Session 13a2 Effectiveness Of Cyber-Learning - CiteSeerX

Session 13a2 Effectiveness Of Cyber-Learning Faisal Amir, Samir M. Iqbal and M. Yasin Department of Electronics & Power Engineering, Pakistan Navy Engineering College, National University of Science and Technology, H I Rehmatulla Road, Karachi-75350, Pakistan Ph No. +92-21-48503024, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] ABSTRACT - Classroom instructions have been an old method of teaching-learning process. In a typical lecture referring back to some established entity, idea or theory often leaves the student in a difficulty, yearning for the refresher of the basics. Essential time constraint, confinement of basic ideas and lack of interactive training aids make it cumbersome for students to cope up with new ideas being taught. Cyber Learning is relatively a new concept, involving on-line teacher-student interaction, information from related web-sites, and student-student chatting. Where the participants of diverse background can share different points of views on complex issues, coherent analysis and generates well-articulated and well-reasoned thoughts on core issues. Cyberspace interaction can surely help achieve the reformation, improvement and extension of quality education This paper presents the technologies, infrastructure and implementation of interactive campus as well as distance teaching techniques. Special emphasis will be on third world countries where economic constraint is the major hindrance in adopting technology. The on-line distance learning techniques, now in use worldwide, are presented together with a summary of their evaluation. The concept of ubiquitous computing on-campus and off-campus in the future, is the motif of this paper. This concept will be established by collecting real time statistical data of students, studying in different grades. The said concept involves more of the faculty contribution and setting up online and interactive lectures with the presence of Mentors, providing infrastructure to support the idea with emphasis on the supremacy of off-line Mentors and updated FAQs. The paper gives an over view of basic parameters and limitation of typical higher-education distance learning and teaching schemes. The benefits and limits of distance learning approach for the basic services, lessons, seminars and tutoring will be discussed. Finally, new concept of learning will be discussed as to how a student can learn interactively by being a student and a teacher INTRODUCTION The prevalent Global Scenario dictates that the ability to cope up with rapid technological changes is the primary measure of success for both, i.e. Individuals as well as Societies. These changes have often outclassed even the best teaching institutions. This trend is increasing with

immense speed day-by-day. Therefore many countries have shifted from the Industrial Era to the Era of Information Era (IT), while remaining are moving fast in that direction. The education is one of the Sectors which has experienced maximum impact of the above mentioned phenomena. Since acquisition of specialized knowledge and its application has become the basis of any development, therefore both i.e. Individuals and Societies attach great importance to attainment of technologies, their use and further development of the same. As it is obvious that ever changing trend in Information Technology requires investment of heavy funds, therefore many countries such as third World Countries cannot afford acquiring expensive communication and computing networks. Therefore such countries have to adopt affordable means of achieving new and effective methods of teaching by using technique of Cyber Learning as explained in this paper. The Societies including third world countries do have talented teachers and scholars. However, these individuals are not fully conversant with computer technology and its use in teaching learning process. Even if some of them know about computer technology, their knowledge is restricted to use of Word Processor and Email having generic applications. They are not aware of such software or online information resources, which can give them exposure to modern educational techniques being used by the developed countries. The Cyber Learning is one of those techniques, which can be highly useful in teaching-learning process, particularly in third world countries that cannot acquire modern teaching-learning techniques due to budgetary constraints. Since the education system being used by the third World Countries is still congenital, it has therefore produced million of graduates with no IT experience. Consequently, it is increasing joblessness further as the industries, corporate and business sectors that use high technology and fast changing IT methodologies cannot provide jobs to these graduates. On the other hand, the teachers by using congenital methods of teaching cannot cope up with big leaps being made by advanced countries in the IT methodologies. Thus this human oriented learning has created an immense gap in the knowledge of students which can create catastrophic imbalance and sense of deprivation in the long run.

