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Presented to Online Educa Berlin November 2001

G.K.Salmon@open.ac.uk

This paper explores the experience of offering large scale online courses (lasting 6 weeks and starting on the 1^st of each month) to train educators to become e-moderators on a global scale. It explains the original intentions and drivers, the underlying e-learning model and the design principles of the course.

It introduces the concept of "E-tivities" with examples.

This paper explores the ideas around online group activities- the processes I call e-tivities and the reasons for using them for online learning. It shows a global example of a course based (almost) entirely on e-tivities.

For me, computers are a mediating device between people and are not an instructional tool in their own right (however sophisticated the software and system). The focus needs to be on working together and on real-world activities.

An e-tivity involves at least two people working together in some way. The WWW or other resources are probably involved but usually to provide information rather than as the focus of the activity. E-tivities can apply to any discipline. As they are online they do not depend on learners being physically together.

Many of us are influenced strongly by the way we ourselves were taught. Most of us have not grown up learning to take part in remotely located activity therefore we need guidance on how how to take part in e-tivities and how to develop them. Students need support to develop the skills of working together this way, and they need careful pacing and leadership (e-moderating).

Ideas on e-tivities derive from a number of frameworks, theories and notions about learning. Making learning personally meaningful comes from the constructivist perspective, which emphasises collaborations between peers and teachers within a supportive context (in this case, the online learning environment). Situated learning suggests the importance of relevant and authentic tasks, that can be applied to the participants’ every day learning, working and cognitive life . Experiential and self-directed learning, derives from theories of the way adults learn . From engagement theory, comes the key idea that students must be engaged with other learners and meaningful tasks, in order for successful learning activities to take place, . Kearsley and Shneiderman also emphasise the importance of teams working on stretching projects that have application outside the learning time itself. This simply means that the activities are authentic – a little harder to achieve when the learning interaction takes place virtually.

Research and work on computer mediated conferencing and online discussion groups spans many years and predates the growth of the Internet. Some key examples are from Rosanne Hiltz from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Robin Mason and many colleagues in the Institute of Educational Technology at the OU ;.

Following the publication of my book "E-moderating" in May 2000, many educators asked me how they could experience online teaching and learning for themselves, start to develop their skills and explore the ideas in the book. These requests came from all over the world. People also wished to have the opportunity to work with others from their own disciplines but in other countries, university lecturers wanted to understand more about e-learning approaches in corporate training, schools teachers wanted to get involved too. A critical issue is that very few teachers, at any level of education, have taken part in online courses for their own professional and personal development. Late in 2000, Centrinity Inc, a Canadian based company agreed to work with me to provide a fully online course to meet this audience and requirements.

We plan for a wide range of prior knowledge and/or experience of online learning and training among the participants. Each has his or her own ‘map’ of the topic and differing needs. The online course also helps participants to explore their attitudes to online learning and its meaning for their own teaching.

We took a number of decisions at this stage about our own approach to online training. The course is designed to create a series of ‘microworlds’ in which the participants interact with each other, with the e-moderators of the course (who we call e-convenors) and with the software, before progressing to the next stage. We hope that our trainees will gradually build up their knowledge and software skills. We make them aware of the goals all the way through the training. They are advised of appropriate ways of undertaking the tasks but can also construct their own approach. We try to enable them to use the software as a matter of routine whilst we raise their awareness of the teaching and learning aspects. The importance ascribed in constructivism to the building of relationships between new and existing knowledge leads us to a careful choice of icons and titles for messages and stages, and the use of familiar metaphors for explaining aspects of e-moderating.

For the global E-moderating course, we took some specific design decisions:

• The course is based on the 5 stage model, with links between each stage,
• Each individual message provides an "e-tivity" in itself and includes a small amount of instructional information, then a request for the participant to take some action,
• There is no course material except for supply of the E-moderating book as a back-up resource,
• The course is paced. We will allow one week at each stage of the model, (and a little more for levels 4 and 5) asking participants to take part around 5 hours per week, at any time that suits them,
• The FirstClass client software is provided, but access is also possible through the Web,
• Each stage includes highly relevant and authentic e-moderating skills, FirstClass features and enjoyable exercises and a reflection conference,
• Group working is encourages from the beginning,
• It used a competence framework on (p40 Table 3.1 Salmon 2000)
• The e-convenor (trainer of the trainers) models the skills taught in the course.

The course consists of 20 e-tivities, each arranged in sessions requiring around one week’s elapsed time and up to 5 hours participation time. The principle of an e-tivity message is as follows:

1. Illustrative title
2. Everything required for the e-tivity to take place contained in ONE message. The message is presented in a way that is easily printed or copied into participant’s word processor if required.
3. Basic piece of stimulus material or content (e.g. few lines in message, web site etc)
4. Description of e-tivity itself including purpose and task to be undertaken and actioned by the participant.
5. Brief note of further reference material if participants require it.

The following is an e-tivity from session 2 of the global course based on one message. The message was entitled: "Principles of online communication"

Message:

[5 short principles listed…each 1-2 sentences in length]

Purpose: responding encouragingly.

Task: Look at these short messages and prepare a response to each.

a) It's taken me two hours to get into this &*$£"!! conference!

Sajid

b) Hello! Have you got this message?

Monica

c) I think this environment is absolutely brilliant. I’ve been online since 1991 and I'm still amazed at what can be done. My dog’s got her own website...Everyone should have free access...(and so on and on for 4 screenfuls). Is there anyone there? Yours B.

In the course that started on July 1^st 2001, 13 participants responded to this message. This simple exercise resulted in 28 further discussion messages and a summary by the e-convenor some 10 days later. We believe that simple "e-tivities" such as this mobilising learning through the online environment.

The presentation in Berlin will offer further examples and the outcomes from the first 50 participants in the course.

Early conclusions are that developing individuals and groups through the e-tivity and 5-step approach offers a positive experience in the medium itself for potential e-moderators and exceptional exposure to the benefits of a global approach to networking with and learning from other online teachers.