Author: Diane Baird

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University

Keywords: Virtual university, technology in teaching

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Contents

• Overview
• Summary of contents
• Case studies

Overview

As the pioneers sat around the reflected light from the PowerPoint campfire, we listened to keynote speakers from Australia, New Zealand, India, USA, and the UK. While each speaker put a personal spin on the topic, some areas of consensus were clear: the question of use of technology is not 'when' but 'how'; interaction is, and will continue to be, centrally important in education; costs of new technology must be calculated in human as well as infrastructure terms; many visions are needed to direct exploration in this new territory; local and international cooperation will become increasingly important.

Most speakers expressed either directly or indirectly a cautionary concern about the role of large corporations muscling in on education. The possibility of groups like Microsoft or Disney dominating educational content is real, rather than virtual. There was also concern from some people about the increasing use of business vocabulary to structure conversations about education. Terms like market niche, value adding, bottom line, and customer focus, among others, are being used more often to structure discussions about teaching and learning.

The Virtual University Symposium presentations were characterised by lecture/overhead style. The first day consisted entirely of keynote speakers. The second day mixed more keynote speakers with one and a half hours of case study presentations and a plenary session. We put in a lot of what one speaker called 'seat time'. Still, the organisers did a good job of bringing together people and ideas over meals with time for sharing reflections. Melbourne University must take credit for performing an essential task. While all pioneers need information and ideas, they also need to question both the journey and the reasons for making it.

Summary of contents

Peter Taylor, lecturer at the Griffith Institute for Higher Education at Griffith University, Queensland, spoke on 'Virtualising Universities'. He used information from a DEETYA funded investigation of academics who were using information technology in their educational practice, or 'virtualising their practices'. He raised a number of issues, from the need for staff development and support to the importance of distinguishing what is new from what is valuable. Taylor nicely stated the distinction between 'reformatting and reforming' education in use of technology. He argued strongly for an emphasis on reforming what we do. He pointed out that technology 'may enhance excellent teaching , but it won't create better practice.' As a 'necessary prior condition for any educationally defensible or effective virtualisation program' Taylor believes that the academic community must first achieve 'educational literacy'.

Robin Mason, Director of the Institute for Educational Technology, Open University, UK, spoke on 'Anatomy of the Virtual University'. Her dissection of the issues involved in virtual education was meticulous and comprehensive. She discussed both educational and strategic rationales as well as the dangers of virtual education. The range of types of technology as well as the possibilities for combining media were placed within a learning context. Dr. Mason asked 'Virtual Education - Why Bother?' but also stated 'Virtual Education - Go for it!' She believes that virtual education will go through a cycle, then move back to older, now current, approaches to teaching and learning. In transforming education, Dr. Mason stressed the need for developing foresight and vision.

Iain Morrison, Professor in Information Technology at Melbourne University, addressed the topic, 'The Digital Revolution - An Enabling Factor in Change'. Morrison defined the meaning of both digital and revolution, setting the context in which universities must operate. He said that people tend to underestimate the rate of technological change as well as overestimate the rate at which cultural and organisational change can be effected. He took a broad perspective, including local and international considerations in information technology, competition, government policy, and changing needs in the workplace. Referring specifically to universities, Morrison described challenges using the vocabulary of business markets, but emphasised that there are 'no black or white answers'. He said universities must 'flexibly respond to changing circumstances and opportunities'.

Donald Norris, President of Strategic Initiatives, a U.S. management consulting firm, spoke on 'Transforming Higher Education: Unleashing the Power of Perpetual Learners'. His background in education and business gives him the dual perspective of identifying educational needs and developing market responses to these needs. Norris stressed the societal transformation from an 'information age' to a 'knowledge age' where people become lifelong learners, tailoring information to meet their individual needs. In this transformation, the key focus will be on 'reflective practice' combined with multiple visions. Optimistically, Norris stated that 'connection, community and perpetual betterment' form the core of application of information technology. Like other speakers, Norris emphasised the difficulty and uncertainty of planning for an uncertain future. In planning for learning, Norris said that 'perspective is worth fifty I.Q. points'.

Timothy Luke, Professor of Political Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, U.S.A., addressed the issue of 'The Politics of Cyberschooling at the Virtual University'. Luke is a founding member of CyberSchool at his university and places use of new technology firmly within an economic, political, and social context. Luke believes that both knowledge, and access to it, are being re-defined by the Web. He sounded warnings about 'digiterati' who 'imagineer' potential for cyber-universities based on a market mentality approach. Issues of power, access, equality and distribution will remain central to new educational initiatives. Luke examined the production and acquisition of different types of knowledge, then explored some currently operating virtual universities. Luke cautioned that 'the information superhighway can be just one more powerful force for raising new barriers of prejudice, inequality, and hierarchy...'. An exclusive interview with Timothy Luke will shortly be published on ultiBASE.

