The Online Learning Network

The participants	Project focus and process	Timing
Background		Research methodology
Outcomes		Team

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Background

The idea of a University for Industry (UfI) was a Labour Party manifesto commitment and a central plank of Government policy for promoting a skills revolution.

The Institute for Public Policy Research has been working on the idea of the UfI for the past two years. In December 1996 it published University for Industry: creating a national learning network which sets out the challenges facing a UfI, describes what sort of an organisation is required to transform opportunities for lifelong learning, and suggests a range of ways in which a UfI might promote innovation in organisation and delivery, boost demand, and improve access. Two keynote speakers launching the report at a high profile conference at the National Film Theatre are now leading members of the new Government: Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer; and Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, Secretary of State for Education and Employment.

The report argues that the UfI should be a 'national learning network', bringing opportunities for learning to people where and when it is most convenient: in the workplace, in the home and in local community-based centres rather than in existing institutions. On-line technologies are clearly central to this concept.

The report has been extremely well received in the business and education worlds and by politicians, and subsequent interest has led IPPR to instigate a follow-up phase of work on the idea.

As part of this, IPPR is establishing this pilot project to examine the concept of an on-line learning network. The lead partner in the project is Ultralab, the learning technology research centre at Anglia Polytechnic University.

It has been made clear that an early target audience for the UfI is likely to be the teaching profession. Moreover, the new Labour Governmentís plans for a National Learning Grid, and the recommendations of the Stevenson Committee on educational software, teacher training and access to hardware and networks, will create an environment in which schools will be much better equipped to exploit the benefits of technology-based forms of learning.

For these reasons this pilot will focus on learning professionals.

The participants

The participants include experts and experienced learning professionals who: teach ICT in schools; design and run distance learning courses; design multimedia software; write curriculum and assessment policy; and work in libraries. A number of new teachers and school governors have also enrolled, providing the group with a balance of high level expertise and grass roots practice.

Project focus and process

Online communities flourish when the participants are self-directed and participate in designing the required processes. To this end, the project aims to provide a variety of routes to participation. Participants may select one or any combination of the following:

Learning about learning. This online course is not accredited or assessed, but aims to extend our understanding about what inspires learning online. It will use discussion starters and WWW links to topics such as online community building, collaboration and learning theory, to stimulate reflection and discussion aimed at linking theory to practice. Sessions will be posted second weekly to allow people time to reflect and respond. Participants will be asked to complete a variety of modest tasks both on and off-line and to participate in the discussion related to each weekís topic. Sometimes, an expert will be asked to contribute a paper and to participate in the resulting discussion.
NB: All participants are invited to join in the first two sessions of the learning about learning course as these will be focused on community building and collaboration.

Learning about best practice. These discussions will be mounted and hosted by the participants to exchange examples of best practice. Hosts will be asked to post a brief digest for group review.

Learning through exploration. Participants are invited to prepare online "excursions" (site tours) or experiments for their peers. This will allow us to test a variety of web-based interactive technologies and strategies, with the aim of finding out which have most to offer online collaborative learning.
 

To encourage the participants to build an interdisciplinary, peer community, much of the work will be done in small "core" groups. These groups will be selected by the participants according to a social theme.

FirstClass Intranet Server is the conferencing software which will be used for this project. This new version of FirstClass allows participants to read and contribute to conferences through a Web Browser, as well as allowing each participant to design and post web pages for themselves and with their core group.

People who are new to the use of educational technologies may request a mentor to support them. Experienced technology users are encouraged to offer their mentoring services for one or two novices. Please register your request or offer of support via email to leonie@ultralab.anglia.ac.uk

Timing

The pilot will consist of three phases:

• Phase one - new discussions will be posted fortnightly from Sept. through Jan.
• Phase two - an intensive online course will run for three weeks at Easter 1998.
• Phase three - begins in May as determined by the findings.

Participants are only required to participate in one phase, although it is hoped that a number of people will continue on through the various phases.

Research methodology

This pilot is an action research project. This means that the project will evolve as determined by the requirements of the participants. A number of formal and informal feedback mechanisms will be implemented.

Regular brief questionnaires will be posted and core groups may choose to develop a group learning journal through the use of their collaborative web pages. Interested individuals are also invited to participate in the action research dialogue.

Team

The co-ordinator for the course is PhD candidate Leonie Ramondt who will work in consultation with Josh Hillman from IPPR and Stephen Heppell, Richard Millwood, Carole Chapman and others from Ultralab.

Outcomes

Although the course is not accredited, participants can expect to extend their understanding of current teaching and learning practice, to make a meaningful contribution to the UfI initiative, and to extend their use of online collaborative technologies.It is expected that the project will also provide guidelines for collaborative online learning practice which will be published by IPPR and Ultralab.