A VIRTUAL EDUCATION MODEL

presented at the International Congress of Education, Technology and Change, Santiago de Cali,
June 11th to 14th 1999

Hartwig Stein
hstein@campus.ruv.itesm.mx
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (I.T.E.S.M.)

The paper exemplifies a virtual education model and defends the idea, that virtual education has not necessarily "significant impact when regarded an alternative for the improvement of education quality in communities with low economic resources" as stated in the conference announcement. A focus on technology and investments in technology in education are more likely to foster inequalities, social privileges and dependency on first world countries. Inappropriate methodology and a poor vision of possibilities could make this concept an inefficient but expensive approach to solve problems in education.
Under certain circumstances, a special conception of virtual university could be helpful to solve problems of communities with low economic resources. Two scenarios will be presented here.

1 Introduction

The possibilities that information technology offers to improve education are described in several recent publications (Oblinger & Rush, 1998; Harasim, Hiltz, Teles, and Turoff, 1995). Often these descriptions are anecdotal, lack evidence or depend only on the opinion of some participants of the specific courses or events, sometimes captured by standardized surveys (Moore and Kearsley, 1996). Some of these reports are written by people with an interest in a positive evaluation of the technology involved in those courses. There is no significant scientific evidence that technology applied to teaching has in general a positive impact on learning outcomes.
A theoretical model of the important elements of a virtual learning environment could foster the understanding, under which circumstances the use of technology could lead to significant learning outcomes.

2 The problem of current descriptions of the impact of technology / The need of a theoretical model of "Virtual University"

A marvelous world of education is unfolding in our minds reading the words of Oblinger (1998):
Convening in a large group provides a sense of excitement, which the professor reinforces by using state-of-the-art multimedia to illustrate and punctuate important points-the students will remember these sessions many years later when much of the detail that comes later will have faded.
Next the student embarks on a series of interactive studio individual exercises using simulation and multimedia applications (supplemented with the familiar textbook) to develop competence in the course’s first module. (p.12-13)
This learning scenario which Oblinger describes is fictional. It requires several prerequisites, which are not naturally part of a today’s learning environment. The teacher has to be a content expert, a media specialist and a skilled pedagogue to involve students in such kind of learning experiences. One may find all that skills in a team of experts which are working together on one course. Success would depend then on effective collaboration of that team.
The following are only some of the requirements which students should fulfill to take part in the described activities:
- computer skills
- written expression
- autoregulation habits
- communication skills
For “independent student work” and “small group discussions” (p. 13) participants need to have experienced this kind of work and developed some personal security in its performance. If students lack skills, the work of the teacher increases compared to a traditional classroom.
Terms like “technology-based independent work” only clarify the authors misunderstanding of actual educational needs. The independent work may be based on the autonomy of the student or effective tutoring systems, but not on the self-sufficiency of an electronic tool.
The better publications (Research Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools, 1999) announce at least some circumstances and conditions under which the use of technology would be useful, like "careful planning and frequent interaction among students and the teacher" (items that match for a "normal" classroom, too), "extensive training in the integration of technology with the curriculum" for educators, and others.
Significant positive impact on education, significant positive effects on achievement and positive effects on student attitudes toward learning as on student self-concept can only be taken as evidence with an explanation how these variables have been measured.
All these types of descriptions are not helpful to reflect about the circumstances under which virtual education would be useful for the development of third world countries. They confuse the process of decision making and overestimate the power of technology to change educational practices.

3 Description of a model of Virtual University

A model identifies important elements of a context or reality and establishes relationships between those objects with the purpose to explain reality. Theoretical models should be presented to public scrutiny to verify, if they explain reality better than other models.
First I will characterize the parts of the model, one describing the structure and one the pedagogical operation. After a short explanation of the elements, some relationships between these will be established (Figure 1).