0-7803-5643-8/99/$10.00 © 1999 IEEE November 10 - 13, 1999 San Juan, Puerto Rico 29th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference 13a2-7

Session 13a2 NEW PARADIGMS OF LEARNING Both education and training are currently experiencing unprecedented questioning of some fundamentals. For example, advances in communications and Information Technology (IT) have given rise to a new debate, which lays more emphasis on learning by using IT methodologies. Thus the focus has been shifted from teaching to learning. The Cyber Learning uses methodologies through distant online communication and computer networks, software especially designed for learning, etc. This technique involves the following paradigms: • Establishment of Organizations with just-in-time knowledge in lieu of conventional Teaching Institutions. • Personalized learning-training curricula in lieu of fixed learning training Syllabi-cum-Courses. • Life-long education instead of one time front-ended. • Laying of emphasis on results oriented learning instead of conventional classroom teaching. KEY PLAYERS IN CYBER EDUCATION

Support Staff: These individuals are silent heroes of the Cyber education enterprise. They have to ensure that the vacillating details required for the success of program are dealt with effectively. The main features of the Support Staff include student registration, materials production and distribution, ordering of textbooks, obtaining clearance of copyright for reprinting/reproduction of books and other teaching material, facilitate scheduling, processing grade reports, management of technical resources, etc. The Support Personnel are indeed, the backbone and act as glue to keep the cyber education effort well coordinated and channeled into correct direction. Administrators: The administrator plans an institution's cyber education program and have to keep lose contact with those who have to implement the program. In this manner they remove practical snags and build up consensus for the effectiveness of Cyber education. The Administrators in Cyber education institutions, indeed, act as idea people. They are actual decision-makers as well as act as referees. They work closely with technical and support service personnel to ensure that the institution's resources are used effectively to achieve the academic mission. Most importantly, the Administrators maintain an academic focus, realizing that meeting the instructional needs of distant students is their ultimate responsibility.

The key players in cyber learning and the Challenge faced by them are described below Students: The students using the techniques of Cyber Learning have to be cautious to additional challenges MODREN DAY TECHNOLOGIES INVOLVED IN because they being on distance online network cannot enjoy EDUCATION SYSTEM OF ADVANCED COUNTRIES opportunities to interact with the teachers or classmates as is possible in case of conventional class participants. It therefore, would be essential for students using the technique The policy-makers concerned with education programs in of Cyber Learning to know basics of subject so that they can the Advanced Countries have accelerated their search for more and more powerful means of delivering education and benefit fully from multiple online interactive study. Faculty: The success of any learning process depends upon training. They have turned their attention increasingly to the degree of knowledge and experience of the faculty. application of techniques and approaches associated with Similarly, the faculty also plays a vital role in Cyber- cyber learning. On the other hand, the changes taking place Learning. For example, the members of the faculty have to at rapid speed have given new dimensions to the be very careful and accurate in assembling the course effectiveness of communications and information contents through Cyber-Learning Technique. The technologies networks. It has established its usefulness in instructors have to develop an understanding of the fields of education and training. Thus the combination Cyber Learning approaches and advanced characteristics and needs of curriculum, adopt such teaching of styles which cater for needs and expectations of multiple, communications and information technologies have often diverse, audiences and develop a working essentially enhanced the prospects of responding to the understanding of delivery technology. The instructors "Learning Imperative". The growing demands for laboratory time and would find very beneficial to rely upon a site facilitator or equipment at the university campuses and rapid mentor to act as a bridge between the students and the technological changes have added to inability of Universities instructor. The instructor is to ensure that facilitator must to meet the ever-increasing demands. Therefore new forms understand the students being served and instructor’s own of expression are shaping up giving rise to distributed expectations. Most importantly, the facilitator must willingly follow the directive established by the instructor. learning systems, new pedagogical model, information web, The role of on-site facilitators has increased even in classes. implicit band, communal polymerized environment and Thus they act as the instructor’s on-site eyes and ears by neural immersion. setting up equipment, collecting assignments, proctoring Information web: It provides speculative infrastructure tests, etc. It may thus be seen that the Faculty has to monitor where the educator and students can join distributed changes in the IT and its methodologies, remain up-to-date conferences that provide an instant network of contacts. to make the technique of Cyber-Learning effective and Implicit band: They provide support for face to face interaction. The implicit concept employs Interactive meaningful. 0-7803-5643-8/99/$10.00 © 1999 IEEE November 10 - 13, 1999 San Juan, Puerto Rico 29th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference 13a2-8