John Tiffin is a Professor at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. He spoke on the topic 'In Search of the Virtual Class'. This search has occupied Tiffin for the last ten years in the form of an action research project on developing a virtual class. He set out a new paradigm for education in the 'information age', giving a vision of what a virtual university might become. He predicts a national, as well as an international, nature for these universities allowing the intersection of virtual classes, real people, real classes and virtual people. Tiffin stresses the importance of interaction: 'Our students have no difficulty learning in a virtual class, but...they hunger for the social side of a conventional university. They go to enormous pains and expense to get together in physical reality.' Tiffin is convinced that both real and virtual universities have a place in the future, but only if they exist in tandem. Without this co-existence, Tiffin believes the conventional university has 'but a little while to go.'

Madanmohan Rao, Vice-President for Global Strategy at IndiaWorld Communications addressed the topic: 'Education and Research in the Virtual University: The Internet Challenge for Developing Nations'. Dr. Rao eloquently outlined some online challenges from the perspective of emerging and developing nations. While he affirmed the importance of the internet for these countries, Dr. Rao also presented statistics that underlie the reality of use. In a nation like India, where there are about 7.7 telephone lines per 1,000 people, use of online media is restricted to those who are affluent or whose workplace has access to the Internet. Researchers in developing nations face many challenges in addition to access, including neglect and prejudice by the Western academic press. Dr. Rao reports that less than 2% of Western indexing services are devoted to the output of 80% of the world. Although the challenges are difficult, the potential benefits of online media are enormous. Dr. Rao stresses the need for collaboration, alliance, diversity, and respect in surmounting these challenges.

Geoff Maslen, Australian journalist, addressed the topic 'The Challenge in Context: Does the University have a Future in the Borderless World of the 21st Century?' Maslen's task was to summarise the symposium by reflecting on what the speakers had said over the two days. This talk was characteristic of Mr. Maslen's writing on educational issues over the past twenty years: clear, balanced, thoughtful and based on integrity and hope. He also told some jokes, reminding participants to keep a sense of humour and humanism in their endeavours. Maslen no doubt voiced the concerns held by many in the audience and his remarks were comforting: we do not have to dash into this new area. We can walk, slowly and carefully, in the direction that is best for education.

Case studies

Alexander, S. and Blight, D., Internationalisation of education through the virtual university.

Anderson, G., Step by step - A pilgrim's progress: Helping education benefit from technology.

Atkinson, E., Flexible learning and the open learning initiative.

Audley, D., Development of a policy for the accreditation of electronic flexible delivery programs.

Ayad, N., Towards the virtual university: Trends and strategies.

Berge, Z., Example case studies in post-secondary, online teaching.

Branch, P., Video on demand trials at Monash University.

Collings, P. and Walker, D., Informing the design of the virtual university: A case study of the development and support of flexible, collaborative work and learning groups in an Information Systems course.

Crock, M., Evolving as a forth generation university: A case study in promoting change for sustained growth at Central Queensland University.

Eustace, K., McAfee, M., Sherman, S., Lake, J., Gaffey, K. and Naylor, A., Paideia: The virtual university?

Hawkins, N., The use of the world-wide web in the support of tutorials in pathology at remote sites.

Knox, D. , Video conferencing in actuarial studies: A three year case study.

Messing, J. and Cornish, B., Graduate diploma in applied science (information technology): Distance education at Charles Sturt University.

Prendergast, G., Using computer supported cooperative learning to deliver effective work place training.

Pritchard, T. and Jones, D., Open learning and/as the virtual university?

Redman, J., Collegiality and community in a virtual university.

Rimmington, G. and Connor, D., The path from traditional to virtual - actual insights: A case study of the Agricultural Science Course 1987-96.

Sibillin, A., O'Sullivan, K., Letch, J., Churches, P., Higgins, D., and Heywood, K. (Melbourne University Student Union), Between classes: A student perspective.

Stacey, E. and Thompson, L., The virtual campus: Deakin University's experiences.

Taylor, P., Academics' views.

Townsend,A., Monash philosophy: The resource-based teaching project.

Walker, J. and Thomson, A., Breaking down the boundaries: A case study of the community as university.

West, P., A collaborative model for online education.

Zastrocky, M., The Western Governors' University: An ambitious model for `virtual' higher education.

For further information about the symposium, contact the conference organisers: Chris Blackall, Janie Fung, Graeme Hart, and Jon Mason.

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