8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!

, 22, 2007

A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING BLENDED COURSES INTEGRATED WITH WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES
Carmen Ho o!e"#$ Department of Computer Science, University Politehnica of Timisoara, Timsoft, Romania C%r&"!&ne Nena 'ara(&ann& Research Academic Computer Technology nstitute Rion, !reece S)*ro" Pa)a+a,&" "ellenic #pen University, $aculty of Sciences % Technology Patras, !reece Ga-r&e a Gro""e#, Department of Social nformatics, &est University of Timisoara, Romania A-"!ra#!
This paper is a result of the #'()$A * #pen 'lend(d )earning $or Adults, a t+o years pro,ect funded +ithin the (C S#CRAT(S -!RU.DT/ ! Programme and presents a methodology for developing 0lended courses, +ith a focus on using &e0123 technologies2 The main aim of #'()$A +as to create 0lended learning courses for adults, related to specific topics for specific target groups, +ith a 0alanced rate of face to face and online lessons, and to revive interest on learning as a prere4uisite for further education2 Depending on the technical conditions and 5no+ledge of the participants, there +ere used different e)earning methods and different devices for easy access to learning materials and support2 The 0enefits of using &e0123 technologies are underlined2

'e*.or+"/ 0lended learning, education, distance education, e)earning, adult education, online courses, &e0123 technologies2

I. In!ro+$#!&on The social, economical and political changes, along +ith the development of the information society indicate clearly that 5no+ledge +ill 0e more and more the 0asis of our society2 The need for lifelong learning has 0een recogni6ed 0y governments and policyma5ers across all developed societies2 ndividuals need to cope +ith the ever changing demands of +or5, of a changing society, and the increasing insecurity of employment, as 0oth state and employers +ithdra+ from paternal roles2 Therefore the lifelong learning process ta5es place not only in schools and in vocational conte7ts 0ut more and more in the private area2 Classical learning in classrooms changed into e)earning a0out ten years ago 0ut its success +as limited 0ecause learners never came to the same environment +ith the instructors2 .o+adays any approach 0ecame more +ide spread +hich is called - en+e+ earn&n(2 n this approach students follo+ the courses through #D) 0ut from time to time they come to classrooms and discuss the su0,ect +ith the tutors and peers2 A mi7ture of face*to*face and distance education and the integration of synchronous and asynchronous learning tools provide an optimal possi0ility for the arrangement of effective learning processes2 n the #'()$A pro,ect, +e have investigated ho+ to motivate target groups +hich have not 0een interested so far in further training, each for different reasons2 The main focus +as to revive interest on learning as a prere4uisite for further education2 (ach individual has got his-her o+n learning e7perience2 To increase the chance of learning +e used the personal e7perience and individual needs of the learners2 &e +ere a+are of the social conte7ts of the learners2 "ighly interactive and pro0lem solving approaches for learning in real life conte7ts +ere used2 The courses +ere developed in a fle7i0le e)earning environment that allo+s people to ta5e part in training despite their physical and other a0ilities 8forming individual learning portfolio, organi6ing teaching according to learning o0,ects92