Session 13a2 Videoconferencing (IV). This system can be integrated into the cyber education program with minimum changes in the curriculum and courses. It can be designed to support twoway video and audio communication between multiple locations. Interactive videoconferencing is commonly used to connect two locations using sophisticated computer technology. For this equipment called CODEC (coder/decoder) can be used. CODEC is an electronic device that can transmit and receives the video signals that the class members will see on their television monitors. There are different types of Videoconferencing Systems, such as Small room videoconferencing, Classroom videoconferencing, Desktop videoconferencing, etc. Communal polymerized milieu: It supplements the real world experiences. Single or multiple users can interact with model of reality. For example captain, helmsman and navigator are seated at different locations online, sailing a polymerized ship. The control orders while sailing are felt by all and in coordination. Such distributed simulations enable many people at different locations to inhibit and shape a communal polymerized milieu. Neural immersion: It is used to grasp reality through illusion. Like students are given a project to build a computer. To accomplish this task, students are divided into groups. Each group member solders individual PCB. All PCBs are finally assembled and tested. This work takes place in illusion with a feeling of reality.

facilities throughout the country, 500 each for wealthier, middle range and poor isolated schools. The project, known as SchoolNet India, expects to be economically feasible within five years, since India expects its VSAT network to be more efficient and competitive. As a result, many firms have expressed interest in using the network during off-peak hours for electronic commerce, insurance and banking, off-premises backup services, reliable e-mail, electronic document exchange, and corporate Intranets. INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES To implement the idea of cyber learning every institution must be well endowed with IT facilities, vis-a-vis computer rooms, network access and first line computing support for their staff and students. A central computing service provides a wide range of IT services on centralized basis, the core networks, expensive peripherals, IT training, mail and other information servers. It also arranges general IT services for those students whose needs are not met within their department or college. The overall strategy for the development of IT is vested in the IT Organization, on which the student body has a representative. Numerical assistance, Computing, Information retrieval, Data Collection, Upgradation of systems are a few of the responsibilities of IT Organization.

CYBER LEARNING IN THIRD WORLD FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE The Universities in the third World Countries use conventional means of teaching and learning. Even if they make efforts to remain current about technological advances being made by the developed countries, they cannot cope up with such fast moving technological advancements. The Cyber Learning is a technique, which can help the teaching institutions of the third world to remain linked with the advanced countries and provide benefit to their students of new learning techniques. In all, a teacher has to do is to provide major links to his students and rest can be achieved by the students themselves. In third world no positive step has been taken to develop coursewares or university/institution oriented on-line facilities. There are only a few universities having full time IT organizations. Faculty is hesitant to share responsibility owing to lack of knowledge, rapid advances, financial constraints and fear of losing control. Teacher and student surf the web without any particular direction. Computers are used for recreation but seldom to learn and share curriculumrelated information. Educators are afraid to experiment with the computers. People are working in private sector but as of public institutions, brand new machines are piled up but none is ready to take the plunge. In private sector, however, an organization in Mumbai, India has developed a programme to provide 1,500 access points in schools or community

For courses that are innovative and specific to a particular target clientele, market surveys/researches are conducted to ascertain the need for launching such courses/ programmes. Once the university is convinced of the need, on the basis of the feedback on the market survey, the faculty concerned sits with IT committee and develops a draft curriculum. Besides carrying out suitable modifications, this meeting helps identify some course writers from outside the university, as well - the idea is to make the materials pan-country. The revised curriculum-outline will later be sent to the identified course writers for writing the courses. Those who agree to associate with the university in the course production processes are given a two-day orientation program. Thus the hardware procured for university students is used to generate funds that would reduce financial constraints and for upgradation of the equipment. COST VS. BENEFITS To implement a cyber education program, one of the first things considered is the expenditure of the scheme. Several cost components factor into the design of a cyber education program are: Technology: hardware (e.g., computers, multimedia, videotape players, cameras) and relevant software.


