PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR eLEARNING IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT

eLearning involves the application of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to enhance distance education. The use of eLearning is on the increase with the digital generation growing exponentially. However for eLearning to be relevant and learner focussed, developers and designers need to put in place all the best practices that lead to quality distance education. In addition to providing education at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels, eLearning plays an important role in ongoing professional development for adults in the workforce. No matter what the level or what the subject matter, there is one constant: learner support is essential to the success of eLearning.

WHAT IS LEARNER SUPPORT?

Learner support can be described as the provision of individualised student support to improve learning. Learner support systems include tutoring/teaching assistance, administrative assistance, orientation, student discussion/support groups, counselling and library services. While course materials and learning resources are uniform, learner support personalises the learning experience.

There are several different forms of learner support for eLearning:

• Tutorials: Tutors can work with learners one-on-one or in groups, depending on the subject matter and budget. Communication can take face-to-face (e.g., in a study centre) or electronically through phone, email, videoconferencing, chat rooms or discussion boards. The type of communication is determined by the geographical spread of the learners and the access to ICTs by learners.
• Surgeries: While tutorials are tutor-driven, surgeries are learner-driven: learners approach tutors with their questions and problems. Like tutorials, surgeries can take place with learners singly or in groups, through face-to-face communication or electronically through the use of ICTs. This type of learner support tends to be less personalised than support through a tutor, because contact between the learner and tutor is more sporadic, and the learner may deal with more than one tutor.
• Hotline: Learners have access to information about course dates, admission and registration procedures, learning objectives and outcomes, curriculum outline, assessment and completion requirements, preparation for study, technology requirement and reward and penalty. While this is necessary information, this type of support does not provide personalised and in-depth feedback about the learner's studies.
• Help Desk: This form of learner support provides timely assistance on technical issues such as receiving and sending emails, opening and running CD-ROMs, and reading tracked changes and comments. A Help Desk can be physical or virtual, depending on how learners can access it. For instance, if learners are geographically close to the eLearning provider, a Help Desk may be an actual staffed desk. More commonly, Help Desks are accessed by telephone or Internet.
• Student orientation: This is an important element for eLearning, especially because this is such a new field of education that many learners have never studied this way before. They need to understand how eLearning works, what is expected of them and how their learning will be supported. This orientation can be provided through face-to-face sessions, online briefings (both live and static web content), print materials or CD-ROM.
• Counselling/advising services: While this can be part of the tutor's role, it can also be separate, focussing more on specific problems or the learner's overall development, rather than study of the course materials. Affordability and access will determine whether counselling services are provided individually, in groups, in person or online.
• Library services and resources: In addition to the course materials, many eLearning programmes give learners access to libraries, both physical and virtual. This depends on budget, availability of resources, geographic location of learners and what is most convenient for learners.

WHY LEARNER SUPPORT IS ESSENTIAL TO eLEARNING

eLearners are usually geographically isolated from their teachers. A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) staff member taking COL's Writing Effectively course in Tajikistan is half a world away from the COL office in Vancouver, Canada. If this learner merely receives written course materials, their chances of success are limited. There may not be anyone in their office who has taken this course. So if they don't understand a concept, get stuck on a study assignment or simply get overwhelmed when first faced with the course guide, they need support in order to continue. They need answers, ideas, advice and encouragement. And once they start completing assignments, they need personalised assessment of their work...and probably more advice and encouragement.

Learner support helps to replace the important educational aspects of face-to-face learning by helping learners to:

• develop their understanding of the content,
• identify and overcome areas of weakness,
• meet learning and assessment goals,
• feel connected and supported, and
• access administrative support, such as counselling.

No matter how brilliant the course materials are, learners still need support to validate their efforts. COL's experience with its Writing Effectively courses - delivered on behalf of UN agencies and other international organisations - has shown that frequent and regular contact with tutors and co-ordinators is necessary to the success of their learning experience. Research also shows that student retention levels and completion rates both increase when learner support is visible, accessible and responsive. With only the self-study package, a learner's ability to complete the courses would be significantly lower.