figure 1
3.1 The operation
A work team designs and develops a learning environment, incorporating communication media, to lead students with a certain profile to significant learning activities and outcomes.
3.2 The structure
A Virtual University is an institution or organization that provides educational services. This institution or organization manifests a certain perspective to interpret reality and plan future performance, a certain vision. It has implicit or explicit specific intentions to be fulfilled, a certain mission. Distance Education History and Theory are part of the virtual-university concept (the importance of history and theory will be explained later).
3.3 The elements
3.3.1 Work Team
Elaboration and Development of a course or program in done by a work-team, comprised by Teachers, TV-Producers, Students, a Technology-Specialist, a Visual Aids Producer, and an Instructional Designer.
3.3.2 Design and Development of the Learning Environment
The term "Learning Environment" describes all planned activities and interactions in the learning process that intend to make the students learn. Furthermore the process of facilitation of the learning activities is included.
Several assumptions about how students learn and what significant learning activities could be like lead to a certain designs of this environment.
3.3.3 Student Profile
The student has a certain profile. He or she possesses knowledge and skills to use communication media, to work in a group, to communicate and collaborate with others. This profile may be different for any individual
3.3.4 Student Action
The finally most important is the student action. The activity that the students realize to learn, to develop concepts, skills and attitudes, to demonstrate significant learning outcomes.
3.3.5 Media
Communication media are a very important part of a Virtual University. They enable the communication any time and in any space where a connected computer is available.
These media need two different kinds of support services: first the administration of programs and servers, second assistance for the students to administer there PC and software.
3.3.6 The organization
A Virtual University is a public or private institution with the right to certify learning outcomes. It may be divided in several departments, one of them may conduct research or evaluation. It has an inner administration and infrastructure, which registers employees and students. It offers educational services and support services to its clients.
Institutions in some extend run under the goal of cost-effectiveness. Market analysis and promotion of services, arguments of "quality vs. student-retention" may be part of its daily operation.
3.3.7 Perspectives
The operation of an organization may reflect believes and values which its members consider important as foundations for their thinking and behavior. This does not refer to a theoretical statement, the written vision of the institution, but to a concrete and observable behavior, from which this perspective might be inferred.
This perspective, certain colored glasses to look at the world, might be a technological one, focusing on the use of communication media. In this case, the most important point is that the actors of the instruction process and students have media in use.
Another way to look at the operation is a pedagogical one. Here the most important is that certain employed methodology leads to significant learning outcomes for the learners who participate in the programs. A third perspective would be a economical one, the question if the institution makes profit or at least does not generate debt. Virtual University can be seen under psychological, philosophical and many other perspectives, too.
3.3.8 The intentions
This part refers to the intentions that can be derived from virtual university operation, not from its published mission.
Many of the new "Virtual Universities" are created to offer their services worldwide, to earn money. To improve cost-effectiveness in education is one accepted goal for virtual universities. The lower the costs of the institution and the higher the income is, the higher is the profit.
Intentions can be pedagogical, the will to educate people with focus on adult classical or any other educational standpoint.
There may be either something like altruistic intentions which would refer to the desire to aid an autonomous development for communities with low economic resources.
3.3.9 Distance Education History
A understanding of Distance Education History is fundamental for the concept of Virtual University. Beginning with the post schools, passing schools of the air and television schools, Computer Networks were incorporated in education.
The idea of educating at distance is not new, neither the incorporation of technology in education. The analysis of historical facts shows that the idea of a Virtual University is enabled by the accessibility of existing communication media, not by new programs or sophisticated innovative technology. Historically, the focus on technology without recognition of past experiences distracts our focus or interpretation of virtual education.
3.3.10 Distance Education Theory
Theoretical descriptions of Distance Education are necessary to understand the differences between Distance Education and the potential that a virtual university could offer.  Theories of independent study, transactional distance, student autonomy and industrialization should be considered in a theoretical model.
3.3.11 Relations between the elements
Perspective and intentions of the providing organization will lead the administrators of the Virtual University to the offering of certain kinds of programs at a certain cost. Regarding to perspectives and intentions they will hire a work team, buy media and select students with a special profile. These preconditions for the work team will lead to the "Design and Development of the Learning Environment", which will guide the students to there learning activities.