Session 13a2 Communication: the expense of adopting modes of communicating (e.g., ISP, satellite, and microwave). Maintenance: hardware/ software updating and repairing tools. Infrastructure: the foundational network and telecommunications infrastructure Support facilities: miscellaneous expenses needed to ensure the system works successfully including support costs etc. Research & development: technological and personnel support required to develop and adapt teaching materials. IT Team: to staff all functions previously described. Although the cyber education costs is high as compared to conventional courses. But the benefits of cyber education to the learner are enormous like: • Learning opportunity to students off-campus. • Students may complete their assignments/ research studies off-campus. • Students are exposed to the expertise of the highly qualified faculty. The primary benefit to educational institutions through cyber education may be the increased number of nontraditional students. Research also suggests that as programs become more efficient and widespread their cost would decrease. IMPLEMENTATION Most important part is the training of faculty. They are to realize that IT is neither a ghost nor a wizard. It is the human, which has to maximize the output. A culture of IT is to be developed. Extensive Training revolving around interactive workshops, seminars and courses for educating staff and in the long run for students will be a step forward. IT Equipment needed include Computers as Workstations, Servers, Hubs, optional Laptops etc. The expenditure can not be borne by students alone. The administration has to provide for computer labs in the start. Publicity of these services at campus is easier through faculty, as they are the ones who have to do it first. Students come next. Notice boards, classrooms, assignments, etc would gradually enhance the use of Cyberspace. Setting up on-campus cyber-cafes can provide all day access with leased/ dedicated lines. Whether or not virtual education has its appeal, the powers of the Internet and its ability to connect large tracts of information and people is unprecedented. Once distant participants, youth, adults & professionals are connected in a well-considered pedagogy of science and inquiry, the advances student make toward understanding science is a constructive process and not a list. It would give the glimpse to the future of education, and more generally all learning, environments. Then are the electronic libraries. The powers of the electronic libraries are well proven. In 1950 there were about 30,000 books (most on the Bible and commentaries of it). Fifty years later, there were 9 million books. A 300 fold increase in fifty years. On the Internet, from February 1996

to February 1997 there was a 5200% increase in the number of servers (analogous to books) on the Web, each possibly representing more than one book. If it is assumed that a server could contain about 8 different types of information, analogous to books (this is probably an extreme underestimate), there was a 600-fold increase in the accessibility or dispersal of knowledge in one year. The books caused a revolution as measured by the widespread availability of books and the establishment of universities. The explosion of Web sites induced the first virtual universities into existence in about a year. THE EISCP In third world countries server based CD-ROMs is the solution, until a regional consortium is achieved and problems as described in introduction are solved. An Elementary Integrated Scientific Curriculum Program (EISCP) is developed at Pakistan Navy Engineering College (PNEC), NUST (National University of Science and Technology), Pakistan. EISCP highlights the ability of Servers connected to the university backbone through fiber optic network providing large bandwidth support. It would act as a benchmark for future development. The EISCP incorporates basic scientific knowledge for freshmen. It has progressive evolution stages with the advancement of student’s curriculum and technological horizon. The grade wise CD-ROMs will upgrade and have up-to-date links and references as the curriculum advances. Meeting the instructional needs of students is the foundation of every effective cyber education program, and the test by which all efforts in the field are judged. Regardless of the educational context, the primary role of the student is to learn. This is a thwart task under the best of circumstances, requiring motivation, planning, and an ability to analyze and apply the instructional content being taught. This is catered for in EISCP. Each undergraduate student will be issued with a CDROM having unique ID no. This will allow student’s profile being maintained at the local server. All links to access server-based lectures are placed on the CD-ROM. To minimize the economic constraint and to provide uniformity and harmony of software and packages, all licensed softwares are available at the server. The students use these software tools placed at the server. CDs are designed grades wise keeping the present curricula in view and the related links which will be updated continuously with diversification and updating of syllabi. Security is achieved by incorporating unique IDs in the CDs. So only authorized students can access server. We are entering third wave of computer revolution. The first wave constituted of mainframe. The second wave, in which we are presently engrossed, is the era of personal computers. The third wave will have IT machines all-round, cheap and powerful. Key concept of ubiquitous computing is to provide a calmer environment with advanced and


