E-learning System - Assignment Example

Developing e learning System Prepared by Submitted to Word count Introduction The aspect used in the e learning system is about thecheck out operator's job in TESCO. The course genie is used to create new materials in word and the material in word format is used to start with these and turn into a course. To start a course genie, there is need of opening existing word document or a new one can be created. The new course genie will add to main menu bar and the CG tools palette and CG tags palette can be added to word processor environment. They can be turned off also if not needed in word processor environment. Most course genie operations can be carried out by course genie menu and the palettes. There should be a possibility of working with CG palette turned off. (Horizon wimba, 2006) By using a combination of special styles and dialog boxes, the interactive features can be added to e learning system. The flash cards, insertion of HTML, Java and other codes, navigation, table of contents, formatting, hyperlinks, pop ups, definitions, self test questions, wmp, flash and quick time moves can be added. Adding these is possible by building them into the course using the styles and dialog boxes added to the word environment by course Genie. By using course genie, the development of e learning system can be done using word. The content created can be easily accessible as it is authored with SENDA, W3C and section 508. The accessibility checker can allow the academics to check the content. This is done before creating the final content package. This will give more leverage to the learning system as a well structured, interactive course material is present. This can integrate seamlessly with the ANGEL, Black board, moodle, or WebCT, CMS/LMS/VLE. Using the word with course genie the content can be exported to WebCT IMS package. A black board package file, Moodlle SCORM file, Microsoft LRN IMS format, SCORM 1.2 package, IMS QTI lite, set of plain HTML pages for web delivery. The option save as web page creates a HTML page that needs cleaning. Course Genie can by pass these and can generate simple, clean XML and HTML code that is validated against w3c standards. The output can be transformed as clean XML. (wimba, 2007) 2. Development and Analysis of e-learning system By using course genie the first step to create a e learning system is to convert the Microsoft word documents into interactive online courses on web pages. The time period required for this is lessened very much and the web pages can be simply use what the author knows. The export of the content to black board, web CT and moodle will make the work easy of accessing the content by the learner. The authoring of the content compliant with SENDA, W3C WAI and section 508 and by using accessibility checker the author can check the content before generating the final content package. The pre training questionnaires can be administered to the practitioners who submitted the expression of interest forms in response to the invitation from JISC. This is to participate in the LAMS trial and had been accepted as participants. The facilitation of analysis the questions can be analyzed quantitatively irrespective of intermediate processing. The order to elicit a cohesive set of quantitative data from open ended questions was necessary to categorize participant's responses. The establishment of categories in the system depend on the writings of the respondents. Defining the categories is not necessary as the categories to be defined need to be depend on the necessities of the respondents. Using course genie, the author can define categories according to the writings of the respondents. Generally the common themes in the responses can be a straight forward matter. In most of the cases the responses will be unclear and this motivates the author to define categories before hand. Though the number of responses is not clear, the responses that are clear can be taken into consideration while defining the categories. In case of check out operator the accessibility can be potential benefit of e learning. There is no need to elaborate this term as it is having potential benefit for e learning. In the course of e learning the accessibility cn refer to the need of an e learning system. The holistic reading of the participants' responses and questionnaires and the learners who are excluded from class room can furnish more details for the e learning system. The profile of the participants is about the check out operators and the participants have to deliver the response regarding the usual approach. This can help in designing the content and the learning system. The planning, organizing, sequencing and managing of different learning activities and how they are structured play major role to decide the accessibility. Usually the participants need a plan sequence of activities for each lesson and this can be created in e learning system by planning the sequence activities by using the menus in the course genie. These palettes and menus help in preparing the materials that can be posted in the site for the access of the learners. The predefined lessons can be posted on another location and can be made accessed using the pull down menus created. The plan for the next semester or the next session can be at another location and all these can be accessed by the menus that are the type present in word environment. This enables the learner to work at place according to the suitability of the group. This should allow the session to develop in response to learners. Generally the e learning system must be in a manner that majority number of the students will prepare their lessons. They can develop their own plans using the system, by following the formally defined plans or re using previous plans. This can be made possible by paying attention to learner's needs. This can be done at varying pace using the Genie and enables to respond with flexibility with learners. The above figure is adopted from course genie 2.1 published by Horizon Wimba. This figure in one of the menus of the e learning system gives an idea of accessibility and navigation that is offered by genie. The participant can insert free text descriptions of the materials using the tools that support the design process. These can be divided into three categories. They are : The source materials, syllabus and skills of documentation required for students. The software tools of the most commonly used mind mapping tools and word processors. The other office productivity tools, web design and authoring tools can be used as a part of course design tools like couuse genie. The document produced using the above tool is regarding the course plans, lesson pro formas and the reading lists of the students. The following figure will help to understand about the documents that are needed to the students and placed by them. The above figure is adopted from course genie 2.1 published by Horizon Wimba The analytical frame work used can using the three questions that elicit the perspectives of participants of different aspects of e learning. The potential benefits will enable the technologies to adopt it. This requires participants to formulate their own responses. The common themes in the responses need to be taken to categorize the responses. For this three candidate frame works are considered. They are: 1. activity theory, 2. a set of six dimensions to the technological revolution in learning outlined, 3. the model of learning activity design developed by Helen Beetham. The last model is capable of capturing in a cohesive and comprehensive manner the categories defined according to the responses of the students. This aligns the essential elements in design according to the following figure. Figure 1. The model of learning activity design used in analysis of questionnaire responses (Source: JISC 2004b) The above figure is adopted from www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/ACFDF8.dot The key benefits of the e learning identified by the participants are accessibility, personalisation, motivation, autonomy and development of learner's ICT skills are more important in creating a e learning system. This needs environment tool and resources. This is possible with better availability of appropriate resources, sharing, customisation and use of tools and resources by teachers and learners. This will be easy and simple if there is better availability of required resources. The sharing and customisation will improve quality of communication.