3.4 Scenarios of Virtual University for "significant impact when regarded an alternative for the improvement of education quality in communities with low economic resources"

To illustrate the usefulness of the model two scenarios of educational settings will be demonstrated. The model can be used to exemplify many educational approaches to virtual university.
3.4.1 Scenario A
1. Communities with low economic resources buy standardized curricula from education providers, believing that this somehow will fit their needs and that this might be a low cost solution.
2. Providing Organizations are selected with criteria like prestige and marketing or market presence. Foreign providers are preferred because higher quality of their products is expected.
3. Media is selected regarding its "glimmer". The newer and more sophisticated a technology, the better it may be.
4. The work team should fit into institutional requirements. Open discourse about methods and educational outcomes is not desired, collaboration with the requesters of the service is not seen as necessary.
5. Interaction in the learning process is responsibility of the participants. For the instruction team it is sufficient to offer the electronic spaces for interaction. People who learn quietly without showing any visible activity ("lurkers") can be accepted. Massive courses with hundreds of students are practicable because somehow all participants will interact with their classmates.
6. Any heterogeneous group can be excepted in one course. Necessary computer and communication skills may be attained during the course. Autonomy for self-study somehow will develop during the course.
7. Courses can be evaluated by standardized assessment tools, final projects and formal inquiry of the opinion of course participants about their learning outcomes. The better the grades and opinion of participants are, the better is the course.
3.4.2 Scenario B
1. Low economic resources need low cost solutions. Communities with low economic resources should analyze their special educational needs and ask virtual universities for courses that fit those special needs.
2. Providing Organizations should be selected regarding to their perspectives and intentions. It should be possible to derive pedagogical and educational perspectives and intentions from their operation. Local providers of any service should be preferred.
3. Media should be selected with the criteria "cheap" and "easy to use". Sophisticated media in many cases do not match the requirements for low economy communities, regarding access, interactivity and maintenance.
4. The work team should be selected in respect to their experience in adult and distance education. Collaboration with the requester of the educational service in the planning process is essential.
5. Interaction in the learning process is fundamental to attain sophisticated learning outcomes. Significant interaction and collaboration with teachers, tutors and other students should be part of the learning environment. The massive use of one way technology to teach hundreds of participants at once is a low cost solution, which is not likely to cause significant learning outcomes. In this case the use of books and videos is a much cheaper self study alternative. In the past massive courses with thousands of participants have been possible, because there was only little or no interaction between participants and everybody was studying at his or her own pace. An application of this massive approach to highly interactive multimedia courses cannot be sustained by any facts.
6. The student profile should be analyzed before the planning process to identify lack of skills of participants. The Design and Development of the Learning Environment should take the student's profile into account and at the same time foster required skills. In some cases, previous training could be necessary.
7. Student real action should be evaluated continuously to guarantee the expected learning outcomes, adaptations in the learning process should be made if necessary.

4 Conclusions

For the improvement of education quality in communities with low economic resources the perspective and intentions of the providing organization are substantial. Only if some kind of altruistic and pedagogical intention can be derived from the current educational programs and a pedagogical perspective can be inferred by the program definition, virtual education is adequate for poor communities.
Courses should fit the exact needs of a community. Standardized courses normally do not match these needs. Courses should be elaborated and evaluated together with members of the community, which will take the course. Cheap and easy to use media like e-mail should be preferred. Before buying a course it is necessary to verify if the participants have all necessary skills and media for participation. Previous training might be inevitable. These preconditions will help to focus on lowest cost solutions regarding to the use of media, prices and instructional design of the courses.
The presented model helps to analyze important facts and its relationships of virtual university. It fosters the process of decision-making, which kind of virtual university and which kind of course may lead to "significant impact when regarded an alternative for the improvement of education quality in communities with low economic resources".

5 References

     Harasim, L.M., Hiltz,  St. R., Teles, L., Turoff. M. (1995). Learning networks : A field guide to teaching and learning online. MIT Press.
     Moore, M. , Kearsley. G. (1996). Distance Education: A Systems View. New York: Waldsworth Publishing Company
     Oblinger, D. G., & Rush, S. C. (Eds.). (1998). The future compatible campus. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc.
     "1999 Research Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools: Executive Summary 6th Edition". http://www.spa.org/project/edu_pub/99effreport.htm