Session 13a2 mature teaching tools. These may have wall-size screens, electronic pens for classrooms and for late night brainstorming by individuals producing diverse beneficiaries online. Keeping same concept EISCP has been designed, which will flourish through present era to meet the demanding and challenging needs of ubiquitous computing. EISCP has also incorporated Computer Based Training (CBT) modules, designed by students as their project work. These opportune students for real time sensory immersion or shared synthetic environments. Presently these CBTs are limited for demos and graphic support for lesson plans. EISCP will provide mentor support online and offline. Online mentors will be available in the chat rooms monitoring students chatting. These will put up questions or would answer control answer for the debatable idea. Off-line mentors would constitute of central database of FAQs that will be continuously updated with advance search capabilities. EISCP will provide work sheets for students to practice and solve assignments. These worksheets are designed by integrating different software labs. The solutions assessed by EISCP will be exhibited to students and mentors both. REAL TIME STATISTICAL DATA COLLECTION To confirm the effectiveness of cyber learning on-campus cyber-classes were conducted in a lab setting at PNEC, so that part of the teaching model stayed the same. The big difference with the distance teaching version of the classes was that the lessons were provided at the server for evening access and classroom instruction given with virtual professor appearing on the screen. From 12 to 18 undergraduate and graduate students registered for each class, in model classrooms. When registering, the students were told that they would have a CD-ROM based EISCP and a virtual professor for classroom instruction. These were not distance-learning students and were accustomed of a traditional classroom setup, so were provided with teaching staff support. Through EISCP it was tried to make the cyber students comfortable with the new format. "We found that it is very important to retain some of the conventional elements of classroom teaching so this change isn't traumatic for the students." We prepared a detailed syllabus describing how the class would operate and how the students could participate, and reviewed it carefully with the students during the first session. We also held a lab session focused on EISCP operations and other software used in the course. The two mathematics classes consisted largely of lectures, punctuated by graphical presentations of equations. Before each lecture, the instructor established a virtual meeting between his computer in the control room and the demo computer at the classroom. In the PNEC classroom, lab assistant operated the demo computer and a multi media projector. Several tools within EISCP helped support traditional classroom interactions. The two-way audio-video

conferencing capabilities allowed the professor to hear and see classroom activity, while students could see and hear him. One assignment required the students to make a presentation to Professor, which they accomplished through virtual conferencing. Using Technology to its Advantage one of the goals of both courses was to familiarize students with numerical analysis softwares, including MATLAB. In the traditional classroom, this instruction involved manual blackboard numerical computation without visual presentation during lectures. The virtual professor capabilities in lab greatly improved this situation. Students could look at the same screen projected at the front of the room, and any student in the class could take control of the shared application and perform operations with input from the entire class. Lecture notes, presentations, and lab assignments created in Microsoft Word and Power Point were posted to the class Web page, and arranged in EISCP. This system let student survey the notes and follow links, as well as write comments and questions regarding portions of lectures, and read comments from other students. Students used MATLAB to solve differential equations also. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel were used to prepare assignments and graphs. Beyond the scheduled class times, students could participate in directed discussions and contact the instructor. Students could also send him letters and share views by email. The students accessed the lessons covered in the classroom and next day's proceedings to prepare in advance. They also contacted the instructors through net conferencing, which kept the channels of communication open. THE SURVEY Because this teaching model was untraditional, we paid close attention to the student’s performance. Lab assignments and students understanding showed positive results compared with the traditional lectures understanding as shown in figure1. Also, knowledge gained and grasping power increased immensely. In addition, we surveyed students in both classes three times during the week. At the end of day one, we surveyed Figure 1. Statistical Data collected to establish effectiveness of Cyber learning.