8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!, 22, 2007 A. Par!ner"%&). #'()$A pro,ect started in #cto0er 133: and has 0een run until Septem0er 133; +ith financial support through the (U programmes 8!< Socrates !rundtvig 11:1=:*CP*<*133:*<* '(*!RU.DT/ !*!<<92 The coordinator +as the University of An5ara, Tur5ey, and the partners +ere institutions from other seven (uropean countries> !ermany, !reece, taly, .etherlands, Portugal, Romania and U?2 B. Pro0e#! A&m" an+ O-0e#!&1e"> to increase the effectiveness and motivation for further education 0y using e)earning methods +ithin a 0lended learning methodology, for those +ho have not 0een interested so far in further trainings for social or other reasons@ to e4uip people +ith the means of 5no+ing ho+ to use ne+ learning and teaching methods and didactics@ to provide 0lended learning courses tailored to target groupsA specific needs 8i2e2 adults, unemployed, drop outs, immigrants9@ to distri0ute created learning resources and learning activities via an open source platform for open access2 C. Tar(e! Gro$)"2 The target groups +ere socially disadvantaged people, unemployed people and immigrants2 A 0lended learning methodology and tailor*made courses addressed to such venera0le groups +as designed, developed and tested in the frame of the #'()$A pro,ect2 II. B en+e+ Learn&n( Me!%o+o o(* A. B en+e+ Learn&n( +e2&n&!&on )i5e many learning terms, blended learning 80*learning9 has the illusion of 0eing a concrete concept2 n practice it is a fle7i0le term that means different things to different people2 The danger is that it is usually seen as a simple method of co*,oining some classroom and e)earning 8this simple Bpic5 and mi7A definition is not enough92 This is +hy b-learning is defined for our purpose here as the com0ination of traditional classroom teaching and the use of any of the ne+ technologies or applications in the service of learning or learnerAs support2 t is important 0ecause e)earning can ma5e a significant difference to ho+ adults*learners learn, ho+ 4uic5ly they master a s5ill, ho+ easy it is to study@ and, e4ually important, ho+ much they en,oy learning2 Such a comple7 set of technologies +ill ma5e different 5inds of impact on the e7perience of learning2 /ulnera0le adult learners are not comforta0le +ith e)earning technologies and methods2 nteractive technology offers a ne+ mode of engagement +ith 5no+ledge via 0oth material and social interactivity online2 Adult*learners should ta5e greater responsi0ility for their o+n learning2 The participants in the pro,ect courses +ere adults2 Therefore it +as important for us to understand ho+ adults approach learning@ this is +hy +e tried to e7amine several characteristics of Adult (ducation, +hen approaching the learning process, such as> autonomy the adults have a clear image of ho+ they +ill use the ne+ information and to +hat degree it is useful for them they assume an active role they are oriented to+ards solving practical pro0lems, and achieving a +ell*defined purpose they have professional and life e7perience2 All these motivate the adults into participating in a course +hich offers useful elements for their professional life and career2 The facilitator must contri0ute to maintaining their motivation, 0y everything that helps 0uilding the learning process2 An adult gets involved in the colla0oration +ith the others, communicates and interacts +ith maturity and e4uili0rium +ith the other participants2 The degree of involvement is ho+ever influenced 0y the +ay in +hich his-her e7pectations are met2

8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!, 22, 2007 (ach participantAs previous e7perience leads to an e7change of know-how, to the revelation of tacit 5no+ledge2 The facilitator should pay a ma7imum of attention to the monitoring, the animation of discussion spaces, +hich should facilitate their e7perience sharing2 )earning is a social act, +hich is often performed 0y informal sharing of opinions2 Courses ta5e place in a constructive, student*centred manner2 The teacher shifts from the traditional manner, +here he-she simply transmits the information, to that of a facilitator +ho enters the studentsA team and helps them 0uild their 5no+ledge, as a manager of the learning process2 The entire learning process is realised 0y case study, problem based learning, group work2 Participants not only ac4uire 5no+ledge, 0ut these are also used in solving practical pro0lems2 There are learning theories stating that study, memori6ation and success of learning depend mainly on the relationship 0et+een the student and the teacher-facilitator2 Therefore, the attitude adopted should 0e very open2 B. Com)o"&!&on an+ +e"&(n o2 a - en+e+ earn&n( )ro(ram n our design, a 0lended learning program is divided in 0lended learning courses2 A 0lended learning course is composed of face*to*face lessons and distance education lessons2 (ach lesson consists of learning and interactive activities2 (ach learning activity is composed of learning o0,ects and feed0ac5 services, as sho+n in $igure <2

F&(. 3. #0elfa 'lended )earning Program

n designing a 0lended course, the ADD ( approach +as adopted, +hich consists of five phases> analysis 8A9, design 8D9, development 8D9, implementation 8 9 and evaluation 8(9 C see $igure 12 (ach phase involves using tools and concludes +ith a product2 ADD ( is an iterative process re4uiring continuous evaluation and feed0ac5, +hich helps modifying, adapting the material, and improving the facilitation2 The analysis phase involves analy6ing a specific teaching and learning pro0lem2 &hat is that adult learners +ith no interest on learning are e7posed toD &hat they should learn, and ho+ should their learning e7periences affect themD s there a particular method that they find the most attractiveD &hich is the aim and +hat should 0e learnedD &hich are the learning o0,ectives and the prere4uisitesD The design phase concerns the instructional and learning methods2 &hat educational method and learning techni4ues do +e +ant to useD &hat learning activities and +hat support activities should tutors perform to support themD &hat scenarios of learning activities flo+D &hat resources should 0e made availa0le to 0oth learners and tutors in the form of learning o0,ects or interactive servicesD