COL'S APPROACH TO LEARNER SUPPORT

COL provides eLearning programmes in subjects such as Writing Effectively, Operational Data Management and Editorial Skills for international organisations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Labour Organization, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNHCR, the World Bank and the World Health Organization. For these courses, COL has developed a comprehensive learner support system that includes several elements:

• E-tutoring: COL has developed a talented and committed roster of tutors who provide personalised support, advice and evaluation to learners. Each learner is assigned a tutor who communicates with them one-on-one via email. The role of the tutor is to support learning by orienting the learner to the course, answering questions, encouraging learner engagement, evaluating assignments and providing feedback. This often evolves into a close personal relationship that benefits the learner significantly.
• Virtual system: Learners are able to use the Internet to submit applications, register for courses, access counselling services and connect with their tutors. Course materials are available to learners through their organisation's Intranet, on a website, on a CD-ROM or in hard copy. This virtual system ensures "anywhere, anytime" access, an important convenience for eLearners, especially for those who are also employed full-time. This system has also been designed so that it uses the lowest common denominator of technology to ensure access and that it doesn't tax the information technology capacity of the organisation.
• Just-in-time response: To minimise costs and to be as responsive as possible to learners, course materials are produced as required, and turnaround times are very quick for tutor responses and marking of assignments. A Help Desk can be accessed by email 24/7 for information about key dates and Frequently Asked Questions. A Learner Support Hot Line connects learners directly to a learner support assistant, who will respond to administrative and related questions.
• Recruitment, training and development of tutors: The quality of the tutor has an enormous impact on learner success in eLearning. The tutor must have the right expertise, experience, teaching ability and commitment - it's a tall order. COL has recruited tutors through online advertisements and referrals from other tutors. Tutors are interviewed by telephone or in group face-to-face interviews. After an extensive training programme, tutors start to coach or mentor learners. Tutors are monitored and evaluated on a regular basis. Tutors take part in regular online discussions with each other to share best practices and solve problems collaboratively.
• Support web for tutors and learners: COL has created a system of support for tutors and learners that includes external course advisors, the COL Course Co-ordinator and the COL Learning Manager. Each member of the COL team has specific functions and expertise for the tutors and learners to draw upon. The course advisors monitor tutoring quality and standardisation of assignment marking. The Course Co-ordinator tracks logistical issues such as registration, admission, and materials production and delivery. The Learning Manager is responsible for overall quality assurance of the eLearning materials development and delivery.
• Focus on learning success: COL's learners face work demands, family commitments and civil unrest (even war), which can have a significant impact on their studies and quality of work submitted. By adopting a policy of flexibility, which includes the limited granting of extensions on assignment deadlines and allowing for resubmission of work, COL encourages learning success.
  The effectiveness of COL's learner support can be seen in an impressive 75 percent completion rate for students taking its eLearning programmes. As eLearning continues to improve and develop, so too will learner support. It is essential that organisations providing eLearning carefully evaluate which forms of learner support suit their learners and their distinct circumstances. By providing appropriate, responsive learner support, educators take a very important step in ensuring eLearning success.

 

 eLEARNING IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES

Ms. Najwa Qaisy, an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies staff member in Baghdad, Iraq who completed the Writing Effectively course in 2006, was presented with an Excellence in Distance Education Award for "eLearning Experience in Difficult Circumstances" by COL last year. Ms. Qaisy describes how eLearning provided her with access to education and much more.

"For the past four years it has been literally impossible for me to even dare think about enrolling in a post graduate programme, attend daily classes, go to a library or even participate in a study group. The threats and hazards that one faces in current everyday life in Iraq are beyond words.

"This learning experience kept me motivated during the worst times that my country has been through. Passing this course was the objective that put my mind off the domestic horrors that were taking place.

"A whole team was in the back stage to take care of the smallest problem that any given learner might face. This support means a lot to an isolated learner such as myself. Even emotional support was provided in my case! When my tutor occasionally sent me a message saying, 'I am sending you this message to check on you. I have been watching the news about Iraq and thought about seeing how you have been! Hang on and if you need anything you must let me know', it meant the world to me and gave me some extra energy that made me pull through!"