results revealed that for most, the cyber learning format was new. The second survey, during third and fourth day, focused on how students perceived the delivery of content. The results of this survey were used to evaluate what worked best and to change anything that might be inhibiting the learning process. The third survey, at the end of the course, provided an overall student perspective on the cyber teaching model.


Knowledge Gain

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Every student browsed through class Web pages, followed the suggested links during lectures, and joined virtual meetings between the instructor and among themselves. Thirty-five percent of the students used the chat window, 80 percent followed the links to check out what’s more, and 65 percent collaborated in shared applications (MATLAB, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel). Of the 18 students surveyed over the week course, all but two indicated that they were satisfied with the accomplishments. In reviewing the process, we believed that because our students were regular students—not distance learners—it was important to replicate a traditional classroom setup as much as possible in designing an interactive Web-based cyber course. It was also important to support traditional communication channels between students and the instructor. Another key to ensuring that the technology works effectively is to keep the courses relatively small (fewer than 15 students) and in-groups undistracted with planned organized data. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORKS EISCP does not provide lessons and lectures only; it gives worksheets to students. The EISCP teaches the students. It enables faculty make effective use of IT and new teaching techniques and approaches to create measurable improvements in learning processes and outcome for a large number of students. Future works of cyber learning techniques not only includes interactive teaching tools but also it integrates with the intelligent processors based on neural networks. With these innovative techniques, students would be asked to teach after taking the lecture and during teaching his understanding assessment would be carried out. Also on virtual network if a student online puts up question then Computer program would check for any student taking evaluation test of that lecture, the computer will then put up question to online student, mentor and its database. Finally computer would generate control answer for the student. The final answer will be stored in computer database increasing its intelligence. Cyber Learning will find a way to complete large-scale human performance and technology infrastructure change in third world countries. It is truly a lifelong process. Its deeply

1) Woodruff, M & Mosby, J. (1996). “A brief description of videoconferencing”. Video-conferencing in the classroom and library. 2) Brown, D.G., “A plan for the class of 2000”. Multiuniversity (Spring 1997). 3) Bennett, Frederick Ph.D. “Computer as Tutors, solving the Crisis in Education”. 4) Threlkeld, R., & Brzoska, K. (1994). “Research in distance education”. In B. Willis (Ed.), Distance Education: Strategies and Tools. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, Inc. 5) Bieber, M and Vitali, F. “Toward support for hypermedia on the World Wide Web”. Computer (Jan. 1997). 6) Watters, C. Dynamic links. In proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Incorporating Hypertext functionality into software system. Washington D.C. (March 16-20, 1996) 7) The Digital Agora Project. Acadia University, Nova Scotia, Canada. 8) Weiser, Mark. “The future of ubiquitous computing on campus”. Communications (Jan. 1998) 9) Dede, Chris. The transformation of Distance Education to distributed learning. George Mason University (July 1995) 10) Morill, J.P. “Distributed Recognition of Patterns in Time Series Data”. Communications (May 1998) 11) Morgan, A. (1991). Research into student learning in distance education. Victoria, Australia University of South Australia, Underdale 12) Detweiler, R.A., Mission: Ubiquity. Trusteeship special issue on IT (Oct 1996), Association of Governing Broads of US Colleges and Universities.

satisfying journey that we are convinced should never end.