8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!, 22, 2007 The development phase concerns the content and communication services2 &hat learning o0,ects are availa0leD &hat is the availa0le and-or afforda0le infrastructureD &hich are the most appropriate CT means to ensure availa0ility, openess, friendliness, interactivity, etcD &here is the e4uili0rium 0alancing e*tutoring and face to face teaching in order to meet our 0lended learning o0,ectivesD n the implementation phase the follo+ing actions are ta5en> The material for the f1f and online learning are created A virtual learning environment is open and the space is prepared +ith all the needed information The modules are pu0lished online The 8pilot9 course is run2 The evaluation phase is an ongoing process +hich ta5es action during and after the course, in +hich the follo+ing aspects are studied and measured2 &hich is the utility of the course for the participantsD &hich is the participantsA involvementD &hich is the degree of interaction generated 0y the materialD &hich is the impact of the course for the participants careers and for their organisationsD

F&(. 2. The ADD ( model

Te materials for a course should meet the follo+ing re4uirements> to contain useful, ne+, +ell*organised, inciting, interactive, motivating information to represent the necessary 0asis for accomplishing the course o0,ectives to ans+er to various learning styles to ma5e use of the participantsA previous e7periences to 0e practice*oriented to encourage reflection and further research to offer a 0asis for discussions, activities2 Eore over, since it is not an easy tas5, a team is usually set up to design and implement a 0lended course2 This is made up of specialists in the course topics, programmers, pro,ect manager2 #ur methodology includs also aspects related to course efficiency monitoring and evaluation2 A course can 0e said to 0e efficient +hen its o0,ectives are met2 $or eficiency evaluation, +e have proposed t+o stages> a formative one, during the course itself, +hen the facilitator can ta5e into account the participantsA and partnersF opinions in order to ma5e improvements, and a summative one, occurring at the end of the course2 C. F22 an+ on &ne a#!&1&!&e" The evaluation of the courses run during the pro,ects leads to the follo+ing conclusions related to the 0enefits of using f1f and online activities for the vulnera0le adult groups2

8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!, 22, 2007 Why is traditional classroom teaching is important for vulnerable adult groups? esta0lishes a direct connection and sharing 0et+een facilitators and participants provides clarification on different su0,ects, thus increasing the participants confidence and motivation at least a part of group pro,ects are easier to 0e done permits to reali6e a common pace for participants in studying the materials2 Why is eLearning technology important for vulnerable adult groups? These technologies support many different types of capa0ility> access to digital versions of materials unavaila0le locally communication tools for colla0oration +ith other adult*students and tutors internet access to search, and transactional services interactive diagnostic or adaptive tutorials interactive educational games personali6ed information and guidance for learning support tools for creativity and design virtual reality environments for development and manipulation electronic devices to assist disa0led learners tools to create portfolios C such as 0logs2 (ach one encompasses a +ide range of different types of interaction and possi0ilities for feed0ac5 and colla0oration2 III. Te#%no o(&e" $"e+ &n !%e )ro0e#! An important issue in the pro,ect +as the use of open standards, open source soft+are, and ne+ colla0orative technologies2 A. Par!ner"4 #o a-ora!&1e ) a!2orm The success of the pro,ect could 0e reached only +ith a continuous colla0oration of the partners, and +ith a good management of the coordination team2 $or all the duration of the pro,ect the partners have colla0orated on an online platform at http>--+++2o0elfa2eu, implemented and administrated 0y the !erman partner, using the open*source Goomla system2 All the steps of the pro,ects +ere discussed on the platform forums, having access to the pro,ect documents hosted 0y the platform too2 A wiki containing information a0out technologies and strategies to 0e used for preparing and running the courses +as continuously developed 0y the partners from the 0eginning of the pro,ect2 Together +ith the conclusions resulted from the evaluation of the courses, the +i5i +as used to 0uild the 0lended learning methodology guide2 'efore launching each pilot course, the materials +ere revie+ed 0y the other partners@ also the interaction on the online platform +ere monitored 0y the partners and they gave useful feed0ac5 on the pro,ect colla0orative platform2 This +ay peer-mentoring connections 0et+een the team mem0ers +ere created, each could learn form the othersF e7perience2 The pu0lic part of the platform including a colla0orative 0log +as an important tool for the pro,ect dissemination, together +ith the 0logs o+ned 0y a fe+ partners2 B. V&r!$a earn&n( ) a!2orm Almost all the courses developed in the #0elfa pro,ect +ere hosted on a Moodle platform2 The reasons for choosing this platform are> is open*source@ has interfaces in all the languages of the partners@ is fle7i0le, easy to use@ has the facilities needed for group pro,ects@ provides a lot of modern technologies 8or has e7tensions for9> RSS feeds, 0logs, +i5i, podcasts, connection +ith Second )ife platform 8Sloodle9 etc2

