Classroom 2000: Towards an Integrated Environment for Distance Learning
by Giovanni Coray, Antoine Delley, Lorenz Muller and Christine Vanoirbeek
Technological changes have a strong impact on engineering sciences,
so continuing education is a first priority for active engineers. The new
information- and communication technologies have created a fundamental
change in the content and methods of the learning processes. Our continuing
education system has to adapt rapidly to these new requirements. International
interdependence through growing global networks makes it unavoidable that
the international aspect be integrated within the professional development
and training strategies, particularly in the field of information and telecommunication
technologies. The achievement of these goals is the main motivation of
the R&D-project CLASSROOM 2000.
The CLASSROOM 2000 project is the structural and technological framework
for the implementing of new learning technologies, in the form of modular
courses for engineers and technicians, to be tested within two independent
education programs. It is divided into three subprojects whose more specific
goals concern: authoring tools for the preparation of teachware, course
implementation methodology for the dissemination of courses over synchronous
and asynchronous communication channels, and validation of the approach
taken .
Presently, the project-partners are developing a selection of tools
and concepts for the implementation of computer supported teachware. On
this technological basis, adequate protocols for the implementation and
use of these tools within the context of learning in a virtual class are
being developed. In a third step, a pool of modular prototype courses with
CAL- elements, partially disseminated within a virtual classroom and specially
focused on the needs of engineers and technicians, will be delivered and
evaluated.
The scientific and organisational coordination between the subprojects
and the overall project management is an important task of the FNRS-funded
CLASSROOM 2000 project (grant Ç Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche
Scientifique È No 5003-51362). Coordination and exchange of expertise
extends to a dozen (non beneficiary) Swiss partners. European contacts
are welcome and different forms of partnership are possible. It is worthwhile
to mention the integration and further development of the CR 2000 pool
of course- modules, into a European Master in Information System Technology.
This European postgraduate diploma will be defined and run by those European
partners enrolled within CLASSROOM 2000 and other interested international
institutions and consortia.
CLASSROOM 2000 is an important preparation step for the realisation
of the virtual campus in Switzerland. Its technology and methodology is
based on a conceptual hierarchy of synchronous communication schemes: The
virtual classroom for a one-to-one multimedia communication between tutors
and students at their actual working place (interactive distant learning);
the electronic classroom for the multimedia transmission of a course or
seminar to another school (remote teaching); and the high bandwidth transmission
of a lecture or a conference to an amphitheatre at an other university
(remote lecturing). Within CLASSROOM 2000 different types of higher education
institutions collaborate to define coherent technical and methodical projects
and concepts for the realisation of the virtual campus.
Authoring Tools
This subproject deals with research and development related to tools
and technical aspects of computer assisted learning and the realisation
of remote control systems for the tele-laboratory. Its main focus is the
production of teachware and the generation of support and preparation tools
for courses. An initial concept and prototype implementation of a new generation
of tools builds on MEDIT (Multimedia Environment for Distributed Interactive
Teaching), an experimental environment for authoring and administration
of highly interactive distance learning.
Striking features of this development are:
- it provides means for the integration of existing and new authoring
tools, for the design of truly interactive courses
- it supports the systematic document structuring approach (SGML, XML)
for all courseware and multimodal-interactive documents.
Methodology and Course Dissemination
This subproject focuses on the implementation of tools, processing protocols
and methods to obtain a consistent course curriculum considering ergonomic,
pedagogical and economical aspects. It deals with the running and dissemination
of a course over new forms of synchronous or asynchronous communication
channels and the optimal use of new forms of teachware within the learning
process. A first output of the VIRTUAL CLASS subproject is a successfully
tested implementation concept for the virtual classroom using an interactive
distant learning environment in combination with head on course elements
and interactive learning material for self studies (suitable for group
learning). The interactive distant learning environment is based on a mix
of synchronous (Videoconferencing, application sharing, chat, remote control
of technical equipment) and asynchronous (Web, Email, forum, file transfer)
communication schemes. A planned additional output of the subproject is
a concept and a test implementation for a network of electronic classrooms
to link the sites of the future Colleges of Higher Education (Berner Fachhochschule,
Haute Ecole Spécialisée Suisse Occidentale).
Assessment
This subproject concentrates on the exploitation and validation of the
results of the two R&D-subprojects running and evaluating prototype
courses for testing purposes. In our view the future of continuing education
lies in a combination of present and remote teaching, interactive distant
learning with a tutor, computer supported group learning and self studies
with support of interactive teachware. To achieve a high acceptance for
such new learning technologies and concepts students and teachers have
to be prepared and the implementation methods must be adapted to the actual
training needs. For this, we upgrade existing course modules in established
continuing education programmes (NDIT/FPIT - Nach Diplomausbildung Informatik
und Telekommunikation / Formation Postgrade en Informatique et Tlcommunications
- and others) with chosen elements of new learning technologies to serve
as prototype courses. The goal is to achieve experience in the practical
use of new learning technologies and to optimise the implementation of
new learning technologies in a realistic environment. A postgraduate study
program for IT-engineers: an ideal testbed The NDIT/FPIT university enterprise
training partnership (Nachdiplomausbildung in Informatik und Telekommunikation
/ Formation postgrade en Informatique et T_l_communications) is a successful
working example of a collaboration between different types of educational
institutions (Universities, Colleges of Higher Education) and technology
oriented industry enterprises. The target public for its educational offers
are engineers and technical project managers in the field of computer science,
business information systems, telecommunication and multimedia. Today over
160 students are enrolled in the offered postgraduate courses and cycles.
The students assemble their individual curriculum from a modular programme
that includes over 80 course modules, offered by the specialised partner
institutions at their site.
The geographically distributed course providers, the collaborative organisational
concept with modular courses, and highly skilled and motivated students
make this program an ideal testbed for the implementation of new learning
technologies. Already a selected sample of the courses are offered in a
virtual classroom environment. During the CLASSROOM 2000 project more of
the NDIT/FPIT courses will be upgraded with newly developed interactive
teachware or prepared for new dissemination methods. All test courses are
stringently evaluated with the collaboration of the students and the teachers.
Information on the web on the CLASSROOM 2000 project is available at:
http://classroom2000.epfl.ch/,
on the NDIT/FPIT courses at http://www.ndit.ch/
Please contact:
Federico Flückiger - NDIT/FPIT
Tel: +41 31 999 3071
E-mail: flueckiger@ndit.ch
Giovanni Coray LITH EPFL
Tel: +41 21 693 25 72
E-mail: coray@di.epfl.ch
