Technology-Based Learning Strategies

SOCIAL POLICY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

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Technology-Based Learning Strategies

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Office of Policy Development and Research 200 Constitution Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20210 Under Contract #AF-12526-02-30 and the direction of Heidi M. Casta.

1330 Broadway, Suite 1426 Oakland, CA 94612 Tel: (510) 763-1499 Fax: (510) 763-1599

Prepared by:

Vinz Koller Sandra Harvey Micheline Magnotta

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 B. OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................. 3

What is Technology-Based Learning (TBL)? .................................................................... 4 Technology-Based Learning's Potential............................................................................ 4 Benefits and Challenges ................................................................................................... 6

Benefits......................................................................................................................... 6 Challenges.................................................................................................................... 8

C. METHODOLOGIES AND TOOLS......................................................................... 13

Methods and Tools.......................................................................................................... 13 Asynchronous and Synchronous Delivery Modes ...................................................... 15 Instructor-Centric, Content-Centric and Learner-Centric Teaching ............................ 16 Simulations and Goal-Based Scenarios ..................................................................... 17 Blended Learning........................................................................................................ 19

D. APPLICATIONS.................................................................................................... 20

Government .................................................................................................................... 20 Industry ........................................................................................................................... 22 Education ........................................................................................................................ 27

K-12 Education ........................................................................................................... 28 Adult Education........................................................................................................... 28 Post-Secondary Education ......................................................................................... 29

E. MEASURING SUCCESS ...................................................................................... 33 F. PROMISING APPROACHES AND EMERGING TRENDS ................................... 35 G. BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................... 39

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Technology-based learning (TBL) constitutes learning via electronic technology, including the Internet, intranets, satellite broadcasts, audio and video conferencing, bulletin boards, chat rooms, webcasts, and CD-ROM. TBL also encompasses related terms, such as online learning and web-based learning that only include learning that occurs via the Internet, and computerbased learning that is restricted to learning through the use of computers. E-learning is synonymous with TBL and has largely replaced it in scholarship and industry as the term of choice.

TBL holds the promise of substantially transforming the way learning takes place because of its numerous advantages. Among these, TBL fosters greater accessibility to learning by offering anytime and anywhere delivery. It is readily scalable to both large and small groups since it can accommodate larger numbers of learners at little extra cost and smaller groups of learners that otherwise would not be able to participate in traditional classroom training for lack of enrollments. Further, the content of TBL courses, especially those that are delivered online, can be centrally developed and updated whenever the need arises; therefore, the cost of replacing outdated course materials and retraining teachers and instructors drops significantly. From the learners' point of view, TBL can be self-paced and matched to the learner's needs, and, building on pedagogy that emphasizes the merits of discovery learning, it offers the prospect of promoting greater comprehension and retention, particularly for complex materials, because of its clear opportunities for the hands-on manipulation of course materials and the use of simulations and game-playing. Perhaps for these reasons, TBL has witnessed marked growth in the training marketplace in government, industry, and education.

At the same time, TBL is not without its challenges. Among the most important of these is the "digital divide," caused by low computer literacy rates and lack of access to technology among some learner populations. Additional challenges include "social loafing," characterized by students who work less diligently than they otherwise might, or who become frustrated by course material or technology and thus less engaged, because of the relative absence of instructorlearner and learner-learner interaction. Further, some TBL has been characterized by high attrition rates among learners. Course developers face their own challenges, as they grapple with

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