8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!, 22, 2007

C. We-2.0 !e#%no o(&e" The team of Timsoft, the Romanian partner, has reali6ed a deeper research in the field of using &e0123 technologies in the 0lended courses2 #ne of the courses implemented 0y the Romanian partners deals +ith &e0123 technologies in education, preparing facilitators to use such technologies in their courses, this course itself 0eing an e7ample of good practice2 The Timsoft team has used for the courses its o+n virtual learning platform e)earnTS C see $igureH2 The platform is 0ased on open technologies * )AEP 8 )inu7, Apache, EySI), P"P 9, and offers 0logs for participants and RSS feeds, and integrates other &e0123 technologies2 &e consider that each course, each ne+ learning e7perience in +hich some0ody ta5es part, should 0e integrated in the continuous learning process in +hich that person is implied, should 0e connected +ith her - his aims, +ith her - his practical activities and future career2 .o matter +hich is the su0,ect of a course, one of the tas5s of the participants and the facilitator is to 0uild together a pool of useful resources for future reflections too> RSS feeds, 0logs C of the facilitator, participants, other practitioners, +i5is +ith topics related to the course, collections using colla0orative 0oo5mar5ing systems2 The colla0orative e7ercises and group pro,ects reali6ed 0y the participants could use &e0 123 tools2 Thus the e)earnTS platform is open to online resources, to &e0 123 applications, 0eing integrated +ith the personal learning environments of the participants2

F&(. 5. e)earnTS Platform

IV. T%e -ene2&!" o2 $"&n( We-2.0 Te#%no o(&e" &n - en+e+ #o$r"e" A. We-2.0 +e2&n&!&on The ne+ technologies and services offered 0y the nternet, generally called &e0 123, refer to the social use of the &e0, and allo+ people to colla0orate, to get actively involved in creating content, to generate 5no+ledge and to share 8e7change9 information online2 )ess than H years a+ay from the

8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!, 22, 2007 moment +hen Tim #AReilly launched the concept, it is generally ac5no+ledged that &e0 123 is an um0rella term, +hich includes a very large range of applications and services +hich use the &e0 as a unitary platform, organi6ed on communication2 Although a clear definition of +hat &e0 123 is doesnAt e7ist yet, here the ne+ model refers to a collection of technologies and methodologies +hich render the &e0 a lot more participatory, more semantic, more personali6ed, and more immediate2 Perhaps its most significant approach is the fact that it is more a socio*cultural phenomenon, rather than a technical one, an attitude rather than a technology, the fact that it has 0ecome more personal to the users, emphasi6ing the development of communities and the strength of something done together2 Specific technologies contri0uting to &e0 123 include 0logs, +i5is, syndication of content through RSS feeds, podcasting and videocasting for audio and video content, screencasting, social 0oo5mar5ing, media sharing, social net+or5ing and other artifacts of social soft+are2 B. We-2.0 !e#%no o(&e" &n - en+e+ #o$r"e" So +e have &e0 1232 'ut +hich technologies and tools can 0e used in 0*learningD The ta0le < illustrate some of these2
Technology 12 Social 0oo5mar5ing H2 Social notes K2 'logging 8information management, ePortfolios9 :2 &i5is L2 Casting> audio 8podcasting9, video, screen, course< and pu0 ;2 Social net+or5ing =2 Eedia Sharing M2 Communication 8audio-chat9 Tools del2icio2us, furl, citeU)i5e, connotea, scuttle(du, Trail$ire, diigo !oogle .ote'oo5, $lec5 'logger, &ordPress &i5ipedia, &i5ispaces, P0&i5i Podomatic, Screen*o*matic, Sci/ee1 .ing, $ace'oo5, EySpace $lic5r, JouTu0e, TeacherTu0e, SlideShare, Scri0d, dotSU' Asynchronous or in real time 8!Eail, Eessenger-Eee0o, S5ype, T+itter, Jac5pac59 !oogle Page Creator, .et/i0es 'u00l2us !oogle Docs, Noho, Thin5 $ree, &rite0oard, !liffy