For more about Ms. Qaisy's eLearning experience, see "Celebrating Excellence in Distance Education" in the February 2007 edition of Connections (click here). She made these comments while giving a presentation at the Third Global Forum on International Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the Recognition of Qualifications, held last month in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  

 
LEARNER SUPPORT IN ACTION

Mr. David Nthengwe is a Mass Information Officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He enrolled in COL's Writing Effectively programme in early 2007 and immediately received an email from his tutor in Canada, Mr. Greg Starr, asking about his job, his family, education, hobbies and interests. 
 
"I am very eager to know about my students' lives, especially because we do not meet face to face," Mr. Starr's email read. "I would like to get to know you as a person, not just as a student." Mr. Nthengwe's extensive response launched a close personal relationship between student and tutor.

"Although we are continents apart and are linked only by information technology, we established a human feeling between us," Mr. Nthengwe explained. "The long exchanges that ensued explain how we broke through what would have been a communication barrier. In addition to his lively writing, Greg is very sensitive to situations and embodies a human touch in his interactions."
Shortly after beginning the course, Mr. Nthengwe encountered one of these "situations" when violence broke out in Kinshasa in March 2007. Some UN staff members were stranded in their offices; others were in hotels with no extra clothing for weeks on end. Then one of Mr. Nthengwe's colleagues died in a plane crash. It was a traumatic and troubling time. As a result, Mr. Nthengwe missed the deadline for submitting his first assignment.

"His whole life was interrupted, but David was determined to continue with his studies," said Mr. Starr. "I told him to take his time and arranged for an extension. By the middle of May, he submitted the assignment and went on to successfully complete the course."
"Greg always kept my spirits high when I needed him," said Mr. Nthengwe. "Simple and caring, but compelling messages like, 'Do you think you will be able to submit your assignment by Monday, 30 April? Please let me know if this is feasible for you. Take care', compelled his student to be answerable."

Having tutored some 330 students from several international organisations over the past seven years, Mr. Starr says students often have trouble getting started in a distance learning programme. That's one area where learner support is critical: after receiving a few "gentle nudges" from Mr. Starr by email, students are able to focus on their studies, submit assignments and learn from his feedback. It is a tremendously gratifying experience for both tutor and student.

 

TUTOR ON TWO WHEELS

By Guy Sobell  

For some time I have been providing online tutorial support for the Writing Effectively courses that COL delivers for UN agencies and other international organisations. With my learners working for the United Nations, being posted all over the world, it seemed to me appropriate that I too should be working in as many different places as I can get to on two wheels. Thus, several years ago I acquired a good Italian bicycle and an ultraportable Taiwanese laptop.

Today I am in the South of France, having ridden here from Prague. Almost everywhere along my route - which took in southern Bohemia, the Danube, Budapest, Belgrade, Venice, the Croatian island of Cres, some French Alps, Provence and Languedoc - I have been able to connect wirelessly to the Internet. A few years ago this was not possible, but most hotels offer this service now, and if they do not, there will invariably be a café on an agreeable square that does. In Limoux, a quirky little town situated just south of the World Heritage site of Carcassonne, you can for example connect to the WiFi network conveniently provided by the Grand Café on the Place de la République. If you happen to come here, all you need to know is the network key: it's Milou, instantly recognisable to cognoscenti as the name of Tintin's dog.

Tour riding has the advantages of discovery and adventure, but it has the disadvantages of encumbering you with the weight of your baggage, such as it is. Mine is very light: the laptop slips neatly into one of my panniers, my "evening wear" into another. What more is needed? On the other hand, the concept of "hub and dayride" is decidedly attractive: you arrive in a nice place, stay for a week or so and ride loops every day without baggage. Geneva was one such place for me. There I also had the chance to meet some of my learners at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Information technology has enabled me to work as a tutor and cycle like a madman almost anywhere in the world. Uzbekistan is looking inviting.

CAPTION:  GUY SOBELL HARD AT WORK IN CROATIA