VoIP in Online Learning

One way of increasing interconnection in online learning is synchronous instruction or group work. One technique for synchronous conversations is Internet telephony, or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) – also called p2p (peer-to-peer) or IP (Internet Protocol) telephony. It is free, can be used with dial-up as well as broadband, and can connect Internet learners worldwide. While it does require connected users to have the same software (Descy, 2005), there is a no-cost application available called Skype. Skype can easily be downloaded and installed on Windows, Mac OSX, or Linux.

Pan and Sullivan (2005) focused on the use of Skype at length in their article, “Promoting Synchronous Interaction in an eLearning Environment.” They surveyed graduate students in two online courses that had used Skype. The students seemed to prefer it to Blackboard chat. Two reasons given for the preference were that Skype helped increase awareness of the topic and that abstract topics seemed to make more sense. Other ways Skype seemed to change synchronous meetings were by increasing group interaction and keeping it consistent. Students seemed better able to “communicate thoughts, raise questions, and seek clarification by listening, thinking, and speaking” than if they had to type their comments as is required by chat software.

There are disadvantages to VoIP communications. As with any synchronous technique, learners must find a time when all members can meet. Distant time zones may make that even more difficult. Connections sometimes don’t work or are lost (Pan and Sullivan suggest reserving a Blackboard chat room as a backup). Some learners may feel inept at downloading and installing software. VoIP applications require that the computer have both speaker and microphone – either built in or added – of reasonable quality. Some participants may find they need to purchase a VoIP headset for fidelity.

While VoIP does not have all the capabilities of a Web conferencing application such as Breeze, it does add the spontaneity of a conversation to distance communications. And though most VoIP software still lacks the ability to transmit real-time images, some subtleties that would be lost in text communications are restored in voice inflections.

Judging by the meager research articles on VoIP, it may be an underused technique in online learning – one that should be given serious consideration in the effort to increase interconnections.

References & Further Reading

Abernathy, D., Allerton, H., Barron, T., & Salopek, J. (1999). The synchronous embrace. Training & Development, 53(11), 34.

Pan, C. & Sullivan, M. (2005). Promoting Synchronous Interaction in an eLearning Environment. T.H.E. Journal, 33(2), 27-30.

Descy, D. E. (2005). All Aboard the Internet: Calling the world for free. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 49(2), 6-8.

Online tests and PowerPoints

I watched a WCET Webcast yesterday that presented research by Drs. Diane Goldsmith and Mary Bucy related to online course design and pedagogy. So I’ve been comparing everything I read to their findings (which are not yet published). One problem I hadn’t thought much about was test-taking in online courses. Both Ko and Rossen’s book, Teaching online: A practical guide (2004), and Goldsmith and Bucy’s presentation addressed the difficulty of verifying honesty in online tests; and both advised that online tests and quizzes may be most useful as learning tools. Ko and Rossen noted that in hybrid courses testing problems can be solved by proctoring them on site (p. 251). Goldsmith and Bucy suggested quizzes be given less weight in grading to reduce the incentive to cheat.

One area where the WCET presentation provided a different perspective was in using the Web as a presentation medium (Ko & Rossen, p. 256). In Goldsmith’s survey, One specific format students disliked was PowerPoint presentations – for two reasons: they took too long to download, and they generally had no depth. If PowerPoints were converted to movie format (.mov), they could be streamed in the browser, so they could begin playing during the download. However, converting PowerPoint presentations takes special software and doesn’t tackle the other problem – that most PowerPoint presentations are overviews without new or in-depth material.

Considerations in creating online courses

A technique that has intrigued me in the online course I’m now taking is that new assignments are not posted until the last assignment is completed. When on September 6 I read Tyler-Smith’s article suggesting that early dropout rates for online courses may be partly due to cognitive overload (what I might call feeling overwhelmed), I thought, Ah-ha! Posting assignments one at a time is a small but useful way to reduce that overload.

Ko and Rossen’s (2004) discussion about the timing of access to assignments (p. 100), however, does not mention reducing cognitive overload. Another consideration they do not mention is that limiting access to future assignments reduces distractions, a potential problem in some subject areas and for some students.

Much of Ko and Rossen’s chapter on “Building an Online Classroom” describes a variety of techniques available in Learning Management Systems (LMS, also called Content Management Systems or CMS), so I was interested to read other ideas about LMS capabilities. One insightful article by Tiffany A. Koszalka and Radha Ganesan was published in Distance Education, 25(2), October 2004. It provides a taxonomy for using LMS features in online course design. Boise State students can download the article through the university’s library search portal. Click on Academic Search Premier and login. Using the advanced search tab, enter “koszalka” and select “AU author,” then below enter “online” and select “AB abstract.”

Another thought-provoking article on LMS use by Minielli and Ferris, which cites Koszalka and Ganesan, is available online at www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/minielli.