<2 syndication of information 8RSS9 'log)ines, !oogle Reader, Ey Jahoo aggregators

<32 /irtual +orlds, educational games Second )ife <<2 Platforms for personali6ed pages <12 EindEapping <H2 #ffice 123

Ta- e 3. &e0123 technologies used to interact, create content and assess the outcomes of the learning process

Although not designed specifically for use in education, these tools-technologies are helping to ma5e e)earning far more personal, social, and fle7i0le2 The &e0 123 technologies are attractive, allo+ greater adult-student independence and autonomy, empo+er students, permit colla0oration, create e7citing ne+ learning opportunities and increase pedagogic efficiency2 ntegrating them, 0* learning focuses more on colla0orative, student*centered, and open learning techni4ues2 These are the reasons for educators from all over the +orld to start to e7plore the potential of 0logs, +i5is, RSS and other social soft+are in 0lended courses2 Although &e0123 redefines the relation 0et+een technology and education, using such technologies in 0lended courses does not represent an easy teaching and learning method2 t implies a sum of efforts, and especially 5no+ledge of the &e0 123 technologies2
< 1

Podcasting of collegiate lectures for students A ne+ online tool that allo+s authors to upload their pu0lished research papers along +ith <3*minute multimedia presentations 5no+n as Opu0castsO +here they e7plain the salient points2

8 - th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE E-COMM-LINE 2007, Bucharest , Septem er 20, 2!, 22, 2007 The figure K outlines some of the ma,or &e0 123 concepts and technologies used in the #'()$A pro,ect2

F&(. 6. &e0 123 Colla0orative Technologies used in 'lended Courses

"o+ever, the authors of this article hope that all the actors from the educational field 8teachers, tutors, trainers, administrators, or those responsi0le for policies9 +ill find this methodology efficient and promising 0oth for the educational process and for self development2 &e are certain that, once engaged in using the &e0 123 technologies in 0lended courses they +ill discover it is +orth the effort and they +ill en,oy its 0enefits2 V. Con# $"&on" The methodology proposed 0y #0elfa pro,ect tries to fill a gap 0et+een the theoretical and practical aspects of 0lended learning2 Developing an important num0er of courses for different target groups, using ne+ technologies, the #'()$A pro,ect is a real pool for research, for e7perimentation of 0lended learning techni4ues2 The guide resulted +ill 0e useful for those developing formal or informal courses for adults2 Re2eren#e" <2 (uropean Commission, D! (ducation and Training> The (ducation % Training 13<3 programme * http>--ec2europa2eu-education-policies-13<3-etP13<3Pen2html 12 (pic 'lended )earning Eethodology * http>--+++2epic2co2u5-content-+hatP+ePdo-0lendedPlearningPinde72htm H2 &ill Richardson> 'logs, &i5is, Podcasts, and #ther Po+erful &e0 Tools for Classrooms, Cor+in Press 133L K2 Stephen Do+nes> E-learning 2. , e)earn Eaga6ine, 133:, http>--+++2elearnmag2org-su0page2cfmDsectionQarticles%articleQ1M*< :2 Carmen "olotescu> eLearning !uide, (ditura Solness, 133K L2 Carmen "olotescu, Christine .ena ?aragianni, Spyros Papada5is> " Methodology #or $esigning "nd $eveloping %pen &lended 'ourses #or (ulnerable "dult !roups, The ;th nternational Conference #n Technical nformatics 8ContiA133L9, = * M Gune 133L, TimiRoara, Romania ;2 Carmen "olotescu, !a0riela !rossec5> &e0 123 Technologies in (ducation * http>--+++2timsoft2ro-space:, 133; =2 Unesco /irtual University * http>--+++2unesco2org-iiep-virtualuniversityM2 (du$orge * http>--eduforge2org