The Report of the E-Learning Advisory Group March 2002

At present, however, these initiatives are not part of a coherent national e-learning strategy. If New Zealand wants to truly realise the potential of e-learning, it must develop a shared vision of the kind of learning environment it wants to create which reflects our unique identity and strengths and the changing needs and expectations of learners. We must establish an inclusive system that can cater for people of all ages and educational backgrounds.

E-learning will not replace our campuses but it will change the way students learn when they are there. It will also open up new learning pathways and make it possible for people to more effectively undertake tertiary learning from home, work and other centres in the community.

The challenge is to shape our system to meet these diverse demands. This will require a much more collaborative approach to e-learning between government, tertiary education providers, communities and industry.

New Zealand needs an e-learning vision that fits within the overall vision for learning in the tertiary sector and is underpinned by a learner-centred approach. Technology alone will not achieve our goals. What is required is a focus on the needs of learners and an unflagging commitment to quality in governance, teaching and learner support. These elements and a willingness to collaborate will be the hallmarks of New Zealand’s success and the key to our being internationally competitive in e-learning.

E-learning is a global phenomenon and New Zealand must carve out its own niche in the e-learning market, mindful that it has many competitors. We must expand our vision of export education to harness the potential of e-learning, extending our educational services to people all over the world who may never set foot in this country.

At the same time, we must be mindful of our own unique identity in developing a New Zealand e-learning environment. It’s vital that our e-learning future empowers all cultures and communities. The implications of the Treaty of Waitangi must underpin e-learning developments in New Zealand. It is a priority to develop Internet resources and other digital material that reflects both Maori culture and values and supports Maori aspirations into the 21st century.

We must build on our impressive track record in creating flexible and adaptable learning solutions that are tailored to student needs. This could be done in a number of ways and the Advisory Group has recommended the phased implementation of the following initiatives:

• The establishment of a tertiary e-learning consortium comprising institutions with appropriate expertise in the area. The consortium would be funded by government to coordinate the development of e-learning within the tertiary sector

• The creation of a single electronic point of entry, a portal, for people to gain access to a wide range of information, services and resources offered by New Zealand’s tertiary education sector. Over time it is envisaged that students would be able to enrol, learn, be assessed and credit transfer between providers and programmes using this portal

• The establishment of a Collaborative Development Fund (CDF) to provide capital for tertiary providers to access funds to develop their e-learning capability.

E-learning in New Zealand will only be successful if it is based on sound pedagogical approaches. Increasingly New Zealand will require educators who have the skills to work confidently in an internet environment as well as a lecture theatre. A new generation of students is emerging from New Zealand secondary schools who are technologically-capable and expect e-learning to be part of their educational experience.

It is imperative that professional development is a priority throughout the tertiary sector so that academic staff have the abilities required for this new medium. Once again collaboration is crucial, since mentoring is already proving itself to be one of the most effective means of upskilling in many of our tertiary education providers.

In developing our strategy for e-learning, the Advisory Group found it very useful to consider the impact of e-learning on all aspects of the teaching and learning process. The three underpinning requirements in this educational value chain are effective leadership, high standards of quality assurance and sufficient capability in terms of systems, people and infrastructure.

The key activities in the chain itself are market analysis, curriculum design, course development, marketing and enrolments, delivery and assessment and credentialing. All these functions have the potential to be greatly enhanced in an e-learning environment. However to date there has been little analysis and research done into the needs and wants of students, the type of courses required, modes of delivery and key factors that influence student choice. The sector as a whole stands to benefit substantially from timely research that will help to focus our efforts. In terms of curriculum design and course development, increased collaboration between providers has the potential to reduce costs as well as improve developments. An important issue here is the need for New Zealand to develop agreed standards for e-learning content and indexing.

At community level, collaboration will also be essential in making full use of the Internet. Schools, marae and libraries all offer exciting potential. Closer links between providers, industry and workplaces will also significantly enhance e-learning opportunities and broaden access to quality learning throughout the community.

E-learning will bring its fair share of challenges. Academic staff will be required to adopt new roles and approaches; institutions will need to be open to new partnerships. The creation of a highly-networked learning environment full of shared learning objects also challenges traditional notions of intellectual property rights. The outcome of the current review of the Copyright Act 1994 will have major impact on e-learning. It is imperative that it meets the needs of a digital learning environment.

The development and delivery of e-learning opportunities will require different cost structures from conventional education and bring different financial demands. There are also technical and infrastructural challenges to surmount such as ensuring learners have access to sufficient bandwidth in their learning venue to make use of all their opportunities. Experience shows that such developments can be costly and care must be taken to develop our own materials and systems costeffectively, sharing best practice and avoiding duplication of effort wherever possible.

Government has a central role to play in providing incentives for institutions to collaborate but there must also be scope for innovation and autonomous action at institutional and local level.

E-learning will come of age in this country when students have access to an integrated, quality e-learning system, with the right connections and support no matter when or where they choose to learn. The case studies in this report show the many different directions that e-learning is already taking us. It will be an exciting journey but ultimately success will rest on our ability to work effectively together.

Commonly-used E-Learning Terms and Definitions

E-Learning – Learning that takes place in the context of using the Internet and associated web-based applications as the delivery medium for the learning experience.

Digital Learning Objects – Electronic “stand-alone” information and learning packages. The learning objects may be as simple as the chapter of a textbook or as sophisticated as a virtual tour of a museum.

E-Education – E-Education involves e-teaching and e-learning along with the various administrative and strategic resources needed to support teaching and learning in an Internet environment. It will incorporate a local, regional, national and international view of education.

E-Educators – E-educators are the new generation of academic staff who work in an Internet environment in both regular and virtual learning situations.

Portal – A website that acts as a ‘doorway’ to the Internet or a portion of the Internet, matching a person’s needs to available offerings. Bandwidth – The transmission capacity of an electronic line such as a communications network, computer bus or computer channel.