(Dr Liz Masterman, 2005). 1 3. Design and Management of E-learning system 3.1 Structure of the system: For the design of the e learning system, the lead organisation management structure is important. This made the respondents recognise that the tighter management structure is needed for possible solution. This made it easier for lead organisation to put in place appropriate structures to take financial and legal responsibilities. The project management must be in such a manner to deal with the impending enquiries and the project should put the funding into the project manager to enable more effective communication with the project. Thi can be made possible with the collaboration with stake holders and project facilitators who need better collaborations. The project facilitators should meet with networking opportunities and ensure that information and resources can be shard with all participating organisations. The teachers should share their materials with other colleges and universities so that the sharing of the content will be complete. In the e learning systems, the owner ship of the data can be thought of but not about the material. Sharing of the material enables the enhancement of the e learning system. The menus provided in the course genie and wecCT vista will help in sharing the material from number of sources and sites. The e learning system need adaptation that can be offered by course genie. It can be adopted by number of users as it can work within the word environment. The development of e portfolios in the form of e learning systems is important for any college or university to share and enhance its research results with others. The sharing and studying will develop the standard and the checking out identification can enable the point where the data and material are modified and the original one can be preserved. This makes possible to preserve the enhanced document and the original one thus keeping owner ship rights of the creator of the material. 3.2 Overall training and objective statement: The creator of the e learning sytem need to take the full responsibility of overall project and training. This can ensure the adequate support from the legal and financial management as there is data and material sharing is involved. The structure of the e learning system should allow the mini projects to progress to plan a range of policies. These are needed to put in place at the outset to agree on issues related to IPR, quality assurance and policies on data protection and copyright. The representatives of the partner should consult with the other partners and learners to facilitate the mini projects of learning that will be a part of the main system. This is for the collaboration between the projects and allows opportunities for networking and sharing of e learning resources and contents. This can be done after the clarification of the responsibilities of the content and system creator to share them online by the students. If the lead organisation or the teacher is apprehensive of the system he can use encrypted version to open the location, where the content is present. This encryption will work with a password and the user or learner can access it by paying to the teacher. This can only guarantee a minimum possible sharing of the content and its enhancement is not possible. So as per the needs of the organisation, the sharing of the content should be free for all and the accessibility should be for every body that is in contact with the system. This is possible by the systems developed by course genie and web CT vista as they work within and with the word environment. 3.3 This is a management tool that structures and speeds up status reporting. This structure and status reporting helps the creator and teacher in the e learning system using the dashboard and traffic light alerts. The reports of learning can be produced on the basis of work break down structure. One can choose the criteria of cost and time etc., to manage the system dimensions. This will help in writing weekly or monthly reports using the project. When the reports are sent to the learners, the system should generate a course dashboard and status reports. When there is a team of teachers, they can import their status reports and will quickly have a course wide dashboard at fingertips. As the course time is increasing the reports will be decreasing resembling a pyramid. Using a word environment the teacher can generate content and place it in network and that can be shared by learners. As the course moves forward the number of locations the content can be placed will be decreased. This makes the changes that are to be made easier to the teacher as the course moves forward.( Wendy Tou, 2006) 2 3.4 Training prerequisites: The e learning system should be a part of the framework programme. This must encourage people to design the learning activities using appropriate technologies. The system can be described as the guide intended for a different and various types of learners. The implementation should describe the configuration of the learning activities. The document first must represent the pedagogy guide and can be designed for use by teaching practitioners. This system must guide the teachers to design models and the learners to access them. The e learning system should provide the process for designing and implementing the effective learning activities. These include the initial design, requirements specification, analysis of the technologies, specifications and standards necessary to meet the requirements. The identification of the common requirements of most of the learners is more important. The e learning system should not be more technical as it impedes the sharing by most number of users. The idea should be flexibility, adaptability and responsiveness to teachers' needs and the learners limitations. These can be achieved by using the discussion boards, assessment tools, voting systems and they can be linked together as the necessity arises. The system can be used and hared across the different institutions and proprietary platforms. This figure show the reference model mapping the requirements. This is adopted from www.elframework.org/refmodels/ladie/guides/LARM_Pedagogy30-03-06.doc The e learning system will coordinate the number of technological tools and services that the teachers and learners want to use in creating and implementing a learning system. The following figure adopted from www.elframework.org/refmodels/ladie/guides/LARM_Pedagogy30-03-06.doc will describe the tools and services required. References 1. Horizon wimba, 2006, Starting a course genie, Horizon wimba, 2. wimba, 2007, author courses with genie, wimba.com, ,electronic, 25-5-07, http://www.wimba.com/products/coursegenie/#jt2 3. Dr Liz Masterman, 2005, Evaluation of JISC Lams, Oxford university computing services, ,electronic, 25-5-07, www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/ACFDF8.dot 4 Wendy Tou, 2006, Regional E-learning Pilot around E-Learning 'ESWAP', City College Norwich, ,electronic, 25-5-07, http://www.theresearchcentre.co.uk/reports/rs3716.pdf 5. Isobel Falconer, 2007, Learning Activity Reference Model - Pedagogy, University of Dundee and Southampton, ,electronic, 25-5-07, www.elframework.org/refmodels/ladie/guides/LARM_Pedagogy30-03-06.doc Read More