires multimedia computers and web based training requires multimedia computers and an internet access.

• Contents have to be developed that can be made available on the platform. The Trade Academy has developed ist own contents in the field of technical and management training. These contents can be adapted to the demand in partner countries and new contents can be developed, too.

Training of TeleCoaches

The Trade Academy Konstanz trains telecoaches according to international curricula. The training is certified and the certification is internationally acknowledged by the industry. The training takes three weeks fulltime and it is divided into one week presence training and two weeks e-learning. The training contents are computer literacy, didactics and pedagogy, implementation and evaluation of e-learning sessions, organization of e-learning, administration of a distance learning system, development of contents.

Development of Contents

The Trade Academy Konstanz has developed all its contents in the field of technical and management training as e-learning contents and it also develops contents according to its customers` demand. These contents are available as cbt (computer based training) or wbt (web-based training) and follow the AICC and SCORM standards. The tools for the content development are course factory web and authorware. Developing contents does not only mean the thematic approach but also the curricula and the piloting.The staff to develop such contents together with a partner is available at the Trade Academy.

However, in international cooperation the goal is to enable partners to develop and implement their own contents (see telecoaches) or at least to develop contents together with the Trade Academy.

Costs

The costs of e-learning as far as teaching is concerned are altogether as high as the costs of presence learning. While the costs for rooms and teachers are lower in e-learning, there are additional costs for telecoaches and for the platform.The advantage of e-learning is that even small groups are affordable, because e-learning is only used for small groups (up to seven students).

Another aspect are the costs for the development of e-contents. Here it must not be forgotten that writing study books is equally as expensive.

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