Just when I needed advice in my new job

I am beginning a new job at Boise State University as Distance Education Project and Development Coordinator. Serendipitously, a perfect plan of action was thrown in my pathway. It is detailed in Ko and Rossen’s Teaching Online: A Practical Guide (2004), pp. 19-20. It’s a way to assess an institution’s resources. The questions it poses now top my to do list.

• Does my institution already provide courses online? Yes.
• Which ones? Note to self: first list to get from my boss.
• Who teaches them? The “who” is essential, because these folks will be both my best resources and the core of the learning community I hope to facilitate.
• What platform do they use? I wouldn’t have thought to ask that question, just assuming they all use Windows. But what if some use Macs? Does that present hurdles in a Windows world?
• Who put their courses together, and how long did it take? That’s a process I need to understand, and it prompts all sorts of questions to ask. I think I’ll formulate an interview plan. This is getting exciting.

Ko and Rossen’s next recommendation could have been written just for me. It is so apropos, I am quoting the entire passage.

Once you find out about online courses already being taught at your institution, make an effort to contact the instructors and talk to them at length. Tell them what you plan to do and solicit their reactions. Find out what their experiences have been. Ask about potential pitfalls you ought to avoid.

Information gained in this way is the most valuable you can collect. Not only will you learn first-hand what’s going on, but you may, if you’re lucky, forge a few strategic alliances with some of the technological pioneers. (Ko & Rossen, 2004, p. 20.)

Further reading

• The story of a real online teacher at Penn State
• More great advice for me in my new job

Keeping online students in class

One way to retain online students is: remember that what works well in traditional instruction may not work so well online. Online classes must be designed to maximize the Web’s advantages while minimizing its deficiencies.

Ko & Rossen (2004) point out two factors that affect online instruction.

• Nonverbal language is lost in most online communication (p. 12).
  Vocal inflections, gestures, and facial expressions that contribute to great lectures don’t translate into writing.
• A big attraction of the Internet is instant communication (p. 13).
  Students who expect online communication to be two-way will not be content to merely read transcribed lectures.

Both these factors argue for increased interaction. Newspapers have learned this lesson. The one where I worked initially looked a lot like its wood-pulp cousin, a story and picture occupying most of the “front” page except for a few hyperlinks down one side. By the time I left nearly eight years later, the online newspaper had veered dramatically away from the print edition—with interactive polls, blogs, and discussion boards. And multiple story links with thumbnail pictures enriched the front page.

Educators must also learn this lesson. By making online classes more interactive, we can capitalize on the Web’s strong ability to involve everyone in communication, while compensating for its inability to bring people face to face.

Here’s some inexpensive and open source interactive software:

• activeBoard—free forum hosting
• Skype—free voice communication (I have used this)
• Fire–multi-service Mac Internet Messenger (I’ve also used this)
• Adium–another multi-protocol Mac IM

Do students who start online courses stay?

According to Tyler-Smith’s (2006), sources, attrition among online learners may be as high as 50%—generally 10-20% higher than for traditional students. At UK Open University, the rate of students who drop out before even turning in a paper is at least 35% (p. 77). Tyler-Smith suggests some reasons for attrition that are peculiar to mature adults. However, Gilbert’s dissertation (2000, ERIC ED# 459885), which found no significant difference in attrition based on maturity, casts some doubt on that rationale.

A more interesting theory by Tyler-Smith is that early attrition may be caused by cognitive overload resulting from the need to learn an unfamiliar medium in addition to new subject matter.

Another cause of dropouts in all types of higher education—a failure to connect with other people or acquire a sense of belonging—may be intensified in online education. I hope to address this issue in more detail in future posts.

Why is there such interest in online learning now?

Students value online learning when it surmounts hurdles of space and time:

• space, as in distances separating students from classes, or a preference for learning in familiar spaces;
• time, as in conflicts, including family obligations, that prevent attending scheduled classes.

Some students also like the technological component in online learning or prefer text communications to verbal interactions.

Space and time solutions also attract teachers—being able to teach from remote locations, for instance, or while traveling. Some also enjoy the creative uses of technology.

Administrators appreciate online courses that solve problems such as overbooked classes or narrow enrollment bases restricted by time and space.

See also NCAT Roadmap to Redesign: Fully Online Model

What is online teaching and learning?

It is education using some degree of online delivery. The Sloan Consortium (2005, p. 4) categorizes it based on what percent is online:

• Web facilitated: 1-29% While the class is primarily face-to-face, the teacher uses the Web for such things as posting a syllabus or providing resource links, often with a course management system (CMS—also called a learning management system or LMS), such as Blackboard.
• Blended/hybrid: 30-79% Though students still meet on ground, the course includes significant online delivery, such as a discussion board.
• Online: 80-100% Most or all course delivery is online.

Why linking dots?

My quest is to find ways to bring better connection between the dots in the distance learner world.